Rating 3/5
Arjun Das is living in a sad and frustrated state after suffering a heartbreak. Aditi Shankar falls in love with him. Although he initially refuses to accept her love, Arjun Das eventually changes his mind because of Aditi’s persistent efforts and starts loving her. Arrangements are then made for their marriage.
During the engagement, Arjun Das receives a phone call from his former girlfriend, Sona Olikkal, who tells him that she wants to meet him. After eight years, Arjun meets his former lover again. He becomes confused and is shocked when he learns the reason why she left him. What happens after that forms the story of ‘Once More.’
Arjun Das, as usual, appears with a stern expression and plays the character as someone who seems to have forgotten how to smile. In the first half, he convincingly portrays the frustration and sadness required by his character. In the second half, although he appears as a romantic hero, his face continues to reflect the same calmness and sadness.
As the female lead, Aditi Shankar carries the film to some extent with her energetic performance. She plays a character who takes rejection casually and persistently pursues the hero. Aditi handles the role naturally, and her performance and body language add considerable strength to both the character and the film.
Sona Olikkal, who plays the other female lead, does not have much to do. The screenplay does not provide convincing reasons for why she fell in love with Arjun Das, why she left him, or why she returns after so many years. As a result, both the actress and her character feel somewhat disconnected from the film.
Dravid Selvam, Anusha Prabhu, Jagabar, Monish Elamaran, Varnika Varath, Arunkumar Mani, Soundarya Manokaran and the other supporting actors have all performed their roles adequately.
Aravind Viswanathan’s cinematography is simple, but the entire film has been presented in a somewhat dull visual tone, much like the hero’s sorrowful face.
Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music is one of the film’s strengths. All the songs have the potential to be hits. The songs provide some energy to viewers who may feel tired by the slow-moving screenplay, while the background score adds life to the scenes.
The story moves with the heroine’s love in the first half and the hero’s love in the second half. However, editor Nash has assembled the scenes without much excitement or emotionally touching romantic moments.
Although this is a familiar kind of love story, director Vignesh Srikanth fails to present it in an emotional and engaging manner. In particular, the romance in the second half and the separation between the couple lack emotional impact, which becomes one of the film’s biggest weaknesses.
Aditi Shankar’s lively performance and Arjun Das’s restrained emotional state, along with the expectation that the flashback would reveal a strong reason for the earlier breakup, make the first half somewhat interesting. However, the second half fails to live up to those expectations and eventually leaves the audience feeling tired.
Overall: Once More has some positives in Aditi Shankar’s performance and Hesham Abdul Wahab’s music, but its weak screenplay, lack of emotional depth, and disappointing second half prevent it from becoming an engaging romantic film.
