Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s anthology is a phenomenal assortment of captivating love stories

Six expertly produced stories are presented by directors Bharathiraja, Balaji Sakthivel, Thigarajan Kumararaja, Rajumurugan, Krishnakumar Ramakumar, and Akshay Sunder, together with an excellent ensemble.

Modern Love: Chennai is a unique anthology. Every chapter in this book excels, and it does so with novel writing and presentation at a time when audiences no longer find love stories to be a genre that surprises them. The short stories in Thiagarajan Kumararaja's anthology, which is based on a selection of real essays that published in The New York Times, include both stories where you wish the events were true and those where you question what was real and what was fictionalised.

Rajumurugan's Lalagunda Bommaigal's bizarreness is the former; you wonder if something similar really happened; you chuckle for a while and feel awful for the characters occasionally, but you also realise that this is as real as it gets.

The main draw is Sean Roldan's soundtrack, which gives everything a carefree air. In particular, "Jingarthathanga" is brimming with the enthusiasm of rediscovering love. The song's lyrics liken Shoba to a racing dove (although appearing serene, she is capable of fighting), and Nathuram to a lone shark (despite being by himself in a perilous ocean, he is still a shark). Other incredibly outstanding features include how it combats prejudice towards immigrants from North India at a time when news stories on the subject are frequently in the headlines.

There is a strong case made against rigid gender roles in Balaji Sakthivel's novel Imaigal. Devi (TJ Bhanu), who would eventually lose her vision owing to a degenerative eye illness, seems to be anticipating Nithiyanandham (Ashok Selvan), to break up with her when she tells him the news. However, Nithiya accepts her hand in marriage and pledges to show her the entire globe up till she can. But after a few years, we see that Devi's responsibilities have been reduced to cleaning the house and caring for their daughter; this illustrates how useless patriarchal gender roles are.

Devi's initial shot in this short, where she stares at us as if she could see right into our souls, is another gorgeous, expertly-executed detail that foreshadows what we will eventually realise. Her unmoving pupils appear to be so clear that it nearly appears unnatural. Surprisingly, at a crucial juncture in the conclusion, she appears to be the most at peace when she shuts her eyes.