Vetrivel

Director – actor Sasikumar and village scripts go hand in hand. The only difference in his new movie Vetrivel is the fact that it’s based in Tanjore rather than his tried and tested Madurai. Vasantha Mani joins the line up of directors that Sasikumar has introduced to Tamil cinema, with this flick. Sasikumar plays the lead and apart from him, Prabhu, Mia George, Ananth Nag, Thambi Ramaiah, Viji Chandrasekhar, Varsha, Nikhila, Renuka and Ilavarasu are a part of this expansive cast. D. Imman has composed the music for this film which is produced by Trident Arts and distributed by Lyca Productions.

Vetrivel is the story of two brothers (Sasikumar and Ananth Nag). Sasikumar falls for Miya George while Ananth Nag ends up in a relationship with Varsha, who is the daughter of the village President, Prabhu. When his younger brother’s love story goes through a tough patch, Sasikumar takes charge and tries to solve the issue. But in the name of solving it, things lead to a mishap and what happens post that between three families form the story line of Vetrivel.

With such a stellar cast, the director has done a great job of establishing the characters neatly and even with a couple of new faces, the story doesn’t get confusing in any stage. Sasikumar is getting better with his acting skills in each film and though the close-up shots aren’t convincing, he has given his best. But he has to score more on the dance part. The uneducated villager character fits him like a glove and he looks very comfortable in this role, with his trademark beard.

Veteran actor Prabhu shines as the village President and his demeanor is tailor-made for this role. His portrayal as a doting father who tries to give his daughter the best and as a village head who has to step up when needed, is credible. Miya George, as a government officer, looks picture perfect and the newbies Varsha and Nikhila have done their parts perfectly.

Thambi Ramaiah has provided the comic relief and has done a commendable job. Viji Chandrasekhar has given an excellent performance as the antagonist. Renuka and Ilavarasu as the parents of the brothers are at their usual best.

As expected, there is the usual introduction song, fight scenes and cheesy romantic shots for Sasikumar and it takes time for the story to get going. What starts as a run-of-the-mill story gets its share of twists and turns which makes it interesting after about an hour into the film. Cinematography by S.R.Kathir, is enjoyable and the colorful shots of Tanjore have been captured well. Music could’ve been better and none of the songs have recall value. A.L.Ramesh’s editing could have been tighter.

It is obvious that the director has taken care to make sure that the film doesn’t bear any resemblance to Sasikumar’s Nadodigal or Sundarapandian. That hasn’t stopped him from getting Samuthirakani, Vijay Vasanth and Bharani for a cameo with their trademark Sambho Siva Sambho track. The second half has its share of twists, but the story gets predictable soon after and the films ends with the usual climax fight.

Sasikumar’s performance is very authentic and with the necessary elements in place, he impresses as the protagonist. With a fairly well-written screenplay and a plethora of talents, the director has weaved a family drama that ought to entertain the family audience.