The reactions of Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha in this one scene are a sample of their fantastic chemistry. As for the lead actors, there is a lighter moment when Janu asks Ram if he is a virgin, and calls him an вЂњaambala naatukattaвЂќ. The actors who play the younger Ram and Janu - Adithya Bhaskar and Gouri Kishan - are equally good. Right from younger actors like Devadarshini, Bagavathi Perumal, Aadukalam Murugadoss, who appear as Ram and JanuвЂ™s friends, to seniors Janagaraj and Kavithalaya Krishnan, who appear in cameos, the casting feels spot on. Plus, the graceful notes, like Govind VasanthaвЂ™s evocative music, Mahendran Jayaraju and Shanmuga SundaramвЂ™s cinematography that feels like a love letter to night-time Chennai - are far too many that they more than compensate for this minor flaw.ДЄnd the cast is excellent.

Even here, we get a terrific moment that acts as a wonderful pay-off to a set-up involving the song Yamunai Aatrile. And in a film where the storytelling is largely organic, these feel like jarring false notes. these do not feel as credible as the earlier portions. We get scenes that are clearly a function of the plot - the events explaining why Ram and Janu never got in touch after their separation despite being madly in love with each other, Janu forcing Ram to get a haircut, or the way she is with him in his house. There is even a time limit to their reunion, for one of them has a flight to catch as in that film. This set-up recalls a similar one in Before Sunset. These portions unfold as events that happen during one night, and largely involve the conversations between Ram and Janu - why they never connected, what has happened in their lives during the past 22 years, and the feelings that they (still) have for each other. It is only in the second half that Prem Kumar resorts to cinematic plot devices. And the film uses Ilaiyaraaja songs in a unique way to enhance this nostalgia. We get a beautifully narrated teenage romance between Ram and Janu that is intercut with moments in the present involving the reunion of childhood friends. But the film doesnвЂ™t resort to emotional manipulation to achieve this, but rather does so by narrating its story organically. The first half of 96 taps into nostalgia to leave us with a high that only happy associations with our past can evoke. We even get a cute story on why she is named Janaki. She enters the picture somewhat late, but in the second half, it is, in fact, JanuвЂ™s actions that nudge the plot forward.

And that is where he meets Janaki, his Janu, once again, after a gap of 22 years.Д«ut the film is as much JanuвЂ™s story as it is RamвЂ™s. That is the only place that he chooses to drop by, and this leads to him connecting with his old classmates, and they all decide to have a reunion. A chance visit to his native, Tanjore, triggers a flood of memories for himвЂ¦ the places that have defined his childhood, like the bus stand where his parents landed at after their marriage, the hospital where he was born, the place that was the first major shopping centre in his town, and most importantly, the school where he met the love of his life, Janaki Devi (Trisha). It does begin as the story of its male lead, Ram (Vijay Sethupathi), a travel photographer. But what sets Prem KumarвЂ™s film apart from the others is that it gives equal importance to the romance of its female lead. Will the event spark something between him and his old flame?Д©6 Movie Review: There is a lot to fall in love with 96, a wistful romantic film about a past romance, like Autograph and Premam.

96 Movie Synopsis: A chance visit to his school leads to a photographer connecting with his school friends, and they decide to have a reunion.

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