A Multiracial Love Saga: "Love And Love Only"
If you are not into romantic drama or romantic comedy then this movie is not for you, go back to watching your superheroes in cape. But if you are an avid movie watcher and a dabbler in arts, then I want to make a case for why you need to watch Love And Love Only.
"Love And Love Only" is another attempt at a movie about a brown boy who meets a white girl and faces his brown parents to stay true to his love. It is a low budget movie with some rather amateur camera, and lighting work. Now that we got that out of our way, and before you write it off as just another Bollywood movie (sort of) that you need to steer clear off. I would say that good things come to people who wait and are willing to take a chance.
The movie is written, directed, edited, and produced by Julian Karikalan, an Indian born Australian filmmaker. Julian has worked hard on managing to make a full-length movie on a micro-budget and you can see glimpses of his brilliance throughout the movie.
The movie features a cast from both India and Australia. Rohit Kalia is the male lead, he has been given ample screen time to showcase his acting chops. Rohit does a great job of portraying a fresh off the boat college grad, you guessed it, engineering grad to Australia, and is very relatable to any international student studying in any foreign university. Georgia Nicholas as the female lead brings an ingenuous charm to the movie. Her portrayal of a blue-collar Australian girl is spot on. The movie also has the Indian Music legend Ilaiyaraaja doing the background score and songs.
Now with all this going for the movie, the movie has its flaws. There are at times the background score does not seem to fit in, the camera angles are a little off, and the acting at times feels like the human resources video for sexual harassment. But don't let these little things take away from the genuine effort at storytelling.
Georgia's portrayal of the character Stacey, with the unassuming naivety and effortless charm, will make the audience fall in love with the character. She is the breakthrough the movie was looking for, and she has delivered a beautiful performance. She is an actor to watch out for.
If honest effort like these in film making is not supported and nurtured, all we will be left with is the Nth remake of some movie or the umpteenth movie from some franchise. Moviemakers like Julian need to be backed by powerhouse studios to do justice with their vision so that they don't have to compromise to finish the movie within budget. I hope you will watch this movie and leave with a smile knowing that you found a diamond in the rough.
