La La Land's an Oscar movie. It has already fetched a record 14 Academy Award nominations. Critics are raving about it. And, we, of course, have to watch it to show-off on social media that we also watch internationally acclaimed movies. But the thing with these movies is that they're mostly too slow. So, we are compelled to watch them when we actually want to rewatch Theri or Dabangg 2. See, I have watched La La Land. If you don't want to, don't watch it. I will tell you the story and you can still tell people you've watched it.
Here's what happens in the film:-
It starts with a traffic jam at Adyar bridge caused perhaps by a mid-road quarrel between one Swift Dzire fellow and a Bajaj Avenger fellow. A lady, in her beautiful, bright yellow dress, is bugged, sitting inside her Alto 800. She hears oho megam vandhadho in Suriyan FM and starts dancing outside her car. Fellow commuters, many who worked during the 2015 floods and Vardah, join her, grasping the chance to delay office.
Mia, with lofty ambitions of starring in a Tamil serial (preferably Saravanan Meenatchi), is in her car, rehearsing lines for an audition with Raj TV.
Sebastian, an aspiring harmonium player, is in his car, once owned by glamour queen Soppana Sundari, listening to Ilaiyaraja numbers.
Meanwhile, the song and dance end and Sebastian wants to go to his small 1BHK apartment in Thiruvanmiyur. But he finds Mia blocking his way, so he honks loudly at her car. Mia, still practising her lines, gets pissed off and shows him the finger.
As is the case in over 2,862 Tamil movies, the hero and heroine, despite fighting on their first meeting, fall in love.
Mia, who works at Phoenix Mall Starbucks, when walking back home after Ladies' Night in 10D, hears a beautiful harmonium sound from a posh South Indian restaurant. She enters and spots a guy creating a ruckus for not having gotten a Ghee Roast, which he ordered 45 minutes ago. Then she sees Sebastian, who's getting fired by the hotel manager for making unnecessary impros when he was asked to play Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram. Mia walks towards him to praise his composition, but a fuming Sebastian walks past her. She's taken aback.
Then they meet at a party near St. Thomas Mount. Sebastian, desperate for money and an opportunity, is with a local band that plays gaana songs. When the band leader asks the audience for song requests, Mia wants them to perform Aaluma Doluma, to irritate Sebastian. He remembers her instantly. After the party, he acknowledges that he was rude to her at the restaurant.
That evening, when the stars shine brightly above the scenic St. Thomas Mount, they have a cute banter and dance, singing Vennilave Vennilave despite him knowing that she already has a boyfriend.
The next day, he asks her to watch Aayirathil Oruvan with him at Pilot Theatre. She immediately accepts. When she's getting ready for the movie, her boyfriend shows up for a scheduled double date with his brother at ITC Grand Chola. Mia reluctantly joins them. They drone about stocks, shares and mutual funds. So, she runs away and joins Sebastian at the movie. Within a few minutes, they hold hands. They look at each other and go for a kiss. When their lips are just centimetres apart, the ADMK ad starts playing.
Next, they break into Birla Planetarium in Kotturpuram for a song and dance sequence after which they finally kiss.
By now, Sebastian convinces her to write her own play while he performs in marriages, Krishna Jayanthi concert, Vinayagar Chathurthi function, All India Radio et al. During one of his performances in Nanganallur Hanuman temple, he meets his PSBB classmate Keith, who asks him to join his Carnatic fusion band. Sebastian, who isn't very fond of Carnatic fusion or Keith, doesn't give him an answer. He also aspires to set up a South Indian restaurant that plays katcheri. Mia even suggests a name for it: Sebapathy's. But after overhearing Mia desperately convincing her parents in Coimbatore that Sebastian will soon become financially stable, he decides to join Keith's band The Mersal Brothers.
Mia, during one of The Mersal Brothers' performances in The Music Academy, figures out that Sebastian doesn't like what he's doing. But he continues touring with them to Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai and other happening places.
On Mia's birthday, Sebastian surprises her, showing up at home and making Brinjal rice and medhu vadai for dinner. But an argument arises while they eat. He confesses her that he's in Keith's band because of her, because he thought it was what she wanted of him. He also blames her for liking him only when he was unsuccessful. She walks out angry and drives off to her place in Pondicherry. Sebastian is left staring at the Onion Uthappam, fully burnt because he forgot to turn off the stove.
Next day, Sebastian receives a call from Sun TV asking Mia for an audition. He drives to her place, convinces her to go for the audition. In the audition, she's asked to narrate a story. But she sings ovvoru pookalume and impresses the casting directors.
The serial, however, will be shot in Bangalore for the next five years. Sebastian asks her to focus on that and tells her that he would work on setting up his South Indian restaurant that plays katcheri. Realising that their careers are incompatible with their relationship, they break up.
Five years later: Mia's the lead actress in three serials (two in Vijay TV and one in Sun TV). She's married her co-star and is back in Chennai during December to witness a katcheri. On the way, they get stuck in traffic near Adyar bridge. So they decide to have lunch in a South Indian hotel near Ambica Aplam signal. As they enter a new restaurant, she reads its name: Sebapathy's.
Sebastian spots Mia in the crowd and plays a Harmonium solo, which only she's heard before. With the crowd half-asleep, Mia's husband asks her if she really wants to eat here listening to this music. Mia smiles and says no. Then, as they make their way to Sangeeta's, Mia and Sebastian look at each other and share a smile.
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