There are many love stories explored in Tamil cinema. Most follow the stereotypical man following the woman he loves, and they are passed off as romance. These kinds of problematic tropes are not called out for what they are, which is toxic, and how it could be traumatic for the person who is being relentlessly chased by someone in the name of love. Lover tells the same story but chooses to call out the toxicity of a partner and how it affects the other person in the relationship. Written and directed by Prabhu Ram Vyas, the movie explores relationship dynamics between a man and a woman who have been in a relationship for a long time which is now deteriorating.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Divya Lie To Arun?
Divya was at a beach with her colleagues when Arun began to call her on her phone relentlessly. Divya is asked about how she met Arun, and she describes their meet-cute, which happened during their time in college. They have been in a relationship for six years, but now Divya has found reasons to avoid him at many junctures, and that includes lying to him about her whereabouts.
Arun turned out to be a control freak who constantly wanted to know where his girlfriend was. This toxic behavior of his made her lie to him about her office trip, which he eventually came to know about through her friend’s Instagram story. Arun, in a fit of anger, reaches her home to confront her about the lies he claimed she told him. To further get her attention, he smashes his hands into the window of a car. This incident simmers down the tension between the couple as Arun keeps insisting his anger was caused by her inability to seek his permission to head out with her friends. Divya’s friends could witness the toxicity emanating from him, and she was also in two minds about how to deal with the relationship that was suffocating her.
Why Did She Suggest Breaking Up?
Divya gathered the courage and requested that Arun call it quits because she was having a hard time balancing her life and her relationship, and he wasn’t willing to change despite apologizing repeatedly. Arun’s behavior would become unpleasant if Divya disagreed with his words of assurance and apology. The breakup would allow her to live and breathe freely, something Arun was not able to get his head around. Arun did not realize he suffocated her and crossed every boundary in the name of the love they had had for six years. Divya, just like every other woman in a toxic long-term relationship, gave him another chance to work on himself. Arun was trying to establish his café, and since that was not working out, he was contemplating finding a full time job.
What Was The Relationship Status Of Arun’s Mother And Father?
Arun’s mother was in a toxic marriage cycle as his father was physically abusive, and as a son, he chose not to speak up and never forced him to put an end to the abuse. His mother was a full-time working professional who had to bear the brunt of her emotionally distant husband and was ashamed of how he treated his only wife and son. Arun’s relationship with his father was almost on the verge of breaking. The father openly flaunted his mistress and financially supported the other woman, never his real family. His father’s emotionally abusive behavior could be the reason why Arun was protective of Divya and emotionally dependent on her. It was obvious why Arun’s nature was toxic, but he refused to deal with it the right way.
How Did Arun Lose His Job?
Divya and Arun attended a college reunion, and the latter’s behavior turned ugly as his inferiority complex brought out the worst in him. Arun had an altercation with an old friend who was an entrepreneur. He began to blame Divya for insulting him in front of their friends. Unable to handle his toxic nature and accusatory tone, Divya broke things off with him, even though Arun tried to emotionally blackmail her. She could not tolerate his short-tempered nature and his habit of cooking up stories in his mind that were false.
Now that the couple was separated, Arun was engrossed in finding a job, and he was successful in doing so. He sent her a picture of his office ID, claiming he was a changed person. Divya once again was willing to believe a full-time job would keep him away from his brattish friends and other vices that were the reason for his short temper. They reconciled, but Arun’s dream of starting his café had not died. His interest in finding the right space, followed by seeking capital, cost him his job. He chose to keep this news to himself and kept Divya out of the loop to avoid an unpleasant conversation with her. Arun’s behavior was hypocritical and he went out of his way to keep Divya from knowing his unemployed status.
Was Divya Shocked To Learn Arun Was Selling Narcotics With His Friends?
Arun chose to disclose his employment status to his girlfriend by the end of the day. Divya’s new colleague Madan, who was a YouTuber, wanted to score some recreational drugs, and the supplier turned out to be Vishwa, Arun’s best friend. Divya was distressed to have witnessed Arun and Vishwa selling these narcotics to Madan. Arun, on the other hand, caught a glimpse of Divya on Madan’s Instagram story during their trip to a hill station, which she passed off as her trip back home to meet her parents. Both were in the mood for confrontation, which, as usual, led to a nasty fight in which Arun ended up terming her a woman with no morals. Shaken up by his verbally abusive nature, Divya broke up with Arun, even though he desperately hoped she was ready to converse and salvage the relationship. His short-tempered, controlling nature caused the falling out, and by the looks of it, this would be the end of their relationship, which Arun had a hard time believing.
Why Did Arun Ask His Father To Leave?
Arun woke up the next day to witness his mother attempted suicide after she consumed too many sleeping pills. Arun was aware it was his father’s lecherous and promiscuous behavior that caused his mother this trauma, and he asked him furiously to leave them alone. The shameless father never bothered to look back from then on. Arun’s mother revealed that his father took her hard-earned money and gave it to his mistress. This move broke her down, and she chose to take her life, as Arun was hardly ever around to converse about her problems. Arun was quick to realize he needed to bring his life back on track and help his mother as well so that he would not face another tragedy.
Arun was overwhelmed with pain and sadness since he had not only broken up with Divya, but he had almost lost his mother because of a despicable man. His mother hoped marrying Divya was the only solution for Arun to get his life back on track. As a woman of another generation, she believed that only a woman could change a man, and Divya was the person who would bring significant transformation in their lives. Divya met with Arun’s mother out of sympathy, but she chose to keep Arun at bay even though he was requesting to reconcile.
What Did Arun Confess On Divya’s Birthday?
Arun was invited by Divya for her birthday celebration. The reason behind her gesture was to retain their friendship, even though they had broken up. She hoped friendship with Arun would bring him back on track. On reaching that point, Arun began to seek forgiveness again and refused to understand her reasons for the breakup. Divya reciprocated by asking him to move on, as she was not ready to give in to his controlling nature. Even though Arun promised to correct himself, his behavior relapsed moments after she refused to reconcile, which proved her fears right. Divya’s friends surprised her with a Gokarna plan, and out of courtesy, she asked Arun to join them, who readily agreed to do so. He joined the trip in the hope of remaining close to her and hopefully giving her a chance to notice a transformed Arun.
What Happened In Gokarna?
The Gokarna trip turned out to be a dud because Arun tried to behave like a protective boyfriend who was out to save Divya from her male colleagues. Divya kept her distance and was slowly losing patience with the way Arun showcased his entitled behavior towards her and her friends. She quickly regretted her decision of inviting Arun, who was in denial about the deterioration of their relationship. Arun constantly complained about her changed attitude but refused to move on with the times and never came around to giving Divya space to have a life outside of the relationship.
What Was Suhail Trying To Convey To Arun?
Divya’s friend Suhail tried to make Arun understand that his need to control and give freedom to the woman he loved was the reason why his partner was drifting away. Arun fixated on Madan being a flirt and insisted on him being right about the YouTuber’s behavior, but he refused to hear anyone else out who was good friends with Madan, including Divya. Arun’s head was clouded with his idea of how a relationship should be and his desperate need to prove himself right to showcase his superiority over Divya. Suhail tried hard to focus on the situation from another perspective, but Arun wouldn’t have any of it. Suhail eventually stated that Arun would not have hurt Divya if he had loved her.
Why Did Divya Compare Arun To His Father?
Divya gave up on Arun, and his antics and furiously asked him to leave her, as she was done expecting a decent conversation with him. Arun began to emotionally manipulate her by attempting to kill himself but was saved by Suhail and Madan. This behavior was the last straw, as she could not be leading her life with an emotionally unstable man who couldn’t handle being criticized while he spent most of his conversation blaming Divya for his erratic nature.
After having many heated conversations about Arun and his behavior, Divya politely asked him if he would ever request that his mother reconcile with his father. Divya had witnessed Arun’s father being abusive, and Arun lost his temper as his father had been harassing his mother for many years and disrespecting her by openly flaunting his infidelity. This question rattled Arun as he began to reflect on his behavior towards Divya. He began to wonder if he was repeating his father’s behavior and making Divya suffer just like his mother was being treated. Arun was angry, but he could understand Divya’s reason behind this question.
Did Arun And Divya Reconcile In The End?
Arun and Divya were quiet during their journey back to Chennai. Arun was probably introspecting the years of anger and trauma he dumped on Divya without realizing how it would affect her. Since he had witnessed his mother endure the pain, he hoped Divya would do the same. The comparison to his father changed his idea of a relationship. His mother also informed him about her plan to file for divorce, as she was done being his father’s servant and wanted to be treated with dignity. Arun soon understood Divya deserved to be treated with respect and dignity as well, and he was not the one who would give her that.
Divya, who had always remained a silent spectator and never tried to make him understand the real problem, could notice Arun wanted to find a way to make peace with the fact that they had indeed broken up after six long years. On reaching Chennai, Arun headed back home with only a mere hug shared between the ex-couple. Arun’s mind had made the switch, and Divya broke down. Divya sobbing over Arun leaving was an indication of the end of their relationship, and they would not be seeing each other possibly ever again. Divya had wanted this for a long time, but she felt the relationship could have been salvaged if her partner was willing to take the necessary steps to make things right. With Arun not doing that, Divya probably sobbed one last time.
Lover movie ended with Arun and Divya meeting after two years at his café. The meeting was short and bittersweet, yet it reminded them of the good and bad times they had shared and that they were now moving on towards better things in life.
