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While watching “OK Kanmani,” the 2015 Mani Ratnam romance, what stuck with me was how both Aadi and Tara, initially reluctant to the institution of marriage had to compromise or rather take a sanctimonious decision to marry to be each other’s forever legally. Are you as a reader wondering why the 2025 film “Kadhalikka Neramillai” review had to begin with a 2015 film’s footnote? Well, pretty much because Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s film is a more realistic interpretation of a marriage-hesitant couple’s idea of love, companionship, and togetherness.
Kadhalikka Neramillai’s Siddharth and Shriya are two different people with entirely different thoughts on marriages, commitments, and parenting while juggling in a world of starkly different dimensions of ambition. Shriya, an architect is deeply in love with the world she creates for her and her clients. A workaholic and lover by heart, she is a go-getter in her profession. On the other hand, Siddharth is a structural engineer who sees the world through a pragmatic lens. As a dreamer and aspiring entrepreneur at heart, he advocates for sustainable, cost-effective architecture against the conventional ways of his construction company.
However, besides similar career interests, Shriya and Siddharth have not much in common. While Shriya resorts to conceiving a child through IVF after recovering from the trauma of her fiance’s adultery, Siddharth resorts to sulking after his girlfriend abandons him on the day of their engagement. A pregnant Shriya meets Siddharth amidst her search for the sperm donor of her baby and it’s all butterflies in the stomach, sparks fly, etc..etc for the duo.
However, owing to circumstances, things get to a standstill and the story takes an 8-year leap. Shriya is now a single mother navigating the world, one step at a time. And Siddharth is still working at the construction company he loathes. As the prerequisites of a typical contemporary romantic drama demand, Siddharth and Shriya meet again. This time as competitors, vying for the same project in Bengaluru. Siddharth, wary of taking life-altering leaps, finds himself drawn once again to Shriya, whose quick thinking and fearlessness reignite their old attraction. How their relationship develops over time in their 30s as mature adults with an 8-year-old kid in the equation, forms the rest of “Kadhalikka Neramillai.”
What makes “Kadhalikka Neramillai” a mostly breezy romantic comedy is the chemistry between its highly relatable and joyous leads. Both Siddharth and Shriya are likable, modern people with different schools of thought. While Shriya loves parenthood, Siddharth is averse to the concept of bringing babies into the world. While both had their hearts broken driving them to commitment-phobia, they share similar thoughts on the need for companionship and love. They are so different, yet alike and this makes the duo charming and contemporary.
To its credit, in “Kadhalikka Neramillai,” characters simply exist as average people without having to emphasize their pain or struggles to fit in. It beautifully captures the idea of a chosen family and that is another one of the major reasons why it works as a film. It also de-stigmatizes gay marriages, sperm donation, IVF, and single-parenthood. For e.g., Vinay Rai’s Sethu is gay and he is as much a friend to Siddharth as much as his cis-het friend Gowda (played by Yogi Babu). In a particularly delightful scene, “Kadhalikka Neramillai” equates test tube babies to superheroes awaiting their turn to unleash their powers. The film has quite some magnificent moments like these that make it a breathe-of-fresh air in an era of problematic romances.
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Now, Coming to where “Kadhalikka Neramillai” falls short. The writing glosses over gay parenting, single parenting, free will, choice, companionship, love, adultery, commitment, and IVF, while not going deeper into any. It neither delves deeper nor efficiently explores the conflicting schools of thought of its lead characters. While Siddharth and Shriya bond over their careers and traumatic relationships in the past, their attraction seems too convenient and quick. Despite actors Nithya Menen and Ravi Mohan (aka ‘Jayam’ Ravi) bringing incomparable charm and chemistry on board, there is less organic growth in their characters’ relationship dynamic. The Maniratnam film “OK Kanmani,” however, explored the dynamics and emotional conflicts of its characters better.
By the end of “Kadhalikka Neramillai,” Shriya gets an arc where she organically outgrows some of her beliefs while Siddharth’s character gets the short end of the stick. Someone who was against the whole idea of parenthood becomes a father figure quickly and there’s nothing in the film that validates this transition of his. However, unlike OK Kanmani’s Aadi and Tara who agree on the conventional sanctity of marriage, Shriya and Siddharth get to stick to their beliefs on the institution of marriage and companionship as the credits roll.
Nithya Menen and Ravi Mohan look incredibly captivating onscreen. While Shriya is a cakewalk character for Nithya, she commands the audience’s attention in every scene and carries a simple character with immense honesty. Ravi Mohan plays Siddharth with too much likeability and charm. His scenes with Nithya ooze chemistry like never before, while his scenes with Rohaan Singh’s Paarthiv are too cute to handle. Rohaan Singh’s Parthiv is adorable and his entry effortlessly enhances the feel-good factor of the film.
The third and most vital protagonist of “Kadhalikka Neramillai” is A R Rahman. His music makes the film, breezy and as chic as ever. Yennai Izhukkuthadi in particular is a stunning composition and deserved better placement in the film. Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s story and direction are light-hearted and are for sure a welcome addition to an almost disappearing list of filmmakers who could capture romance as is. Gavemic U Ary’s frames and lighting aptly lend the film its contemporary charm. The film boasts of a heavily talented supporting cast comprising Lal, Yogi Babu, Vinay Rai, Lakshmy Ramakrishnan, Vinodhini Vaidhyanathan, and Mano, and it underutilizes each one of them. Their characters pop in and out conveniently despite lighting up the scenes they are in. Had the makers crafted the supporting characters better, “Kadhalikka Neramillai” probably would have turned out an even better film.
While arguably reminiscent of the 2023 film “Mrs. Shetty Mr Polishetty” in parts, “Kadhalikka Neramillai” makes for a better film. It also gives two mature adults and their contemporary love story a better landing than “OK Kanmani.” To conclude, “Kadhalikka Neramillai” does certain things right and certain things wrong. As two oddball characters cross each other and evolve individually to meet on the same page of commitment, they find strength and seek companionship together. And the bottom line is: “Kadhalikka Neramillai” would never have taken off without Nithya and Ravi Mohan – and that’s the case with most of the good rom-coms.
