Love Always Review: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Love Always is a breezy fantasy comedy with a warm cast and plenty of smiles. It makes smart points about marriage, but it is too kind to the husband, and that weakens the wife’s struggle.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5)
Genre: Fantasy Comedy
Language: Tamil
Director: Madhumita
Cast: Jayasudha, Jayaprakash, Gouri Kishan, Ramzan Muhammed, Suraj
Arranged marriages sound strange when you think about them. Two people who barely know each other are asked to spend a lifetime together, often before they know each other’s favourite colour. Love Always starts from that idea and then adds a sorcerer, a magic medallion and a very big twist. The Tamil series is now streaming on JioHotstar, and it runs for seven episodes.
The story begins like a family sitcom. We meet a well off household that has come together to plan the sixtieth birthday ceremony of Manjula and Kannan, played by Jayasudha and Jayaprakash. Everyone expects the couple to renew their vows. Instead, Manjula shocks the family by asking for a divorce. Their elder son Gautham and his wife Rajini, their college going granddaughter and their younger son Vignesh, an assistant professor, all react in their own way.
This is where the fantasy kicks in. Through a bit of magic, the old couple turn into their twenty year old selves, now played by Gouri Kishan and Ramzan Muhammed. They get a second shot at youth, and the series asks a simple question. Is being in love the same as being married?
Madhumita handles this idea with a light touch. The series is adapted from the Korean webtoon Here We Go Again, and it never takes itself too seriously. You will spot some Crazy Mohan style humour and a few Mani Ratnam like lines, but they are used with care and never feel forced. The show also stays close to a sitcom mood, even when the story could have gone wild. The crazy side only comes out in the finale, which is a smart choice. The focus stays on Manjula and Kannan, and the side characters still feel like real people.
The cast is the best part. Gouri Kishan stands out as the young Manjula. She shows so much with her eyes and small body movements, especially in the scenes where she deals with Kannan, her son and a young classmate who has a crush on her. Jayasudha is excellent in the emotional moments and hilarious when things get silly. Jayaprakash and Ramzan Muhammed have great comic timing, and Suraj is believable as a son torn between regret and disbelief. Maya Krishnan, Mythili Sathyajith and Pradeep Palli also bring a lot of charm.
The series does have a problem, though. It makes a strong point about how emotional neglect can slowly kill a marriage. But once the couple become young again, the story keeps finding reasons to excuse Kannan. He stays selfish in both versions, yet a single line about standing up for his wife is treated as enough. Young Kannan gets to chase his dream of studying law. Young Manjula mostly wants to be near her son. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a mother, but it makes you wish she had a dream of her own. Treating Kannan so gently takes some shine off her struggle.
Still, the show wins you over. The humour comes at the right moments, and the whole ensemble plays off each other beautifully. By the end, you are smiling and thinking about how love and marriage are just as tricky today as they were in the past. As the series itself says, there is no logic, only magic.
If you are planning your weekend watchlist, our Love Always OTT release date article covers how this Tamil fantasy romance arrived on JioHotstar. For another story about family and reunions, read our Meethe Mein Kya Hai review, which finds its charm in a Diwali gathering. And if you want something with more bite, our Akka review looks at two women fighting over a gold soaked throne.
Love Always is not a perfect series, but it is sweet, funny and easy to finish in one sitting. Come for the magic and stay for Gouri Kishan and Jayasudha.
Love Always is now streaming on JioHotstar.