‘Once More’ movie review: Arjun Das and Aditi Shankar shine in a fresh romance that loses steam
The review critiques the Tamil film 'Once More', noting that while it attempts to subvert traditional gender tropes by having the female lead pursue the male lead, the narrative eventually loses momentum. The reviewer praises the performances and the film's progressive inclusion of LGBTQ+ themes.
Why it matters
It highlights evolving trends in regional Indian cinema regarding gender roles and the representation of diverse relationships.
Guy sees girl. Guy follows girl. Guy stalks girl. Eventually, girl falls for him.
This is a template Tamil cinema has used several times over the last few years; some heroes have actually made entire careers doing just this.
It is due to this overall situation that Once More ’s first sequence grabs your attention. Raghu (Arjun Das) is seated at the Velachery bus stop — his bike has broken down, and he has to find some other means of transport to get home. With cab drivers unwilling to take up the ride, Raghu is wondering what to do.
Enter a bright red car, with his college junior, Anjali (Aditi Shankar), offering him a lift.
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