Theeni (aka) Theenni review
theeni is a romantic comedy written and directed by ani sasi and produced by bvsn prasad under the banner sri venkateswara cine chitra. The film has Ashok Selvan, Ritu Varma, and Nithya Menen in the lead roles, while Nasser appears in a crucial supporting role. the film has music by rajesh murugesan and cinematography by divakar mani.
dev (ashok selvan) is a chef who works at a five star restaurant in london, where nasser is the head chef. Ritu Varma plays the role of Maya, who is diametrically opposed to Dev in terms of cleanliness and personal care. Although they are not rivals or bitter enemies, the two do not get along, until one day when both are locked inside the restaurant. what happens next forms the rest of the plot.
As soon as the movie starts, we are introduced to Dev’s and Maya’s life at the same time through a cut. dev is someone who is obese, has messy hair, and his room is almost like a garbage can. on the other hand, maya has ocd and her room doesn’t have a speck of dust. She is organized, has an alarm for everything, is extremely punctual and cares a lot about personal hygiene. in fact, she is someone who washes her hands at least six or seven times due to her condition.
While establishing these characters, the film also makes an important statement for the audience. wants to remove all the chaff from writing. Or in other words, the movie values our time and doesn’t want to waste it. there is no separate hero intro. in fact, the first few minutes have no dialogue. the ritu varma and ashok selvan movement here seem caplinesque, and have a slightly humorous effect on us. It won’t make you laugh out loud, but it will make you smile.
This also serves as a foreshadowing of the rest of the movie, in terms of the mood. there are no tragic and heartbreaking scenes, despite one death. a father and a daughter separate but we only get that as a dialogue. On the one hand, this is a positive for the film, as it increases engagement. on the other hand, this also becomes one of the negative aspects of the film because you find it difficult to invest emotionally in the sorrows/problems that these characters face. but the intention of the film is clear, which is to give the audience a feel-good product.
When it comes to acting, ashok selvan understands the nuances of his character well and has put on a top-notch act. Ritu Varma and Nasser also have correct arcs and their subtle performances help the cause of the film. With the exception of Nithya Menen, the rest of the cast doesn’t get much screen time, and part of the film has only the leads in frame.
cinematographer divakar mani’s use of close-ups makes us feel like we’re part of the set as well. many servings happen inside a restaurant, and the way the food is fired is drool-worthy. In general, too, the visuals and music play the perfect complement to the narrative, and the film is technically sound.
This is one of those movies where the writing is pretty clear. not much time is spent on flashbacks, emotions are managed maturely, the runtime is less than two hours, and the script is linear. the movie doesn’t make you think much, and the violence is zero. in other words, you feel very comfortable watching movies like these. overall, the movie engages you in most parts and makes you feel good, even though the movie is not about you. such films are rare.
