For a rom-com to be tasteful each layer of design should be meticulously made with a superior flavored topping as a finishing touch. Over the years the amount of Rom-Coms produced by Tamil cinema has seen a steep fall as most of them fail to crack the right formula. Even within the limited setting, it’s those special heartfelt moments that make each romantic story touching. Hey Sinamika by Choreographer turned Director Brindaa is a passable relationship drama that tries hard to be unique but goes in vain.
Brindaa and writer Madan Karky have tried to fit in images that break stereotypical Tamil settings. For eg. Yaazhan the protagonist is a househusband who’s passionate about cooking and looks after the home while Mouna his wife is the breadwinner. We could see Yaazhan happy in his own zone and not feel ashamed to wear his wife’s clothes. But things started to mess up when the makers failed to make use of this seed to create a larger yield. Yaazhan, a loquacious partner, keeps irritating Mouna with his overconcern in the name of love. Fed up with his talkative nature she decides to ditch him and hatch a plan. Hey Sinamika travels the same route of already existing love triangles with all those silly detours. The mood remains breezy and soft the entire time with the first half appearing more appealing than the clumsy second half. The instant love at first sight, marriage, and post-marriage troubles are told with a pinch of humor spicing up the narrative but as the story proceeds to its core Brindaa loses her focus and a chain of melodramatic sequences starts to pour in. The sudden transition of tone with less likable moments and more abrupt setting kills the vibe it had in the initial portions. Even the final act is sloppy and hardly had any emotional connection where we could fall for the main leads.
Dulquer Salmaan as Yaazhan is irritating yet extremely lovable as the doting husband and constant speaker. I could senseless ‘dulquerish’ effect in Yaazhan and an immersed portrayal of the character. Aditi Rao Hydari stole the show with her flamboyant looks and act that leaves several places look-worthy. The alluring chemistry they both share makes Yaazhan and Mouna appear so comfortable. Kajal Aggarwal is so monotonous that even her character appears less sympathetic than it actually should be. The one-dimensional act with weird dubbing makes it look creepy. Hey Sinamika is filled with fewer characters where most of the happenings are inside a circle of few people, Thankfully it works. Govind Vasantha’s songs feel fresh but the score doesn’t create the desired impact. Take note, Music is so important in a rom-com. Preetha Jayaraman’s splendid visuals capture the streets of Pondicherry and Chennai eyefully.
Hey Sinamika could’ve been the next big thing from Kollywood post-OK Kanmani but the makers couldn’t come up with moments that dominate the over stretched, juvenile screenplay. It has situations to cheer for but unfortunately, it doesn’t last for long. Maybe a better staging would’ve made it at least a bit more memorable than this.
Review by ©Rahul Babu