'Vengai' (Tamil)
Director: Hari
Cast: Dhanush, Tamannah, Rajkiran, Prakashraj, Ganja karuppu, Livingston, Urvashi, Sudha Chandran
After the massive success of ‘Singham’, director Hari’s ‘Vengai’, keeps you engaged for the most part with its unpretentious and racy storyline.
Director Hari rarely steps out of his comfort zone or the time-tested formula pattern. While a few of his efforts may have failed to click, most of his films have been blockbusters. And now Hari after the massive success of ‘Singham’, takes to yet another racy entertainer, ‘Vengai’.
The plot centers on a hot blooded youth, Selvam, whose deep love and admiration for his father leads him to stake his life, as he takes cudgels against his father’s detractors. Like the writer-director’s earlier films, ‘Vengai’ is also a mix of family sentiment, humour, romance, plenty of action and the vendetta factor.
Also, there is his favourite ploy of changing ambiences, shifting the story from one town to another, where the hero’s nemesis usually follows him, and then romance happens and in the end, it’s back home again for the final play.
The story shuttles between Sivagangai, the hero’s home town, and Tiruchy. But despite the familiarity of characters and incidents, the director has managed to keep the film interesting for the most part with his clever packaging of the ingredients. Scenes flow in quick succession with no time to mull over flaws or for boredom to set in.
Dhanush plays Selvam, a hot-headed youth, who brooks no ill word or acts against his father Veerapandi (Rajkiran). Veerapandi, a bigwig of the place, while revered by his people, was feared and dreaded by his detractors. It’s an intense performance from Dhanush, who brings out the brashness and the angst of Selvam impressively. The fight scenes are structured to give maximum mileage to the hero.
Veerapandi’s relationship with his son, exasperation mixed with concern, is well brought out by Hari. And Rajkiran, who has portrayed his character with maturity and dignity, has done total justice to it. In the first half, Veerapandi, concerned about his son’s life, packs off Selvam to his uncle’s place at Tiruchy. Veerapandi’s future altercations with his one-time protégé, the local MLA Rajalingam (Prakashraj), would prove his fears right.
Tiruchy turns out to be the place for romance (recycled from ‘Saamy’ perhaps?), where Selvam encounters Radhika his childhood crush. Tamaanah, as Radhika looks pretty, throws coy glances at the hero, and matches step with him in those vibrant song-dance numbers. But the director suddenly pulls her into the plot, where Radhika’s hidden agenda is more like a forced add-on, and therefore, the weakest link in the plot. The director seems to have lost his grip in the latter part and the pace slackens a bit here.
For comedy, there is Ganja Karuppu, whose humour is more of the unsavoury, toilet-kind. There are some interesting moments that will keep the audience glued to their seats. Like Rajalingam’s attempt to defame Veerapandi by planting fake notes in his house, and Selvam’s quick thinking to counter it, and give the man a taste of his own medicine.
Excitingly choreographed is the chase scene just before the intermission. The finale where Selvam takes on Rajalingam and his dozen and more armed goons, is a reminiscent of ‘Rambo’.
Though the film may not have touched the entertainment-level of the director’s earlier ‘Singham’, with unpretentious and racy scenes, ‘Venghai’ keeps you engaged for the most part.