Venghai Review

Its not wise to expect science fiction from a children's book writer so while I was hesitant about what Hari had to offer with Venghai, I put my masala cap on to go with the flow. Plus I was enjoying a few songs from the soundtrack and considering Dhanush is always dependable on a good performance even in masala flicks, I thought why not. Suffice to say I wasn't entirely disappointed. Well, almost.

So with Hari making an open statement that his films are all about having huge families with a village backdrop and showing the human side to the ruffians with sickles, Venghai beings with the intro of the cast, backdrop and most importantly, the three pivotal characters, Veerapandi [Raj Kiran], his son Selvam [Dhanush] and Rajalingam [Prakashraj]. With Veerapandi being the do-gooder of the town and Rajalingam his nemesis whom is struggling to get out from under his thumb although he is the town MLA, Selvam becomes the target in a behind the scene revenge plot. But when Rajalingam is publicly humiliated by Veerapandi, the gloves are off and the war public. His target shifts from son Selvam to Veerapandi himself. How father and son escape from Rajalingam's ploy forms the crux. Oh and Tamannaah adds in the love angle with a bit of a flashback as well.

Seriously speaking, there isn't much point in thinking with this film. It is a typical Hari film from start to finish. Not many changes and a serious case of old wine in new bottle. The sentiments, the flashback, the rivalry, even to the extent of how the rivals challenge each other has been seen before. So while I'm all for the masala format, sometimes churning out the same stories with different faces doesn't work, Hari. Yet I can't say I didn't enjoy it and the main reason is the performance. Especially that of Dhanush and Prakashraj, who are as always top notch. Although some may feel Dhanush doesn't emote extensively, I felt given the circumstances and the character's backdrop, Dhanush goes for a more subdued version of a ruffian with brains. All in all, Dhanush cakewalks through the film and really goes the distance to perform within his boundaries. Tamannaah looks like a village belle and although fine in the first half, becomes repetitive and irritating towards the end. However, her character does go through some random and haphazard emotional changes so this may not be her fault entirely. Raj Kiran is dignified as the father while Urvasi is a little over the top. Prakashraj is really scoring brownie points with the funnies he pulls out even while he is the bad guy and I for one, am loving it. Kanja Karuppu needs new writers for his comedy if he thinks crass jokes with blatant physical humour will get him far. Double meaning dialogues are bad enough but this was a pathetic excuse for comedy. Livingston was ok while Charlie touched the heart [p.s. welcome back Charlie :)]. Y.G.Mahendran is wasted after an outstanding performance in Yuddham Sei.

On the technical front, Vetri's camerawork is fine and editing by V.T. Vijayan could have been a little crisper. But in Vijayan's defence, Hari's screenplay and story didn't offer much in the first place. Devi Sri Prasad's music isn't at its best although Kalangaathale and Enna Solla Pore are definitely enjoyable. Pudikalai has his usual mass touch to it and will surely make it to a few iTunes lists. Action sequences for the film start off interesting however lose momentum quite quickly to become overdone and long-winded. Which leave us to the real culprit, the writing.

Is there a point in questioning the skill or sentiments of a director who makes statement like the one mentioned? Not really. So while the ill-sketched characters, long winded dialogues, repetitive screenplay and general done to dust feel of the story is most apparent, the director made the right choice in actors for the pivotal characters. The three men work their characters to best they can. Certain dialogues do have merit but they are few and far apart. Now, while I do not agree that a director should stick to one way of filmmaking, if he is good at a particular style or his signature works for him, there is little reason for him to change beyond his own desire to. As an audience member for Hari's latest film, I simply request he become more innovative in rehashing his own films.

Rating: 2/5 -Keeping your thinking cap off and far, far away. You might just like it.