How fast can you realize you have made a mistake? I am not asking about the obvious ones like leaving the stove on when there is milk boiling or the time you chose to wear heels for the Mahabalipuram trip. I am talking about something bigger, like what I did today. It was a pleasant day, the day before the long weekend, I could have enjoyed my last working day for the week (although it isn’t), but I had other ideas. I chose to watch the recently released Vivegam on its first day without reading any reviews (because I don’t like spoilers, what was I thinking?). It took me just five minutes to realize that I made a mistake.
The film begins with this scene where a potential villain meets another potential villain after three-degree security that includes scanning his eyes by the way. They obviously talk about a very important gadget who one is selling to the other, when the former potential villain asks our latter potential villain if it’s safe in this place, he says even the wind needs to get his permission to enter and kaboom, in the next two minutes they are dead because AK (Ajay Kumar, played by Ajith Kumar) is powerful than the wind, in fact he is powerful and smart than anything or anyone on this planet.
That is the whole movie. It is quite easily understandable when you watch the movie, where in every possible scene he kills people, jumps mountains, and outsmarts all his enemies’ plans. He can even cook 50 dishes in one moment if his beautiful wife Yazhini (played by the beautiful Kajal Aggarwal) sits down upset. However, for some reason, Director Siva wanted a narrator who can reassure or reiterate to us that Ajith is the Phoenix bird who can never be defeated or destroyed and Siva is not an ordinary director, he is not Ram with Taramani to narrate by himself, he is Siva. The man who gave us movies like Siruthai and Veeram.
Therefore, he brings in Bollywood’s yesteryear heartthrob to do the job. Vivek Anand Oberoi, ( essays the role of Aryan) as his name appears in the title card is Kajal Aggarwal in male version, he doesn’t play the antagonist, every time Ajith does something clever or wins over him, Aryan doesn’t get tensed or furious, instead he tells us his so-called best friend enemy is brilliant. “Brilliant move, Nanba” is his default line no matter what the scene. He is simply another person to highlight Ajith, like Kajal.
When I saw Vivegam promotional interviews where Kajal described here role in the movie as sensible, I was thrilled, only to be disappointed later. She was an eye candy who for a change the hero didn’t stalk or lure. They are already happily married and she runs a South Indian restaurant in Serbia where every Serbian cook of hers knows M.G.R songs. In fact, every foreigner in the movie spoke great Tamil with amazing lip sync. Siva can sure create wonders like his movie’s hero.
Have I covered all the characters? Yes, I think. Oh, no, I almost forgot, Akshara Hassan. Akshara Hassan is the face of Hacker Natasha after her plastic surgery in the movie. Though her presence in the movie was good, it lasted very few minutes, which is easily forgettable when you are seated amidst 1000 gunshots. I wonder how the film got a ‘U’ certificate and not even ‘A/U’ for the violence in the movie was unbelievable. Maybe censor board felt kids could learn to kill people but not kiss them. We cannot tell.
There are other people in the movie like Karunakaran who attempts comedy, but no performance stays. Nobody answers any questions with short answers, especially Ajith. He has an “emotional” punch dialogue even for someone asking water. Music by Anirudh is usual. More like a revisit to Vedalam, but we do not get an opening song that is as good as Aaluma Doluma. Kadhalada might hang around in the playlists of Anirudh’s fans. The BGM is again over shadowed by the gunshots. The only thing that is a treat to us in the movie is Ajith, not Ajay the one who always fires. Ajith is breathtaking, I can’t think of any other actor who can sport the salt pepper hairstyle this amazingly well.
He has done hard work, one can see it when he tears open his t-shirt with confidence because he has lost the tummy he had in Aarambam (a movie lot similar and a lot better than Vivegam). He is so good in the romantic scenes with Kajal, he is good when he fights, when he walks, jumps, recites punch dialogue, especially when he is riding his bike and evidently has the best fan following ever. The audience loved him, it reminded me of the dialogue Anushka says in Yennai Arindhal about how his mom was true when she praised him as the most handsome man ever, he deserves that, if only Ajith made better choices and chose better films to work in. I would love to see him in a full on romantic film, maybe the heroine can stalk this handsome hunk.
Verdict: Let me try it in Thala style, “If you are not a die-hard Ajith fan, never ever try to watch the movie”.
Rating: 2/5.
