Vivegam

Very rarely does an actor work with the same director in the current gen and when Ajith announced his third collaboration with director Siva, it was obvious that what’s instore is something totally different from what we witnessed in Veeram or Vedhalam. Vivegam sees the best of all we loved from this combination and more. The plot might be thin – an international spy is branded to have gone rogue and how he manages to set things straight forms the storyline. But aren’t all commercial films so?

Where Vivegam stands a class apart is the execution. A few minutes into the film, I was smiling; wondering how such a stylish flick can be made by the same man who made Veeram which was set in a rural backdrop. In short, the film can be stated as a classic Siva film with a much mellowed down show of elements that didn’t work in his previous projects. The setting is slick and a good amount of research has gone into getting the details right.

Obviously, as one would’ve expected, it’s Ajith who carries the film on his – now all beefed up – shoulders. He looks classy and suave, and carries himself well. If the opening title track doesn’t remind you of the James Bond franchise, Ajith’s look will do the trick. Be it that of a doting husband or a thorough professional at work, Ajith balances both the characteristics well and aces with a snazzy performance. His hard-work for this film is apparent in every shot and the post credits scenes are jaw-dropping. The second most important character is Vivek Oberoi who’s making his debut to Tamil cinema with this film. The ‘Nanba’ dialogues and the conversations between them are enough to satiate the hunger pangs of a fan and though they aren’t as impactful as the ones Sathyadev has with Victor in Yennai Arindhaal, it’s a pleasure to watch. The antagonist and his gang’s motive could’ve gotten some more significance.

Kajal Aggarwal does a good job as Ajith’s wife. Though she ends up emotional in almost all the scenes and wears costumes that aren’t in any sync with the rest of the film, the love scenes are more family oriented and have been mixed almost at the right places in an otherwise fast paced film. Akshara’s role is minuscule and doesn’t get much screen space but still, pulls off a decent job. Karunakaran provides a decent amount of comic relief without disrupting the film’s flow.

Talking about being fast paced, editor Ruben is one of the heroes behind the camera and his super fast cuts makes the film racy. It’s so fast that a few moments can’t be even savoured enough but overall, it sets the pace for the speedy screenplay. The camera work too is splendid and gives that international feel needed for this film. If Anirudh’s music was a crowd-pleaser before the film’s release, his background scores have proved to be in another level. The ‘Surviva’ track has been captured well and the bgm, though loud, sets the mood right for the action flick.

The film isn’t flawless. As mentioned above, the story is very simple – the truth wins over everything, how friendship is sacred, and ethics and values of a good man, which makes it very predictable. And of course, there are few scenes which defy logic and lets you wonder how many more guns and bullets are needed to hit a hero. Remember the railroad crossing scene in Veeram where in less than a minute an array of trains go back and forth? They’ve upgraded to super-fast trains now in a particular sequence. And as the film is set predominantly in foreign countries, it looks a bit odd to see foreigners speak Tamil. But considering the agile screenplay, they don’t really matter as the audience get to witness one of the best commercial films made in recent times.

Vivegam is a crowd pleaser and despite a few blemishes, works well as a whole – making it the best Ajith-Siva film till date.

My Rating: 3.5/5