Arranged Love

An Australian feature-length romantic comedy drama written and directed by Sanjane Koneshamoorthy and starring Fatema Khan, Atharv Kolhatkar, Aurnab As-Saber, Christopher Chelliah and Jacqueline Michael.

The screenplay is separated into chapters and alternates between two relationships that take place in different time periods and involve the same woman but a different man. The woman is Merunasri (Khan), a young Indian accountant who lives with her parents in Queensland, Australia. Her parents (Michael and Chelliah) have arranged for their daughter to begin dating a young Indian dentist named Dhaventhiran (Kolhatkar), in the hope of marrying him. Merunasri reluctantly agrees and the two of them get to know each other. Meanwhile, in another timeline that took place in the past, she forms a relationship with Rizwan (As-Saber), a nice young Indian guy who she meets through work.

Generally, the story is intriguing, however regarding the two romantic relationships, it is the one involving Dhaventhiran that stands out the most and that is due to two reasons: firstly, because of Dhaventhiran's awkawrd and childish behaviour and secondly because (unlike her romance with Rizwan), Merunasri is pressured into dating the dentist, making the viewer wonder if this 'arranged' relationship is going to work out. It is also this relationship that covers the biggest part of the film's duration. After the screenpaly moves back and forth between the two relationships, things then focus on how things develop between Merunasri and Dhaventhiran. There are plenty of humorous moments and emotional moments and the protagonists are interesting characters. Regarding the technical side of things , when a new chapter commences, some impressive animation forms an image that is related to the current chapter, along with a short text that reveals which of the two relationships it is about and how many days it has been going on for. The beautiful and uplifting soundtrack is another plus thanks to the work of composer Beven Elankumaran.

If there are negative aspects to analyse, one might be the duration. Although the story is good enough to keep the audience guessing how things are going to turn out, one could argue that there might be too many scenes, that certain scenes are unnecessary and make the feature feel overlong.

Concentrating on the performances now, they are amusing and emotional. Khan's character is a young woman whose life does not seem to be going the way she wants it. An intelligent and hard-working person, she dislikes her job and she feels that she is pushed into marrying someone she does not fancy. Dhaventhiran adds a lot of value to the film. Kolhatkar portrays a naive and insecure man who does not have much experience ragarding romance and tries too hard to make things work between him and Merunasri. He is a well-meaning guy and his clumsy behaviour adds a great deal of amusement to the viewing. Rizwan appears to be the one that Merunasri would choose as a husband. A friendly and cheerful man, he seems to be perfect for her.

Looking at the themes now, the feature significantly explores the qualities that a marriage requires in order to be successful, such as support and understanding. Other subjects involve being pressured into doing things one does not want to, particularly by parents. Of course romance is a major theme and so is self-reflection, finding the right person and following one's ambitions. The film also explores Indian traditions, particularly regarding weddings and religion.

A heart-warming story about romance, about finding the right partner. The intriguing plot, the humour and the performances make this a viewing that deserves recognition. And the revelation at the end is quite moving.