Joe review: Hariharan Ram comes up with a satisfying romantic drama

Director Hariharan Ram comes up with a refreshing romantic drama that manages to win your heart.

The film is basically about the titular character Joe, played by Rio Raj. While the first half revolves around the early part of his life when he falls in love with a girl in college, the second is about what happens when he eventually gets married.

Hariharan Ram does a fantastic job in the first half and you find yourself empathising with the lead characters.

The second half, although not as convincing or as engaging as the first, still manages to keep you interested, eventually making you leave the cinema hall with a mild sense of satisfaction.

Synopsis

Joe (Rio Raj), the only son of a well-to-do couple, leads a carefree life with his close set of friends who have been there with him from the time they were in school.

In college, Joe falls for his classmate Suchi (Malavika Manoj), a sensitive and soft-spoken girl from Kerala. Eventually, Suchi reciprocates his feelings and the two decide to get married once they finish college.

The appointed time comes and the couple finish college. However, when Joe goes to Suchi’s place to ask for her hand in marriage, an unexpected but interesting and emotionally moving set of developments takes place. Disaster strikes.

Time passes by and Joe, who is shattered, struggles to recover and move on. He finds it hard to let go, much to the worry of his parents who believe that getting him married is the only solution that will help him come out of the rut that he has got himself in.

They encourage him to get married to Shruthi (Bhavya Trikha), a girl of their choice and to please his parents, Joe agrees.

However, little does he know that Shruti is not interested in this marriage. Much against both their choices, the two get married. What happens next is what Joe is all about.

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A shaky start

The film gets off to a shaky start as Rio plays a school student. Just when you begin to wince in your seat, the plot moves on and the actual story begins.

From that point on, Hariharan Ram wins your attention and holds you prisoner for the next hour or so with a fantastic romantic drama.

The first half works big time as you are able to emotionally connect with the developments on screen. One reason why this half works like magic is because it is based on real-life incidents.

Performances

Malayalam actor Malavika Manoj, who makes her debut in Tamil cinema with this film, does a spectacular job as Suchi. She is just perfect for the role and seems to be a promising talent.

Two other reasons why the film works big time are music director Siddhu and cinematographer Rahul KG Vignesh.

Siddhu Kumar, who scored those mellifluous superhits in Sivappu Manjal Pachai, does an exceptional job in this film too.

The songs are so good that it makes you sit up and take note of them. The background score is apt and enhances the mood the director seeks to create.

Rahul Vignesh’s visuals in this film take your breath away. One is unsure what other films he has worked on before this but his visuals in Joe are nothing short of being spectacular.

Each scene is nothing but poetry on screen. Tamil cinema now has this talented cinematographer to offer.

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Final take

In all, if you are a romantic at heart, Joe is definitely worth your time and money.

(Views expressed here are personal.)