'Vithagan' (Tamil)
Director: R Parthiban
Cast: R Parthiban, Poorna, Milind Soman, Sampath Ram, Mohan Natarajan
Parthiban goes for a drastic makeover in ‘Vithagan’, his 50th film, which he scripts and directs. A rehash of the cop-underworld-politician nexus saga, he’s attempted to offer a product that is slick, smart, stylish and contemporary in feel. But the whole effort backfires miserably. The actor is totally out of his elements both in the role he’s crafted for himself, and in the scripting and the narrative style he’s adopted.
The earlier scenes are tolerable, as Rowdhiran the upright cop (Partibhan) sets out to take on the nexus. It’s when failing in his effort, he decides to beat them at their own game, that the film takes a downslide.
Scenes of Rowdhiran’s superhero acts, and the way he carries out his plan, lack conviction and sensibility. The funky look and style he adopts is not a flattering one either. The baddies, particularly Badri (Milind), cut a sorry figure. Why this “I want to be No 1” gangster, has a pair of jokers as constant companions is incomprehensible. Partiban has a penchant for alliterative and one-liners. Starting from the tag line ‘With the Gun’, there are ‘smart’ phrases laced throughout. But apart from a few, the rest are jarring and wrongly placed. At one place when a thug asks Rowdhiran as to how he could predict an event to come, the cop says, “I should know, am I not the writer-director of the film?”
Poorna, as the cop’s beloved, looking alluring in some chic dresses, has done her best within the confines of her role. Sampath Ram makes his presence felt as Rowdhiran’s distressed father. The best factor here is the songs (lyrics by Parthiban) and their aesthetic picturisation. Rocky (Partiban’s son) makes a brief debut in a dance number.
Parthiban is one of those talented actors around, with his own individual style and an earthy appeal. If only he was more sensitive to what suits him best, than go by what he thinks suits him best.
