Watching a Vijay movie on the 2nd day of release doesn’t equate to the euphoria one feels when watching a Rajini movie even on the 2nd week of its release. However, I went to the movie wanting to experience the hoots and whistles, which duly unfolded when "Ilaya Thalapathi's name" flashed on the screen. The excitement moved up by few notches when Vijay's clear image gradually emerged from his hazy silhouette. And the 7:15 AM start on a Saturday and Rs.100 ticket was money well spent, just for the decibel levels inside the theatre.
The story gains rapid pace as Vijay sets off running behind a corrupt and drunken cop's police vehicle and just as when we think he has given up, we find him resuming the chase with a Stetson hat on a horse - the most widely advertised poster of "Vettaikaran". As expected, he confronts the cop and dishes out a rather short and sans overtly jarring punch dialogues (Compared to his recent duds, he has reduced the punches). He plays the role of "Police" Ravi - a struggling student (he apparently has tried scaling XII exam thrice with no luck) who aspires to emulate his idol Devaraj IPS (Sri Hari) in becoming an upright police aapicer. The introductory song of Vijay received maniacal response from the audience and the peppy number also features his son towards the end. The introduction of Delhi Ganesh as his father in the movie evoked muted peals of laughter, for reasons known to our gang.
After somehow scaling XII, Vijay goes to Chennai to enroll in a college and opts to drive an auto-rickshaw to fund his studies. On his way to Chennai he encounters Susheela (Anushka) and her grandmother (Sukumari), and is bewitched by the heroine's beauty. Now comes the time to expose the scary looking villains one-by-one. Chella (Ravi Shankar) looks really menacing and gets his way with whichever lady he sets his eyes on. Unfortunately, he lusts after Vijay's college mate and so follows the first action sequence between the hero and villain. After being beaten to pulp, the villain's dad (Salim Ghouse - of Vetrivizha and Chinna Kounder fame) takes over spilling evil on screen. What follows is Vettaikaran (Vijay)'s quest for hunting down the Mirugam (Salim Ghouse). There is a clear explanation on these lines to justify the title - "Vettaikaran".
The dialogues are preachy only in places and the punch dialogues seem to have been inserted to spur the massive hysteria he commands with his huge fan base. Vijay Antony has sensed the pulse of what Vijay means to his fans, and the peppy numbers have accentuated the hero's reputation. One should find the costume designer and stylist for Vijay in the pleasant duet - "Chinna Thamirai, and ask in all earnest, the reason for the outrageous makeup.”Puli Urumudhu" and "Karigalan" (He has added some really astounding moves in this song) are the other good numbers. Vijay has managed to carry the movie with his screen-presence, action and dance sequences, and even the lighter moments. Anushka literally dwarfs her co-stars with her height, and hence her contrived dance movements appear magnified. Sayaji Shinde - the bad cop with comic timing, and VM Hanifa and Sathyan - Vijay's sidekicks, and Srinath - the dude from Vijay's college, add to the comedy track.
On pure entertainment quotient - this movie scores over Aadhavan and with Sun Picture's astute marketing should most likely help Vijay lose the bad reputation he has gained at the box office and with the masses too (The email forwards relating to Vettaikaran are testimony to this). Apparently the "Vettai" runs for 2 hr 54 mins, and the second half hurtles towards a predictable and violent climax. The villains and stuntmen in Tamil movies sporting those full white veshtis folded up to their knees, with aruvals and similar hacking weapons appear to be way too menacing for family audiences. Guess its high time the directors and casting group take note of this.
Verdict - Definitely worth watching (Provided one sets aside any positive expectations about the movie, and just goes only with the intention of getting entertained. That means, be ready to suspend your disbelief)
