Meenakshi Sundareshwar

Vivek Soni's 2021 Indian film follows a newly married couple forced to live in different cities for the sake of a job. Meenakshi stays in Madurai while Sundareshwar starts at a software company in Bengaluru, where he has to hide that he is married. The film uses arranged marriage as a source of humour and then asks the real question: can two people who married without knowing each other get acquainted at a distance. Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dasani work well together, but the film's handling of Madurai and Tamil culture remains a set dressed by a north Indian gaze, a criticism voiced loudly on release. The Rajinikanth references and the colour palette are pleasant, though the conflict resolves far too easily. Who it's for: viewers who enjoy light romantic comedy and contemporary Indian marriage stories. Who it's not for: anyone sensitive to how Tamil Nadu is represented, or wanting dramatic tension and depth.