A gay boy rejected by his best friend being consoled by his supportive mother, a couple ruminating about their future on the beach, and a man catching a taxi on a rainy day, not expecting that his boyfriend will break up with him before he reaches home. And it all transpires on the same day: February 14, Valentine’s Day. Valentine @ 3 (2022) , directed by Mani Shankar Iyer is an ode to gay love, Chennai and Ilaiyaraaja songs, all rolled into one.
The narrative feature film, which weaves together 3 stories of gay men of different age groups, was screened at the Out & Loud Pune International Queer Film Festival, held from May 24-26 at Max Mueller Bhavan in Pune. It also garnered Best Indian Narrative Feature Film and Best of Out and Loud PIQFF 2024. Featuring Shylaja Chetlur, Shriviyas, Raj Kumar, Mohan Kumar Malika, Pradeep Vijayan and Rakesh, Valentine @ 3 is honest and relatable, sketching three pictures of ordinary life and love struggles in familiar, middle-class Indian settings, with gay characters serving as the focal point.
The stories The unique anthology is entirely in Tamil, and features no background score, allowing the conversations between the characters to play the central role. The only music we hear is by Ilaiyaraaja; a few bars hummed by a boy, a snippet playing on the radio, being shared by a man with his lover. The first story features a fresh-faced 18-year-old college boy studying visual communications.
Sathya has a crush on Melvin, his friend of many yea.
