TJ Gnanavel’s previous feature film, Surya starrer ‘Jai Bhim’ was received with widespread acclaim, causing a movement to submit the film as India’s official selection for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. The film did not work for me, however, and the entire movement felt like an extreme overreaction for a mediocre film - an issue which plagues the Tamil film industry, where the ‘message’ of a film often trumps the quality of it. There were no issues with the content of the film on paper, instead the issues lying with Gnanavel as a director, and the choices he made with how the film was presented. These issues are much more visible in Gnanavel’s latest film ‘Vettaiyan’ starring Kollywood titan Rajinikanth.
TJ Gnanavel’s previous feature film, Surya starrer ‘Jai Bhim’ was received with widespread acclaim, causing a movement to submit the film as India’s official selection for the Academy Award for Best International Feature. The film did not work for me, however, and the entire movement felt like an overreaction for a mediocre film - an issue which plagues the Tamil film industry: the ‘message’ of a film often trumps the quality of it. There were no issues with the content of the film on paper, instead the issues lying with Gnanavel as a director, and directorial choices. These issues are much more visible in Gnanavel’s latest film ‘Vettaiyan’ starring Kollywood titan Rajinikanth.
The film follows an ‘encounter’ specialist Athiyan, a police inspector who is renowned in the force for placing his own conscience above the law, setting up scenarios where guilty criminals are assassinated instead of being presented to a court of law. A case involving school teacher Saranya (Dhushara Vijayan) causes Athiyan to reconsider his moral compass. Once again, Gnanavel has an eye for engaging topics of discussion and stories. However, the film falters massively in almost every other aspect.
Thankfully, for most of its runtime, ‘Vettaiyan’ forgets it is a Rajinikanth film. There are inevitable moments of slow-motion and roaring music as expected, but most of the film plays as a standard police procedural, focusing on its story more than conforming to the conventions of a ‘star’ vehicle. Hopefully there is a trend of Rajinikanth selecting roles that prioritise the script over appeasing the fans. The rest of the cast is not given much to explore however, mostly portraying thinly written characters. An attempt at drawing in a Pan-Indian audience is evident through stars from major industries making appearances. Amitabh Bhachan plays Human Rights attorney Sathyadev. Rana Daggubati fulfils a now cliched trope as antagonist Nataraj. The biggest issue in the film is the character of Patrick a.k.a. Battery, Athiyan’s tech wiz/right hand man, played by Fahadh Faasil. The role felt wasted on a talent like Faasil, and the character’s attempts at humour and levity mostly felt clunky and awkward. The female supporting cast are not given enough screen time or importance to comment on. Dhushara Vijayan is great as she usually is. However, Ritika Singh and Manju Warrier’s characters felt superfluous.
Another issue for Gnanavel is the distinct lack of directorial voice in his films. His films are blandly shot with no visual stamp, separating him from his peers. The stunt choreography by Anbariv stands out as creative. A POV fight sequence and dynamic camera movement are creative workarounds for filming action blocks with an ageing star. SR Kathir’s cinematography serves the film and does not go above board. Philomin Raj’s editing choices also may have added to the aforementioned ‘clunkiness’ of the film.
The greatest mismatch, however, is Anirudh Ravichander’s score for the film. Anirudh refuses to budge from his typical maximalist sounds, which play as tone deaf in this film. There are no rules for art, but his music choices for a police procedural feel strange. ‘Hunter Vantaar’ is the old wine in a new bottle formula of hype music that Anirudh has been dishing out for a while. The hit song ‘Manasilayo’ does not tread new territory, other than a horrid use of AI to recreate Malaysia Vasudevan’s voice.
Overall, tasteless is a word that comes to mind when reviewing ‘Vettaiyan.’ There are too many moments, sequences and scenes in the film that baffle the viewer at their inclusion. If these had been removed, ‘Vettaiyan’ could have been a decent police procedural drama. Hopefully there will be a Rajinikanth film in the future where we do not see him for the first time onscreen through a burning end of a cigar. If you enjoyed ‘Vettaiyan,’ I would recommend the miniseries ‘Suzhal’ and ‘The Fable of Velonie.’
Krishna's rating: 2.5 stars
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Official trailer for film below.