Review of the Tamil movie Vaarisu starring Vijay the Superstar
Vijay is a big draw in Tamil Nadu. He is just behind Rajnikant, who is slowly fading out. Vijay films are big super duper hits, even if they manage a 15-day run in many theatres around the world. The recent movie, Varisu, is a different movie. This article is a review of this movie.
Introduction
Almost every Vijay movie would follow a single formula. He would be a superhero. He would normally belong to a very rich family. There will be some thugs who would threaten the leading lady and the heroine would fall in love with him, instantly or after a while. Unlike Rajnikant, where the lady would automatically fall for his charms, like the late M.G. Ramachandran of the fifties and up to the seventies, Vijay would do a few things to attract his lady love. The fights would be fierce and he would not be injured at all! At times, he would have a small cut. That is about all.
Varisu The movie, dubbed in Telugu, has been reportedly a good draw, and the producers have not lost any money. Vijay's fans went ga-ga over the movie, and the first week was totally booked in most theaters in Chennai, the biggest barometer for the success or failure of any Tamil movie these days.
The movie is different for a few things- a)The story; b)Vijay's acting; c)Rashmi Mandana; and d)Prakash Raj's acting.The story
The movie Varisu has all that has been mentioned in the introduction. However, the gripping story has a massive dose of emotion and this makes a difference. The father's role is played by Sarathkumar. Vijay is the youngest son. He wants to go his own way and does not show much interest in the flourishing family business. The family lives in one of the best houses ever shown in Tamil cinema. One really does not know if the house is real or if it is just a set that was done up as a house. His immediate elder brother is one Sham, a hero of some Tamil movies, who now acts in some Telugu movies.
The movie has a big star cast as well. Prakash Raj is the bad boy, who wants the empire to collapse. Vijay enters the scene when his own brothers gang up with Prakash Raj and try to destroy their father. The father wants Vijay to support him. The bad boys kidnap the young daughter of the elder brother and she finds herself in the midst of a drug cartel.
She would have easily been inducted into the bad life of drugs, but for Vijay's intervention. He goes to one area where the police would not go and rescues the girl. The fight scene is extraordinary. So is the fight at the Port (reportedly the Madras Port), where the masala fight is quite superbly done. Vijay's acting
This movie has a different Vijay. His quota of emotional scenes is rather a bit on the higher side. He does the job well and the fans do not miss to notice this. He is particularly good at delivering dialogues where the punch, the main message, is all about family values, and so on. His chance meeting with the heroine has some comedy in it and the inevitable "mass" song, meant to satisfy the vast rural folks in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which is typical of any Vijay movie. None of the songs, except one song, makes any difference. The songs are so loud that they do not register in the mind. Vijay, however, is there all the way. Rashmi Mandana
Her role in this movie is not much. Yet, she has done a good job in this movie, said to be her first Tamil movie. This beauty from Karnataka is all set to hit the Tamil movie screens in the months to come. She made a massive impact in her Hindi movie called "Goodbye", which was all about death and the rituals that come immediately thereafter. Prakash Raj's acting
Prakash Raj is one of the best actors in India. He has made a big impact in Hindi movies as well. However, in this movie, the subtle emotions that he shows, like he does in other films, even as the main bad guy, are highly appreciated by the audience, who see the real talent of this actor.
When he finally realizes the futility of all corporate battles and the fact that Vijay's father is about to die, he shows it right on his face. Vijay does no harm to him, advising him to change. The scene shifts to Vijay's home, where his father dies a little later.
The end of the film: The film stops a bit abruptly after the sons immerse the ashes of their father in the river Ganga. The sadness is real and the scene is quite natural. It is here that this Vijay movie stands out as an exception to the usual masala where he would end up singing another song with his lady love and living happily with his parents. Ending the movie on a sad but meaningful note, with a subtle message that we should do good to all when we live, is different. However, Vijay's fans are on record that this movie has made money only because it is different. Conclusion
Stories of most Vijay movies are nowadays bound to have a good quota of emotional drama thrown in, as he is 45 plus now and it is futile to dance around with girls much younger than him. He could do so for another five years, but there would continue to be stories where the emotional content would dominate as well. It is in this context that Vaarisu is just one of the movies that would set a trend in this regard.
