Va- Quarter Cutting Review

If there's one thing that was clear from the trailer of  Va Quarter Cutting is that there is no room for thinking. Just watching. Considering Oram Po is still a favourite of mine and I still watch the trailer for the antics, director duo Pushkar and Gayathri's next film has taken a long time in my books. Add to that the unconventional lyrics to some music by G.V.Prakash and the comical duo from Saroja, Shiva and Charan, and naturally expectations rise as well as anticipation. But without babbling much further, lets open this bottle.

Meet Sundarajan alias Sura[Shiva]. He's your average joe from Coimbatore on his way to Saudi for work. When he is told that there are 3 conditions to his stay in Saudi, he gets worried. The first two are ok as he can do without his meat and his girl but the last one, no alcohol, gives him a panic attack. So with his sister's boyfriend Marthadan[SPB Charan], Sura sets out to taste his beloved 'Quarter' before his 6:30 am flight.  Simple? Not really. There is bandh[strike, I think] in place because of the elections that will finish the next day. A little too late for our hero so he drags Marthadan along to find some of the illegal variety. Along the way they meet a politician[Kalyan], a police officer[Abhinaya Sri], a boyish wannabe gangster[Craig], 3x 12th fail candidate with suicidal tendencies[Lekha Washington], a gay Prince and his casino-kingpin father[dual role by John Vijay] and a bunch of misfits which includes some new face and old ones too. Their connection to Sura and Marthandan? That you will have to watch the film to find out.

I'll start with the hangover on this one since its short. This is a no brainer story that doesn't have a message["Yenda ellathukkum message thedure" line from the trailer comes to mind]. A very basic story but a screenplay that will confuse you until the end. With so much going on, its a wonder that Pushkar-Gayathri were able to finish their film. Of course the notion that all of what happened, happened in one night itself is impossible but even with this kind of screenplay, there is a lot of clutter. I was literally scratching my head with Manikkam Vinayagam's singing act that popped up every now and then. In fact, with so many characters, you could feel the drag in the film as they inserted a new track in each time. But barring the Babyface and Retta Papakal, and to a degree Saro Stupid [Lekha] episodes, everything else has a reason that is evident at the end.

There is method to the madness and its clear thats what this duo has intended. Not spoofiness, but MADness.With cinematographer Nirav Shah, art director Santhanam, action director Dileep Subbrayan and music/background score director G.V.Prakash in tow, the duo that brought Oram Po, has handled a different kind of 'all in one story'. Kudos for bringing this kind of cinema to Tamil. If they won have the battle with the film looking like Chennai at night, Prakash adds to the quirky quotient with his score. I must say that this kid has some great vocals. I hope we hear of him more as well.

Shiva is definitely rising in the comedy caper ranks. The actor who effortlessly pulled off the over-the-top spoof fest Tamil Padam, is back with his trade mark serious face but comical situation and that too, with an Coimbatore accent[My fav for some odd reason]. Charan, Charan, Charan... where have you been hiding?! The actor has a distinctive voice tailor made for this food crazy ammanji Vet Doctor role and holds no bones about his physique. The two are delightful and are worth keeping an eye on. Lekha Washington isn't your typical cutie and it shows with her film selection. From Saro Stupid to Super Saro, she doesn't get much time on screen but she puts in her two cents worth. As does Abhinaya Sri and Kalyan. The item girl has actually no dancing in this flick but add to the entourage. Kalyan, however, is apt as the crooked politician. John Vijay deserves a mention on this one after disappointing in Bhale Pandiya. Personally, I preferred his King character which is a mix of Indhiran Chandran Kamal Hassan and Karunanidhi. But this actor has improved and its apparent.

So what do you rate a movie that could possibly be just a mokkai[crap] film that I enjoyed just for its mokkainess... 

Rating: 4/5 


P.s Given that I did enjoy this film for what it is, I've updated the rating to reflect it.