Film : Vallinam
Director : Arivazhagan
Cast : Nakul, Mrudula ,Amjad, Chandru, Sidhu, Atul Kulkarni, Jayaprakash.
A sports -centric film, if well executed, rarely fails to touch an emotional chord with the audience. This, despite the storyline being a predictable one. Vallinam, Arivazhagan’s second venture after the thriller Eeram, is one such flick that follows the predictable track. But, it depends too much on cliches and fails to add any freshness or novelty to the familiar scenario.
This time, it’s basketball in focus. The early scenes are about Krishna, a passionate basketball player, who after an unfortunate incident, shifts to a college in Chennai. Guilt ridden, he’s determined not to have anything to do with the game. Krishna is, however, drawn into it when the college team’s reputation is at stake. Nakul infuses his role with passion and intensity. The on-off relationship between Krishna and classmate Meera ( Mrudula, a promising find) is depicted sensitively. Moments where resentment turns into friendship between Krishna and classmate Guna are handled well.
The choreography of the basketball competition between Krishna and his senior Sunder who challenges him to a one-to-one fight, is commendable. Amjad and Chandru in their respective roles leave their mark. Vamsi’s (Siddu) is a character that faithfully follows the graph of earlier villains of such films. Atul Kulkarni’s ‘coach’ role is weakly fleshed out — a grave injustice to his talent.
The director touches up on other aspects of sports, but they are still nothing new. Like the step motherly attitude towards games other than cricket. There is the catch-22 situation, where the basketball team demands better infrastructure and the school management insists that they prove themselves with a win. The brief scene between the college principal (Y Gee Mahendran) and the team is laced with humour.The final match between Krishna’s team is rushed through. It lacks conviction and falls short of the thrill of an exciting finish. Vallinam has good moments, but is not a satisfying experience.