Review : Vettaikaran (2009)

"Vijay is back with a bang!" , perhaps i could say this.....perhaps!!!

Anyways lets get to the reviewing....

The most awaited movie by all vijay fans 'Vettaikaran' is here. The whole of tinsel town and of course the rest of the world wondered 'Will this movie work for Vijay, atleast??' Well, all his movies work for him in terms of collections and grand openings but it doesn't seem to entertain everyone. Our Ilayathalapathy continued to sign commercial films one after another and never bothered about critics' comments on his movies. A new add to the same old stack is 'Vettaikaran' with much ado about nothing. I went into the cinema hall with least expectations because i knew that it is going to be the same old Vijay flick and fulfilling my preconception was the movie althought it did have a few changes. Is 'Vettaikaran' another 'Ghilli' or is it another 'Villu'? Has Vijay gained back his stardom on neutral viewers too? Read on to find out!!

Unlike his previous ventures, Vettaikaran opens up a step away, though its length is a few centimeters only. We are shown an IPS officer who is also an encounter specialist closing the doors for a famous goon. He is the one Ravi (Vijay) aspires to be like even though he's failed 4 times to surpass Class XII. We go on to discover that he is just following the footsteps of Devaraj IPS who had a similar school life as our very own protagonist or one might put it as Ravi is trying to emulate each and every step Devaraj took to become an IPS officer. The Plot of Vettaikaran is just a 'one-liner' , after all this worship and following, does Ravi become an IPS or not. Does he fulfill his dreams or not. For this, my review won't be a spoiler but you have to watch the movie to find out. Though the Real Digital eXperience of Sathyam Cinemas helped in entertaining me, I suggest a TC Rip from the internet might be good enough.

The Movie does have quite a number of flaws but there is no use in speaking about them. Let me first let you know that there are totally say 3-4 fight sequences ONLY for Vijay which is quite a change coz all other work is done by people standing behind his back or by just the press of a button. All this is quite normal for such commercial movies though.

Vettaikaran is a 100% entertainer until the 'Chinna Thaamarai' song after which the screenplay and story seem to go out of control. Mr.Babu Sivan (Story-Screenplay-Dialogue-Direction) has got his basics right. He doesn't seem amateurish at all. The logic part falls perfectly well and gels with the screenplay but a tissue paper (which is thinner than a wafer) thin storyline, poor background music and even poorer song picturisation are the main reasons why 'Vettaikaran' is not a movie which would make Vijay say ''I'm back" although he seems fresh and energetic in this movie.

'Ilayathalapathy' Vijay is the name which comes on the screen after the Sun Pictures bit which made the crowd jump from their seats. Such star power this man has and the way he puts in his 100% renders the flick as an out and out 'Vijay' flick and not some AVM or Sun Pictures flick.

Vijay has carried the film entirely on his back and it only because of him that you can sit through the entire movie. Be it his rib-tickling comic sense, his powerful (at places) punch dialogues, his breathtaking stunts, Vijay has proved that he is THE next superstar. His acting has improved to a great extent from the irritating last movie of his. (What was it....i forgot...oh yeah...Villu - awefullu).

Comedy has been given the top priority by the director and it is definitely better than having a special comedy track by some popular comedian. The Dialogues are very good and they evoke a bit of laughter as well as something to ponder upon. For this the debutante wielding the megaphone needs a pat on the back.

Stunt director 'Kanal' Kannan fails to deliver his potential. He is perhaps too inspired by the ropes. All the stunts seem to be hanging mid way in the air and although the stunts were better and done with expertise when compared to other Vijay flicks, it is not what one would expect out of the stunt master. The Scene where the protagonist jumps from the waterfall has been shot masterfully creating lesser doubts on the viewer's mind.

Songs by Vijay Antony were really peppy and foot tapping but the picturisation spoiled the whole build-up with 'Naan Adicha' song being an exception. Background music seems to be a rip off from Superstar's Sivaji with the same instruments and same sounds used. The only bit which would probably be liked by the fans would be that which goes like 'thalapathy.....thalapathy' in the first half. 'Naan Adicha' has cute casting of Sanjay (Vijay's son) who dances gracefully just like his dad. 'Puli Urumudhu' is sure to please all Vijay fans but has too much of Rajini feel to it infact the whole movie has Vijay with a 'Rajini' touch.

Casting of Anushka and Sanjitha Padukone were of minimal need and either someone else should have been cast or their screen space should have been increased. Anushka who actually looked ravishing in tollywood and otherwise looks pretty aweful with layers of make up clearly visible on her face.The bollywood baddie Saleem Ghose who dons the role of villain Vedanayagam in this movie has done an outstanding job both by acting wonderfully and by dubbing his own voice in a near-perfect tamil accent. Devaraj IPS's role was well portrayed by the actor with perfect muscle formation and moustache which suited the character.

Techinical departments need no special honor although the director of photography has provided notable, slick and clichéd action sequences. Editing was no good and so were the costumes, make up, etc etc.

Let me briefly ennumerate the + and - of this flick for those who don't like reading big reviews :

Minuses : Song picturisation (except for 'Naan Adicha' and to an extent 'Puli Urumuthu' , Anushka, Overdosed and clichéd violence, predictable plot, Vijay's getup in 'Chinna Thaamarai'.

Pluses : Vijay as 'comedian' (don't take it the other way, the movie seriously has good comedy) , Vijay fighting, Vijay walking, Vijay Talking, Vijay dancing to normal dance steps and ofcourse the villain Saleem Ghouse.

The Movie has a very entertaining first half and a huge letdown second half. It is a pure Vijay flick with nothing much different to offer. The 'adithadi' (violence) could have been minimal. The last dialogue of Vijay "Everyone should have a police in their self" is very inspiring. This dialogue which the directed wanted to convey could have been done differently rather than the way it was handled churning 'Vettaikaran' to be abysmal commercial flick not quite in accordance to the current political and cinema world scenario of the state.

Rating : 2/5

A little better and quite bearable than his previous flicks, Vettaikaran is almost 'Ota-autokaaran'!!

Let us just hope and keep on hoping and wait and watch if 'Sura' which is touted to be a comedy flick and which is also Vijay's 50th film has a different Vijay to offer.