Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee trailer: Darbuka Siva takes you back to the 90s, captures the turbulence of teenage years

One's never too old to feel nostalgic about their teenage years. The hormonal changes, the mood swings, the first brush with romance, the memorable friendships, the ugly heartbreaks trigger a wave of memories that's not always easy to escape from. Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee, which marks musician Darbuka Siva's directorial debut, is a nostalgic ride to the 90s, simpler times before technology took over the world and relationships still had that old-world charm.

The trailer is cut quite smartly, taking you through the romantic escapades of its pivotal characters as they navigate past the highs and lows of teenage years. While one of the guys is lucky with love and finds acceptance from the girl, the other one chases his love interest desperately, despite the latter showing no signs of interest. The funny dialogues referring to the lead characters, the sidekicks and their love stories add charm to this glimpse.

While it certainly starts on a refreshing note, the hints of a romantic triangle, the disappointments and misunderstandings feel like a repetition of tropes common to the genre. Nevertheless, one can't ignore the fact that the film is made with a lot of innocence and heart, with Darbuka Siva making a genuine effort to capture romance in a different era. The casting of rank newcomers seems to have worked to his advantage.

Amritha Mandarine, Goutham Raj CSV, Harini Ramesh, K Harish, Kishen Das, Manjunath Nagarajan, Meetha Raghunath, Naren Vijay, Purva Raghunath, Rahul Kannan, Sacchin, Sharan Kumar and Varun Rajan form the cast of Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee, which premieres on ZEE5 directly on January 21. The film that also has music by Darbuka Siva, is bankrolled by Sameer Bharat Ram. Sujith Sarang and Sreejith Sarang handle cinematography and the edits respectively.