- Date of Release: 10 October 2024
- Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
- Language: Tamil
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Vettaiyan
Introduction
There was a beautiful line uttered by visionary director Pa Ranjith during his participation in The Hollywood Reporter India Round Table hosted by Anupama Chopra. He said that one of the reasons why the Tamil Film Industry is doing well is because each new director is allowed to make the film that he/she envisions even with a Superstar like Rajinikanth. So if a Rajinikanth approaches a director like Nelson or TJ Gnanavel, it is because he wishes to surrender to the vision of these directors as opposed to asking these directors to make a ‘Rajini’ film. This was such a huge statement in the wake of things of how industries function in the Hindi market, particularly with respect to the supposed interference of superstars. And the statement of Pa Ranjith did turn out to be true with the new Rajinikanth film titled Vettaiyan. When you do venture into a Rajinikanth film, you do sign up for some proper fan service that would be in store for you. But Vettaiyan is essentially a TJ Gnanavel film with only traces of fan service that was just so refreshing to witness. This is not to say that the film is totally devoid of it – it is still prevalent but it never really sticks out like a sore thumb like I did witness in the Tamil film GOAT.
Story & Screenplay
The entire first act of Vettaiyan is dedicated towards developing the character of the protagonist Athiyan (Rajinikanth), who happens to be a ruthless and a dismissive encounter specialist who does take rather impulsive decisions with respect to the killings. His vision is essentially binary, and never grey, as a result of which his approach of being devoid of empathy is much celebrated. It is during the opening act itself that you are introduced to the character of Sathyadev (Amitabh Bachchan) who is shown to be addressing a training room early on in the drama with his supposed anti-encounter killing sentiments. Instantly, a conflict is borne which would entangle Athiyan in a series of unexpected events.
The first act of the drama was the writers’ way of saying that this is your much awaited fan service that has been sprinkled in the story for you to enjoy before the actual story kicks in. But the writing here was also smart in establishing a few characters besides emphasizing on the ruthless trait of the protagonist. In a scene, you see him interacting with a perpetrator who happens to tell him that he might be a bad person but are your cops any better before being gunned down. The searing commentary of an encounter specialist is two-fold here – one from the perspective of the cops (in this case Athiyan) who is shown to be glamourized while the encounter is essentially is targeting members of the lower caste who don’t really have a voice. Using this as a base, the actual story kicks in wherein an investigation around the r*pe and murder of a young woman results in an encounter by the protagonist which is much celebrated. But on being probed further, the protagonist is shown to be on the wrong side of the morality scale that in turn triggers a chain of events.
The proceedings are engaging and thoroughly entertaining even while presenting the drama as a police procedural in a systematic manner. The writing did maintain a grip in the narrative that featured scenes that weren’t long and meandering, but short and crisp before moving on to the next conflict. There are a few twists and turns along the way that are interesting but I would have also wished for a little more remorse to further allow the drama to be grounded (or was that a wrong expectation given that it still is a mass masala entertainer at the end of the day?). There was a clear barter between the pace of the drama versus an emotional core even while transitioning into a whole new conflict that soon took centerstage.
There was a clear purpose to the writing that had its heart in the right place even while consistently having a binary gaze that was strictly restricted to its surface. It did not intend to go deeper in the issue that was raised but it also did not compromise on its core conflict of morality. I liked how coherent things were, with each revelation leading to another. Things were set for a thumping finale, and while there was fan service in play, I did find the finale to be simplistic and abrupt. The lack of a proper characterization as far as the antagonist was concerned, came back to haunt the drama in its final act that lacked the knock out punch. And even though the finale scene does showcase a proper character arc for the protagonist, I really wish there was some zing at the end. Nevertheless, the screenplay is decently well written and makes for a good watch.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are decent here but I did feel there was a conundrum here on whether the flavour of the lines should be massy or classy. As a result, the lines were somewhere in between with regards to its impact. Anirudh is the MVP of the Tamil Film Industry while having rescued so many films along the way. With Vettaiyan, his music and BGM are pulsating that provide a perfectly coordinated beat with respect to the drama that is unfolding. There is a lot of style and substance that elevates the impact of so many scenes throughout the narrative. The cinematography perfectly captures the swagger of the protagonist while never losing sight of the core issue that is staged through frames featuring fast cuts that take the story ahead. Director TJ Gnanavel does a pretty good job here while highlighting the core issues – one internal with regard to the protagonist, and the other external that doubles up as an act of redemption for the protagonist. These ideals both are different ends of the spectrum in terms of morality are nicely explored even while the director briefly falters with the finale that felt simplistic and abrupt. Still, the director does manage to impress with the utility that he offers with respect to his superstar protagonist, while being committed to tell ‘his’ story along the way.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the ensemble cast. Kishore as SP Harish is pretty solid with his performance and he has his moments to shine. Dushara Vijayan as Saranya is terrific here and she plays with her body-language expertly in a character that needed her to reflect her pain. Rana Daggubati as Natraj is good but his character needed to be better written for him to have a solid impact. Same was the case with Manju Warrier who had a good screen presence but did not have much to do. Ritika Singh as Roopa is terrific and she excels in a couple of combat sequences too. Amitabh Bachchan as Sathadev has an enormous presence and he instantly makes a splash with his perfect baritone, and a wonderful monologue at the end. Fahadh Faazil as Patrick is the screen stealer here, acing his comedy and possessing a nice little charm that would put a smile on your face. There is an ekotional scene involving him too and he does such a fabulous job in that scene. He could so easily have been passed off as a side-kick but the class of FaFa did make for a memorable performance. Superstar Rajinikanth is phenomenal here both as a ruthless encounter cop and as a transformed soul, the two facets of his character, Athiyan. And when it comes to Rajini sir, you just are compelled to talk about his swagger too – be it his flip with his glares or his antics with the flip phone, the man oozes of a charm that lights up the screen every single time.
Conclusion
Vettaiyan is a balanced police procedural presented as a mass masala entertainer that makes for a rather fun watch. The balance between mass and class is evident here that ensured that the director could tell the story his way even while providing traces of fan service along the way. Available in a theatre near you.
