Modern love is a concept that has been explored in various films and web series in Hollywood, and one of the most common themes is dating apps and how digital technology is shaping relationships today.
Love Insurance Kompany, aka LIK, directed by Vignesh Shivan and starring Pradeep Ranganathan, Krithi Shetty and SJ Suryah, takes this theme a step further in a futuristic setting.
Touted as a sci-fi rom com, Love Insurance Kompany tries to bring a new genre to the Tamil cinema audience.
Dheema (Krithi Shetty) is a cute, young girl whose life revolves around the LIK app created by Suriya (SJ Suryah) and his Love Insurance Kompany. Her day-to-day life in the age of 2040 is governed by LIK and for her, the likes and increasing followers she gets on the app give her life meaning and are the sole purpose of her existence in a way.
It's easy to understand this because her mobile-obsessed mother didn't bring her up on love and human touch but rather on algorithms, apps and digital media.
In contrast, Vibe Vasu (Pradeep Ranganathan) shares a rather simple life with his father (Seeman) who is anti-technology, and tells Vasu to never bow down to anything or anyone in life. Live with pride is his advice but when Vasu meets Dheema, his world view changes and he becomes obsessed on how to win her over. Dheema is popular on LIK and the only way to connect with her is through this app.
On his friends' advice and against his father's wishes, Vasu buys the LIK mobile and enters a technology-driven world where love is measured, rated and algos churn out matches. Vasu manages to connect with Dheema but LIK's new feature - Love Score - throws a big spoke in his love wheel and the relationship crashes when Dheema refuses to believe that the heart knows better than an app. What does Vasu do next? Does he win Dheema over? Is there a happily-ever-after in a love story ruled by an app?
Written by Vignesh Shivan, LIK is a story that tries to capture the fragility of modern relationships and how technology plays a critical role in our romances today.
Much like his earlier work in films, like Naanum Rowdy Thaan and Kaathuvaakula Rendi Kaathal, he has a knack for writing characters who speak like real people rather than cinematic constructs. The dialogue flows naturally-often playful, occasionally self-aware, and frequently masking deeper emotional confusion (like in the case of Vasu and Dheema).
LIK's theme will be highly relatable to Gen Z and Gen Alpha who navigate 'love' more on social media than in real life.
Though the theme is highly relevant, the screenplay and execution are a let-down. Vignesh Shivan doesn't portray any of the characters as extremes keeping moral ambiguity as part of their social fibre. While individual scenes sparkle with wit (especially in the first half) or emotional resonance, the overall story lacks a tight progression.
Moreover, the conflict in the film doesn't cause the dramatic tension one would expect and the second half really suffers. Many of the scenes tend to drag and holding the audience's attention becomes a challenge.
What is positive about the film, though, is that the director has presented both perspectives - the male and the female - in equal measure and this gives us some insight into their stunted emotional psyche. Another things that stands out is the film's conversational tone using the lingo of Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Pradeep Ranganathan's performance in LIK is built almost entirely on relatability. The actor-director previously struck a chord with younger audiences through his keen observations of contemporary romance, and this theme continues in LIK. He understands the rhythm of how today's generation speaks - the half-finished sentences, the deflections, the jokes masking discomfort - and translates it on screen with ease.
Krithi Shetty as Dheema is a stand out as one can't separate the actress from the character on screen. She plays her role with emotional restraint and this makes her endearing. Shetty connects strongly with the audience as a result and one feels for her more than Vasu through the film. The contrast she brings to Vasu's character and hold her own is commendable. But yes, Ranganathan has a stronger character arc in the film which gives him more scope for performance.
LIK's production values are superb, and no expense has been spared to ensure the movie is a vibrant and colourful watch on the big screen. The cinematography by Ravi Varman is top-notch, and Anirudh Ravichander's songs have already become chart-busters pre-release.
On the whole, director Vignesh Shivan has tried to give us a fun, futuristic love story with LIK, but as Gen Z would say, it's mid. No cap.
