2018, Tamil, Netflix, 6.8/10 IMDB, Directed by A.R. Murugadoss
With a name GL CEO Sundar Ramasamy, by default you expect a timid yet confident personality in Vijay’s character. All you get is a thirupachi Vijay with a thirumalai Vijay’s body language dressed up in Sanjay Ramasamy costumes with a tag line corporate criminal to confuse you even more.
Except for the private jet, expensive cars and posh opening scene with a casino dance in Las Vegas, you still miss and long for the Thuppakki Vijay who had set a truly high benchmark playing his given character smartly all the way through.
No secret with the story as its all out in the open in more than one version and when the news quoted the story’s climax as a suspense whether Vijay who wins the election take up the CM position or not, you don’t need any wild guesses as to what might happen.
Keerthi is such a misfit to the movie.(need to shed couple of kilos asap) She neither has chances to emote nor dance, in spite of an unwanted song that has been forcibly squeezed for Vijay’s fans and Thank God she doesn’t dance alongside Vijay in the same frame. All she does is tag along the hero wherever he goes. Poor thing.. What is wrong with me, again I miss Kajal’s dance in cute short dresses and the fun quotient in the female lead from thuppakki.. Think I’m still hanging over the A.R.Murugadoss and Vijay’s thuppakki magic.
When Vijay’s family is introduced, you expect some fun combo sequences to bring out Vijay’s characterisation, but it never happens. There were many possible knots such as divorcing brother, Keerthi being his sister in laws sister. Same goes with yogi babu, he had never been under utilised as this in any of his off late movies. Wonder if it were all axed considering the length.
The whole saga of 49P, ram jeth malani, court room, encouraging the voters to sue for thier votes being ill legally casted, all in one day and finally stalling the oath ceremony in the nexk of the moment, just pure masala with perfect seasoning in ghee, hey we are used to all such masalas and infact we have been trained from childhood that we love it more that our staple food rice.
Now what’s with the cigarette, shaming all the principles Vijay had all these on screen years. Disappointed indeed. Thalaivar just upgraded from smoking to chewing gums and hey you have that in a stunt too.
Varalakshmi outstands Radha Ravi. Happy for her to have explored her strengths off late.
AR Rahman scores in Oru Viral Puratchi song, in spite of its parallels to ayudha ezhuthu’s Jana Gana Mana. Simthangara didn’t score more likes as the sequence to the song was a let down. BGMs were sheer let down..
Stunts with frequent slow motion mix does play spoil sport but when Vijay is on the screen punching faces you want to punch a few yourself.
The last half hour of the movie is overloaded with masala elements genuinely makes you crave for more. Our pathetic political scenario has been a laughing material for years together and glad this movie works out a solution to all the chaos.
It sure is not a possible easy way out but a small ray of hope to identify our youth strength and play to it. You never know, it might be a small initiative towards a big welcoming change.
Special mention in bringing mookaneri lake restoration and Piyush Manush in the movie. Proud celebrative moment for a salemite like me who watched the movie in a local theater in bangalore.