{"id":34903,"date":"2024-10-13T10:45:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-13T10:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=34903"},"modified":"2024-10-13T10:47:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-13T10:47:24","slug":"vettaiyan-movie-review-a-gutsy-rajinikanth-powers-tj-gnanavels-flawed-film-on-unlawful-encounter-killings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shows4.com\/?p=34903","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Vettaiyan\u2019 movie review: A gutsy Rajinikanth powers TJ Gnanavel\u2019s flawed film on unlawful encounter killings"},"content":{"rendered":"
In this Rajinikanth-starrer, director TJ Gnanavel attempts to take a firm stand against fake encounter killings but falls prey to a risk common in the business of making a film for a superstar. Vettaiyan is a brave attempt to do something the moral compasses of Tamil cinema have long been wishing for, and it\u2019s arguably one of the best Rajinikanth films since Kaala. Jai Bhim-director TJ Gnanavel\u2019s film, as expected, attempts to take a firm step forward against fake encounter killings \u2014 a crime that has long been glorified on our screens \u2014 as well as the sorry state of our nation\u2019s education system. And he does it with a charismatic Rajinikanth, with the superstar even willing to have his supercop protagonist fail. There is ample entertainment, an engaging screenplay, and A-lister actors giving a bang for every buck. And yet, there\u2019s a deeper issue plaguing the film.<\/p>\n

We begin with Sathyadev (Amitabh Bachchan with his ever-popular magnetism), a retired Bombay High Court Judge on a mission to educate and eradicate the unlawful practice of fake encounters. His sermon at the National Police Academy is intercut with goons scheming a plan to finish off a Superintendent of Police known for encountering criminals. The whistles begin and we get the eponymous \u2018thalaivar tharisanam.\u2019 Rajinikanth, only 73 years young, enters as SP Athiyan and sends the goons flying, while Anirudh Ravichander makes his presence felt. Gnanavel even swaps Rajini\u2019s classic cigarette flip with clip-on glasses, and you are instantly Rajini-fied. For a subversion that we will witness later, such hero glorification seems necessary initially; and Athiyan had to be a carbon copy of the encounter specialist heroes we are familiar with. Further, in a clinical move that flips it all, Rajinikanth\u2019s supercop makes a mistake. While investigating the mysterious death of a government school teacher, Saranya (Dushara Vijayan) \u2014 the case that the entire film centres around \u2014 Athiyan makes a blunder with irreparable ramifications. Vettaiyan then follows the attempts of Athiyan \u2014 and his team, consisting of \u2018Battery\u2019 Patrick (Fahadh Faasil), Roopa Kiran (Ritika Singh), and SP Harish Kumar (Kishore) \u2014 to rectify the mistakes of their past. This is the most flawed we have seen a Rajini film hero in a long time.<\/p>\n

However, as many might have feared from the promotional material, Vettaiyan seems to have encountered a common risk in the business of making a film for a superstar. As thoughtful as Gnanavel was about stylising and staging the encounter scenes, he seems to have struggled to find a pitch for what he really had to say. The film\u2019s conceit rests more on how it deceives the audiences\u2019 judgement in the investigation, rather than organically making a stand against it and writing impactful dialogues against these killings. This is why Sathyadev\u2019s sermon fails to power through all the fanfare in the introduction scene. While we are hungover over the fact that we are seeing a flawed Rajinikanth, you wonder if it wasn\u2019t possible at all to push the boundaries by showing his internal struggles with guilt and regret. Other issues plague Vettaiyan as well. You wonder if it was wise for the police, with such an experienced SP, to reveal the name of the informer (Saranya). One can argue that such noble deeds need to be appreciated in the public galore but given the stakes, this detail does ick for a bit. The bigger problem is how Gnanvel writes about the ill fate that awaited Saranya. Yes, she gets killed. Oh, wait, she\u2019s a woman and so she also gets\u2026 raped. It\u2019s about time filmmakers understand that seeing such a character die is enough to get the desired emotional reaction. Rape isn\u2019t an ordinary detail that has to be thrown in as a bonus for shock value. To further dampen your sentiments, these shots even get repeated multiple times.<\/p>\n

With Vettaiyan, TJ Gnanavel has had quite a difficult task in hand \u2014 to make an entertaining Superstar film with a message. With two veteran superstars in the middle, it means we get lesser screen time for several A-list actors, and Rana Daggubati gets the raw end of the deal. His underdeveloped character, Natraj Subramaniam, also paves the way for quite a contrived climax to the film.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
Related Videos<\/strong><\/div>\n