Vel Movie Review

The story is about a son avenging his father's murder. The son is not his own son, but a son gotten unexpectedly. Based on this small pretext, Hari has delivered his mega film 'Vel.'

Surya does the dual role of older and younger brother. They both get separated in a train. (Usually Tamil films show the elder brother getting off at a station to fetch water, the train leaves and the brothers get separated. Fortunately, both the children are too small in this film, so the separation takes place in a different manner.) The younger Surya grows up with his parents. The elder Surya grows up as the adopted son of childless couple Nasser and Ambika.

The village elder brother shines more than the city bred younger brother. When he flexes his body, twirls his moustache and roars in a base voice, the theatre reverberates. The emotional aspect of love of real mother and the love of adopted paternal grandmother are beautifully portrayed by Surya.

Asin plays the role of a girl who is bent on becoming a reporter in the BBC. For someone with such an ambition, it is rather contradicting to speak of domesticity, taking care of husband and child and becoming a full time housewife after getting married. The character does not evolve completely.

In the role of Kuzhandaisamy, Vadivelu gets bashed up by someone or other in every scene that he appears. As if earlier films have been forgotten or as if inanity is not recognized, one hears some laughter now and then from the audience for such scenes. The 2 characters who stay on in our minds are 2 ladies. One is Sharanya who plays Surya's mother. The other is Lakshmi who plays his paternal grandmother. She gets applause for her raspy voice and physical appearance.

In the name of a pot belly, they have stuffed a pillow on Sharanraj's tummy and really test our patience.

Music is by Yuvan Shankar Raja. In the intro scenes, as soon as the rowdies are bashed up, there is a song. As soon as a few words are exchanged with Asin, there's a duet in a foreign country. As soon as the feelings are realized as love, there's another duet. There's a song for family affection. There's a song of every type.

One must definitely mention the graphics. Just like god is always shown with a halo on his head, there seems to be a sudden glow around Surya's body when he fights. In the song sequence, one Surya becomes 10 Suryas (Ravanan?) and then becomes one Surya again. Those with poor eyesight must beware!

Those who have seen earlier Hari films with Priyan as cameraman, can foresee beforehand, what angle the camera will take.

Kalabhavan Mani, who plays the villain role, is more explosive as a comedian than Vadivelu. The 'Chandramukhi ra ra…' is jollylo gymkhana!

Strangely cops never turn up when drugs are sold in the college, or when there is murder or fire being lit. The film is full of such lapses. After setting fire to Mani's rice mill, Surya goes to the police station and reports indolently that a crow sat on the electric wire and that resulted in the mill catching fire. When the same Surya takes a class on how castor oil burns or how petrol fumes emerge, the dialogues become a minus.

In 2 separate films, director Hari distinguishes caste differences between the hero's family and the family of their enemy. The innocent general public is caught in between and gets mangled. Hari continuing to make films on 'powerful' family sagas like this is a dangerous trend.

Though he shows Asin as a modern girl wanting to make it as a BBC reporter, he makes her character spout old dialogues like becoming family bound once she gets married. Also, adverse reactions to girls wearing modern clothes or portraying women as sacrificing everything for their families are all reminiscent of age old film types.

There's a dialogue in the film that what cannot be solved by 6000 weapons, can be achieved by using the 6 senses. Hari could also have lessened his affinity to dangerous weapons in the film and used some of his brains instead.

Since Hari seems to know that action, comedy and sentiment sells in B & C centres, his film would indeed turn out to be a vetri 'Vel'!




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