Even when he helmed cop stories and thrillers, Gautham Menon populated his movies with strong, distinctive romantic tracks that were nicely interwoven into the main tracks. He retains that strength and distinctiveness in Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa, his triumphant return to the romance genre after his debut Minnale. With a memorable lead pair, a mature screenplay and a terrific ending, the film is a wonderful ode to love and the best sign yet of Gautham's growth as a director.

Karthik(Simbhu), a Mechanical engineer-turned-aspiring filmmaker, is trying to get his foot in the door of the film industry. Its love at first sight when he lays eyes on Jessie(Trisha), a programmer-analyst, who ends up being his house owner's daughter. While Karthik pursues Jessie relentlessly, Jessie tries to keep him at arm's length since she is convinced that her family will never approve of him.

VTV's romance has all the obstacles that Tamil cinema romances face as Simbhu and Trisha are separated by religion, age and social issues. It is characterized by all the familiar cliches like love at first sight and familiar characters like a wisecracking sister, a protective brother and feuding parents. But Gautham manages to push all those to the backburner by focusing on the couple's hearts. So the biggest barrier between the two becomes who they are, which is reflected in their attitudes towards their problems and their perspectives on the issues. And that manages to make one of the oldest stories seem fresh and completely new.

Gautham is able to do this because his lead pair is characterized so beautifully. Simbhu is an idealist and an optimist who plunges into things with hope in place of a plan and faces the consequences as they come. Whether its going to Kerala without Trisha's address or agreeing to be friends with her, he knows what he wants and is positive he will get it even if he has no idea how. Trisha, on the other hand, is never sure what she wants. As a phenomenal scene in the train shows, she is someone who is pulled in several different directions and is constantly trying to decide if she should go with her heart or her brain. Sometimes, as at the intermission point, her heart wins; at other times, logic prevails. And it is this confusion that drives the movie forward.

With such a pair, its no surprise that the romance between them is consistently involving. As Trisha vacillates between bringing Simbhu closer and pushing him away, Simbhu himself experiences cycles of hope and frustration. Sure its repetitive but its also natural as the two try to convince each other of their respective positions. Gautham manages to fashion scenes, like the sequence where Trisha tells Simbhu something we've known all along, that are romantic, cute and sentimental all at the same time.

The brief separation the pair encounters helps us see Trisha's predicament in a new light. The phone call when Simbhu is away and their conversation after he returns are set up wonderfully as the catalysts for Trisha understanding her heart and finally setting her heart on what to do. The perfunctory manner in which Simbhu's 'promotion' is handled is a little disappointing but we soon realize that it is more a means to an end.

And a wonderful end it is. The best part of the final portions is not that they are surprising or even that they take us on a roller-coaster of emotions as they evokes joy, sorrow, suspense and a myriad other feelings. It is that they are completely logical as things unfold exactly as they should considering the characters of Simbhu and Trisha. The beautifully-developed and presented finish provides the final, most convincing attestation about their characters.

Gautham takes a dig at the accusation that he employs a lot of English dialogs in his movies but that doesn't stop him from doing the same here. The setting and characters ensure that the liberal use of English doesn't seem as incongruous as it did in Vaaranam Aayiram but it isn't always a smooth fit either. For instance, it isn't easy to accept that for a guy who describes the onset of love as "kaadhal poattu thaakkudhu", the line that pops into mind when he is sad over his lover is "she is just a one-way ticket to heartbreak city"!

Doing a full-fledged romance was a courageous move for Simbhu but it isn't a wrong move. He relies a bit too much on some hand gestures(running them through his hair, arching them over his eyes, etc.) but the subtleness be brings to his expressions and dialog delivery is a pleasant surprise. And he really nails the monologue in Central Park, which is delivered just perfectly. Trisha is quite the revelation. She conveys the indecision of her character brilliantly and in a way that makes it seem natural without being irritating. Ganesh brings some variety to the otherwise stock role of the wisecracking friend who looks out for Simbhu and has a few funny one-liners.

Gautham doesn't do anything memorable or extraordinary with the songs but the locales and the cinematography give the song sequences a rich sheen. Omana Penne... is the most disappointing of the lot as the bare-chested, foreign dancers just don't gel with the melodious number. Kannukkul Kannai..., on the other hand, works since the lyrics fit the situation. Hosanna... and Anbil Avan... work as the lead-ins, particularly in the latter, take us into the songs on a high. The title song and Aaromale... work better on screen as the slow tunes and heartfelt lyrics fit in well with the movie's tone.

This film is worth crossing the skies for...