After the no-show of Vattaram, Saran is opting for a love story to create magic at the box office with Modhi Vilayadu. In fact, a lot of detailing has gone into creating the right look for the movie. Vinay’s impressive performance in Unnale Unnale and Kajal’s innocent yet flamboyant look have merged well to create enough
curiosity about this film. Shot in Kuala Lumpur, Finland and Dubai, Modhi Vilayadu can also be termed as an action-packed entertainer. “It is a struggle by a youngster to regain his identity and establish a place for himself in the society,”
says the director.
Did you know? Colonial Cousins (Hariharan and Leslie) are making their debut as music composers with this film.
'Modhi Vilayadu' - stylish but not engrossing enough (Tamil Film Review) Text
After striking a lean patch in his last couple of films, director Saran was keen to bounce back. In "Modhi Vilayadu", a glossy and stylish film, Saran has tried hard to regain his touch but the end result is no different from his earlier films.
Saran, in his pursuit to make a hit movie, has relied on the actors and what they are best at -- Vinay's casanova act, Kalabhavan Mani's mimic skills, V.M.C. Haneefa's spontaneous reactions and Santhanam's spoofs -- and they have all been used well.
But the surprise element is Kajal Agarwal, who manages to combine good looks with a gritty performance. The young actress almost carries the otherwise dull first half on her shoulders alone.
Rajan Vasudev (Kalabhavan Mani) is a top jet-setting businessman. His son Udhay Vasudev (Vinay) stays in Chennai with his friend Madhan (Yuva) and leads a luxurious life. Fearing his business rivals, Rajan is always protective about his son and appoints security guards from abroad for his safety.
One day, Udhay comes across Eswari (Kajal Agarwal), a student. But he meets with an accident following a callous act of Eswari and forces her to work in his house and do domestic chores to compensate the loss he sustained in the mishap.
His friend Madhan develops a soft corner for Eswari and later so does Udhay. Both the friends set out to solve the issue with Eswari when tragedy strikes. Rajan's business rivals hire a hitman and try to bump off Udhay. But he escapes and Madhan gets killed instead.
Many surprises await Udhay in the next couple of days. He is thrown out of his house, his rivals are behind him and a clueless Udhay runs from pillar to post. Eventually he manages to meet Rajan only to know the truth -- a shocking revelation about his identity. And Udhay, who has become a pawn in Rajan's gamble, is on the cross roads.
The rest of the movie deals with how Udhay, motivated by Eswari, teaches Rajan a lesson. In the company of his friends (Haneefa and Santhanam), he embarks on a mission and eventually emerges victorious.
The film is stylish from the word go. Saran has managed to provide an unexpected twist in the second half but fails to make it engrossing. The pre-interval portion is filled with nonsensical sequences. Had Saran provided a few interesting sequences that form the premise for the more serious things to come, the movie would have been engaging.
The second half is much better but lacks the vibrancy needed for a cat and mouse game. As a result, the film ends up as a stylish and spectacular fare that lacks genuine elements to have audiences glued to their seats.
Cinematographer Karun's soft lens sets the tone from the first frame. Due credit should be given to Colonial Cousins (Hariharan and Leslie) for their music. Their tunes strike a chord with the audience, especially the title song. S Ramakrishnan's dialogue are cool and trendy.
Vinay has played his part well. He is casual and his transformation in the second-half is good. The trio of Kalabhavan Mani, Haneefa and Santhanam deliver well.
Saran has tried hard to make an all-out entertainer but he hasn't succeeded as the script goes wayward in the first half and turns unconvincing in the second. A stylish yet dull fare.
Modhi Vilaiyaadu doesn’t have a rare script, but has a gripping screenplay with more engrossing ingredients. Well, Director Saran who was drenched in desolate scenarios of continuous flops, ‘Idhaya Thirudan’ and ‘Vattaram’, rebounds with a resplendent flick. Of course, the storyline seems to be partially similar to Prashanth’s ‘Star’, but an unparalleled narration makes the difference. Hats off to Vinay! The guy makes the bold attempt of dubbing for himself.
Udhay (Vinay) and Madhan (Yuva) are best friends, living life, enjoying the riches of Udhaya’s father Rajan Vasudev (Kalabavanmani), who is one of the top 50 rich men in the world. Madhan lived with Udhay and Udhaya’s father took care of all of Madhan’s expenses.
Both the friends meet L R Eshwari (Kajol Agarwal), a pretty college student and both of them fall in love with her. Udhaya’s father surprisingly supports of Madhan’s love with L R Eeswari, when strange things begins to happen- Madhan gets killed, Udhay losses all his wealth and Udhay is on the run to save his life.
How does Udhaya find out the hidden secrets in his life?
And does he sort things out?
As in most of Saran’s films, the first half gets around with excellent moments with lighter ambience. In direct contrast, the latter part paces with unexpected twists and turns with sharpness. Vinay with his cute looks, delivers an enchanting performance, emoting to every situation. His dialogues with Kalabavanmani during penultimate sequences are impressive. Kajol Agarwal seems to have improved a lot from her previous films ‘Bommalaatam’ and ‘Pazhani’.
Kalabavanmani as a clichéd baddie does justice to his role. Santhanam outperforms with amazing comedy tracks. Especially don’t miss his spoofs on Aarya’s ‘Naan Kadavul’, Jai’s ‘Subramaniapuram’, and Vijayakanth’s ‘Ramana’. Haneefa and Mayilsamy do come up with rib-tickling factor that is quite commendable. Also actor to be mentioned is debutant Tattoo Ram, who is characterized as Alse. This actor looks elegantly perfect, fitting the space of his role. Mark our words! He’s sure to make it big in tinsel town more like Prakash Raj and Pasupathy (great performers in South Indian film industry).
Musical score by Hariharan-Leslie (Colonial Brothers) isn’t much appealing and doesn’t withstand in your memories post-the-show. Cinematography is stylishly done with eye-capturing visuals.
‘Modhi Vilaiyadu’ is sure to make it big in box office for the riveting screenplay and good characterizations.
Verdict- Worth Watching… Don’t miss it.
By Aravindan D.I.
Film: "Modhi Vilayadu"; Director: Saran; Cast: Vinay, Kalabhavan Mani, Yuva, V.M.C. Haneefa, Santhanam, Kajal Agarwal; Music: Hariharan and Leslie Lewis; Rating: **