Film: Vellore Maavattam
Director: RNR Manohar
Cast: Nandha, Poorna, Azhagam Perumal, Santhanam, GM Kumar, Neelakantan and Gnyanavel
The politician-cop-criminal nexus takes yet another form in Vellore Maavattam. An honest, gutsy cop’s effort to break the nexus and cleanse the city of the criminal elements, forms the core of the plot. It’s a familiar scenario, with no effort at novelty by way of script or narration.
Director Manohar( of Masilamani) has tried to spring a few surprises in the story. But it’s nothing that we haven’t come across before. And it all gives a sense of déja vu.
Nandha has put in a good effort and it’s evident throughout the film. He plays the role of an angry young cop. His grim no nonsense demeanour, and his whole body language and expressions, go well with the character of Muthukumar, an IPS officer. The cop,after his training, has been given his first posting at Vellore. Within a short time, he gains the confidence of the public, addressing their various grievances and meting out justice to the wrong-doers.
The kingpin of criminal elements is Gurumurthy (Perumal), a front for minister Nachiappan (debutant Neelakantan), who has a hand in every criminal activity around the place.
Ticked off by his superiors, and humiliated by the duo, a frustrated Muthukumar, at one point, even hands over his resignation. How Muthukumar bounces back after a near fatal assault and achieves his goal, forms the rest of the story. There is this scene where after suffering public humiliation at Gurumurthy’s hands, an inebriated Muthukumar pours out his woes to wife Priya (Poorna). Nandha has honed his acting skills over the years, and the confident way in which he has handled this scene is evidence of that.
Poorna is totally deglamourised here. After the initial scenes of romance with the hero, she has less to do as his wife. Santhanam’s comedy is totally out of place and jarring. One can pick out a few interesting moments in the film - like the one where after a shoot out at the court, Muthukumar warns Gurumurthy to be wary of his mentor and Gurumurthy nearly escaping a death trap. The cop handpicking his own team, and the betrayals he faces from some of them, are predictable ‘surprises’. For the audience, Vellore Maavattam offers nothing that they haven’t seen before!