96 - Beyond Applause
C Premkumar's 96 whips you with emotions. Elevated by superlative performances, it is a simple tale of long lost love but the take is refreshingly unsentimental. The opening credits show the protagonist Ram (played by a superb Sethupathi) as a travel photographer on his solo sojourns. Ram captures life in its variety of colours. He describes photography as a tool to freeze a moment which you can replay many years after. Ram leads a nomadic life with with his mind frozen over the moments when he was head over heels in love with Jaanu (Trisha) during his school days. He appears content staying single while avoiding to meet relatives and had it not been for the chance detour, he would have continued with this existence. His nostalgia on seeing his old school, the watchman and memories of Jaanu trigger an instant urge in him to socialize with his batch of '96. But the director does not want to rush, nor does he have any ideas of making you overtly sentimental. Instead, he builds it up with Ram slowly easing into his school WhatsApp group. What follows is a heartwarming stretch of emotions where long lost friends become as close as ever leading to a reunion plan in Chennai within a few months. The reunion is exceedingly well shot with very realistics moments and well placed flashbacks.
The flashbacks of their school days work well, brilliantly aided by the actors and helped hugely by Govind Menon (the musician). When the school boy Ram does not find Jaanu in school because she is sick, he becomes restless. When she returns after a few days, and Ram is waiting for her to look at him, the director creates a beautiful moment. Post everyone asking how she is, Jaanu turns with her eyes only fixed at Ram's desk in the back. Ram cannot believe it. He realizes he loves her more than anything else.
In the reunion, post 20 years, Ram is still the same. Janaki appears to have moved on and without giving any spoilers, the meeting changes their long held beliefs and notions about their destiny, love and their decisions. Premkumar steers the film craftily without giving way to any sort of over the top melodrama. When Jaanu sings the long yearned S Janaki's song in Ram's house, he fumbles and searches for the flashlight and rushes to hear it in front of his own eyes. She sings it and that's it. There are no torrents of tears in their eyes and things appear normal again. The second half has some poignantly beautiful moments. There is a "what if" scenario with the Kadale Kadale song in the background. There is another scene where Jaanu tries to find a suitable match for him as if it would lead to some redemption. Ram shows Jaanu his suitcase full of stuff that he had long been collecting along with memories. The closing of the suitcase in the end also perhaps signifies that Ram is ok to continue with his life while Janaki who appeared so much peaceful when she arrived, is visibily shaken.
The film and its moments stayed with me long after I watched it. Perhaps, a part of me who had been fed on so many of over the top 90s movies believed that Ram and Jaanu would reunite in the end. Even as I thought of writing my experience of watching it, I realized that my words could not do justice to the plethora of emotions that the movie generated. But , it was worth a try only to relive Ram and Jaanu's lanes of nostalgia....
