Righteousness. There was a time when our cinema’s heroes didn't even tread on the path of grey. Heroes were meant to be infallible and not vulnerable. Their words were gospel, and they never placed one foot wrong. Basically, heroes were… heroes. Then came the era of the grey-zoned heroes. They could fail, do bad stuff, indulge in vices, and if they have enough time, could have a redemption arc, or not… There was a tectonic shift in the kind of heroes idolised by the masses, and that’s probably why we don’t have demigods anymore. One of the most prolific demigods of Tamil cinema was undoubtedly the late Dr MG Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. He was the epitome of righteousness on screen, and almost 40 years after his death, continues to be the gold standard for the same. But the world doesn’t exist in binaries anymore, and it is bittersweet to see ‘Vaathiyaar’ return in Nalan Kumarasamy’s Vaa Vaathiyaar, as the symbol of everything virtuous.
Director: Nalan Kumarasamy
Cast: Karthi, Krithi Shetty, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran
In the fictional town of Masila, Rameshwaran aka Ramu (Karthi) is born on the same day the legendary MGR passes away. Ramu’s grandfather, an ardent fan of MGR, believes that his grandson is everything MGR asked everyone to be. He wants Ramu to grow up to be an honest police officer and help those in need. But growing up in a world that doesn’t value honesty, Ramu realises the MGR way is tough, and it is easier to follow the MN Nambiar way. He becomes a cop who has no qualms receiving bribes, frequenting brothels, and going on drug-fuelled trips. This debauchery also places him in proximity to Periasamy (Sathyaraj), an industrialist and a fixer, who has come up from the doldrums to the top of the food chain by bloodying his hands whenever required. Now, no prizes for guessing how the worlds of Ramu and Periasamy collide. But, should it have been this generic and straightforward? Aren’t we watching a Nalan film after all? Anyway…
Points to Nalan, who returns to Tamil cinema after over a decade, for wasting no time in establishing the fantasy element of Vaa Vaathiyaar. Interestingly, even before pulling Ramu into this world, we have Krithi Shetty’s Wu, a spirit guide, who ushers in this aspect. She can understand the language of owls. She can place her ears on her client’s chest to understand the words left unsaid by the souls. She is quirkily dressed and allows Ramu to say one of the funnier lines of the film. But, she is conveniently sidestepped after a while when the film suddenly becomes about a hacker group and their machinations. Of course, this is used to show the depravity of Ramu and how he has to reach the bottom of the barrel before making his way up, thanks to Vaathiyaar’s spirited guidance. But knowing what happens in the latter half of the film, it makes me wonder if having the hacking initiative at the centre of the conflict was a cop-out of sorts. Couldn’t they have been something more interesting rather than a group of youngsters typing away something on their keyboards and expecting the audience to trust that the mission was completed? Of course, this is a passable way to do it… But isn’t this a Nalan film?
In fact, despite having a fantastical element at the centre of things, Vaa Vaathiyaar is Nalan’s most simplistic and straightforward film. It feels more like a compromise and less of a cinematic endeavour simply because the beats are familiar, the notes are familiar, and so is the final output, even if it is enjoyable in parts. Take, for instance, some of the scenes after Ramu turns into Vaathiyaar. Karthi sells each of these scenes wonderfully, and it is a hoot to see him have fun with a role that definitely offered him a lot on paper. However, there is a sense of repetition that creeps into the narrative, and that is also because all of these scenes are crammed into the second half. After taking his time to establish the conflict and the gimmick, Nalan rushes to give us one scene after another where a cop turns into a masked vigilante. Of course, the MGR moments are on point, and it is a wonderful hark back to films of the past where the hero had to save everybody in distress. It is not like they had a choice. While Vaa Vaathiyaar does have fun with these portions, it doesn’t go all the way. The restraint is baffling, and it makes one wonder if this is the same guy who made Soodhu Kavvum and introduced a character as someone whose claim to fame was that he built a temple for Nayanthara.
Of course, Karthi is terrific, and it is his conviction that sells the regal honesty of Vaathiyaar and the grey-naturedness of Ramu. Just that, Karthi spends a bit too much time as Ramu, and this leaves us wanting more of Vaathiyaar. Krithi makes a rather assured debut as Wu, and revels in the whimsical nature of her role. The rest of the cast, including Sathyaraj, except for an inspired flashback sequence, have very little to do in Vaa Vaathiyaar, and that doesn’t bode well for a film in this genre. It becomes too much of a one-man show, and even with the strong support from an in-form Santosh Narayanan, there is only so much Karthi can shoulder.
Yes, we already have a Maaveeran and Tughlaq Darbar in Tamil, and even a Lage Raho Munna Bhai in Hindi, dealing with a powerful inner voice altering the course of the life of the protagonist. But the disappointing aspect of Vaa Vaathiyaar is the presence of a promise that gets withered away at the altar of commercial compromises. When Vaathiyaar confronts Ramu for the first time, the former says, “I wish we could have met in a better scenario…” and in many ways, that’s exactly what I’d have wanted to tell Nalan.