OK Jaanu is the remake of Mani Ratnam’s romantic-drama OK Kanmani that talks about a young couple madly in love with each other but who doesn't believe in the practice of marriage. Yes, it is another film that speaks of a live-in relationship.
When it was made in Tamil, the live-in relationship was an unexplored topic on screen and hence it was new, but Bollywood has many films on this subject. In Tamil, it was a challenge for the couple to have a live-in relationship but in Mumbai, which is culturally different from Tamil Nadu, there are no such difficulties and hence the absence of such a conflict in OK Jaanu mutes the effect completely.
AR Rahman's music has already scorched the charts, and the songs are the strong pillars of the film. The audience breaks into a thunderous rapture with Humma Humma track. All the songs are brilliantly captured through the lens of Ravi K Chandran which only highlights the effects of them though most of them are only shown as montages. Enna Sonna is a poetic delight when the music, lyrics and the grey scale visuals weave a magical spell!
The coming back of hot hit pair Aditya and Shraddha Kapoor has given a facelift to the film. It is needless to say they look great together, but their love drama sounds like a juvenile play. OK Jaanu is almost a frame to frame remake of the Tamil OK Kanmani, but the emotional scenes are cut short and or removed, perhaps with the idea that it would increase the pace of the film. However, it only works against the movie.
If OK Kanmani was so artistically made, this remake is so artificially made. The whole play looks superficial. There is so much cuddling romance throughout yet you feel there is no real love in it. Naseeruddin Shah, however, has done his part really well.
Classics are not made just by imitating another to the T. A successful imposter is one who does not spoil the reputation of its original. Emotions have a crucial role to play in a love story which however is missing in this product. The love is just NOT in the air.