Film: Vedalam
Director: Siva
Cast: Ajith, Shruthi Haasan, Lakshmi Menon, Soory, Ashwin, Rahul Dev, Kabir singh, Aniket
It is not a theme that is new to Tamil audiences. And it has all the cliches and happenings that one would associate with a mass-hero film. There is action and family sentiment, a large dose of sibling bonding that the director manipulates to the maximum, comedy that fails to amuse after a while, the vendetta factor, and romance on the fringe. Not to forget a hero, who time and again, single handedly takes on dozens of armed goons in their own fortress. But what keeps it going despite the predictable scenario, are the blocks of interesting moments backed by a tempo that rarely slackens.
And more importantly, it is Ajith’s arresting screen presence that holds the film together. Gleeful in his brutality — a la the ‘joker’ in the earlier Dark Knight flicks — the actor is a delight to watch as he transforms from the naïve Ganesh into the ruthless avenger Vedalam on a vendetta spree.Ajith sports his now familiar salt-and-pepper look here as well. No doubt it sits well on him. But if he repeats it often, it might get boring. The plot is similar to many films where the hero has two avatars, one in contrast with the other. The early scenes depict the baddies and their activities — moments which we revisit later.
We get to see our hero Ganesh as he arrives with his sister Tamizh (Lakshmi, who plays the sister act to the hilt) at Kolkata. He has to admit her to a college and also get himself a job. Ganesh soon finds a job as a cab driver with Das (Soori), who runs a fleet of taxis.
While Soori’s earlier moments, as he bosses over the place, are amusing to an extent, the scenario turns jarring after a while. Crisper editing here could have worked to the film’s advantage.
The early part also has Ganesh encountering Shweta (Shruti), a budding lawyer. Shweta hires him to stand as a dummy witness for her case. It botches up the case ofcourse and later the marital life of Das too generates some humour. Shruti is adequate in the limited space given to her, her character sidelined when the sibling bonding makes its play.
Anirudh’s background score helps sustain the tempo, with his Aluma.. Doluma.. being a peppy number. The brother-sister sentiment takes over in the second half, seeping into melodrama. The fights between Ganesh and the two brothers of villain Rahul (Rahul Dev) are choreographed well.
The final triumph of good over evil against the backdrop of a religious festival — the Durga festival here — is a familiar scenario again. The director has banked on Ajith’s charismatic screen persona, and ofcourse the hero has not failed him. Vedalam is a festival treat for Ajith’s fans.