'Vettaiyan' is a blend of class and commercial elements making it a complete entertainer. Rajinikanth's swag has worked in this film based on extra-judicial killings.
A poster of the film 'Vettaiyan'. (X)
Rajinikanth’s latest release Vettaiyan directed by TJ Gnanavel is a blend of entertainment and social messaging.
TJ Gnanavel known for his critically acclaimed feature Jai Bhim (2022), which dealt with the caste system, gave Rajinikanth a film different from his recent releases.
Vettaiyan speaks of a social issue— encounter killings. Despite apprehensions on TJ Gnanavel’s track record in commercial hits, Vettaiyan fares well.
This film also marks the Tamil debut of Hindi Superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Athiyan (Rajinikanth) is the Superintendent of Police (SP), and an encounter specialist. He is on a mission to eradicate the drug dealers in Kanyakumari district where he is posted.
The first half an hour is about building the character of Athiyan who is involved in encounter killings. Manju Warrier plays the role of his wife Tara, a vlogger.
Then comes Amitabh Bachchan as Satyadev, a lawyer and a human rights activist. He is against the encounter killings and, subsequently against Athiyan and his deeds. But for Athiyan, he is killing criminals for the betterment of society.
Fahadh Faasil as Patrick, plays the role of a tech geek, who does spy work for the police and is an accomplice of Athiyan.
The major plot twist involves Dushara Vijayan’s character Sharanya, a school teacher, who meets Athiyan during a drug bust. Soon after Sharanya is embroiled in danger, and Athiyan kills the person responsible.
However, Athiyan comes to know that the person was indeed innocent, changing his outlook towards the encounters.
Athiyan’s interaction with Satyadev, and how his thought process is transformed forms the crux of Vettaiyan.
A still from the film ‘Vettaiyan’. (X)
Unlike Jailer (2023), Petta (2019), or Darbar (2020), Vettaiyan’s script and screenplay have elements of social commitment and mass flavour.
Another interesting choice was casting Amitabh Bachchan to play the role of Satyadev, who transforms Rajinikanth.
Rana Daggubati’s Natraj— the main villain, Rohini’s Naseema, and Abirami’s characters are introduced in the second half. The cat-and-mouse game between Natraj and Athiyan makes the audience enthralled.
However, the director didn’t cut down on the entertainment quotient. Placement of the “Manasilayo” song, a pacy first half and more twists and turns in the second half with Rajinikanth’s heroic acts and his swag keep the audience engaged.
The movie may not have the charisma of Lokesh Kanagaraj or Nelson’s film, but Gnanavel has tried his best to make a commercial film for Rajinikanth.
The major attraction of Vettaiyan is the background music by Anirudh Ravichander. The ‘Hunter’ background score has elevated most of the scenes in the movie.
The cinematography by Kathir is another major highlight of Vettaiyan, as he shot the frames in Kanyakumari and the visuals of Chennai without losing the charm.
Editing by Philomin Raj has also helped the movie as there aren’t any lagging moments and some dramatic scenes are essential for the common audience.
The usage of AI technology for Tamil dialogues of Amitabh Bachchan also blended well.
Rajinikanth as Athiyan is a hero who can do anything, similar to most of his roles. As anticipated, Rajini’s style and swag are the major highlights of the movie.
Amitabh Bachchan as Satyadev doesn’t have much screen space but has a great screen presence in crucial scenes.
Manju Warrier in ‘Vettaiyan’. (X)
Manju Warrier has a limited role, and she excels in it. Her scenes with Rajinikanth, especially in the “Manasilaayo” song are a major highlight.
Fahad Faasil was amazing in a humorous role. His scenes with Rajinikanth erupted in laughter in theatres. He along with Rithika Singh (Roopa) had some good moments in the movie.
Dushara Vijayan as Sharanya had an important role to play and the whole story is surrounded by her character.
Definitely, this is her strongest role after her amazing performance in Dhanush’s Raayan (2024).
Rana Daggubati as Nataraj, the corporate businessman is a strong villain and his mannerisms work for the movie.
Rithika Singh as police officer Roopa surprisingly was given a key role as an investigator, and she did it well.
It was good to see Abirami getting a negative role in a mainstream movie and she did it without any hiccups. Rohini as Naseema, the police officer also had a good role even if it was a small one.
Vettaiyan is a blend of class and commercial elements making it a complete entertainer. Rajinikanth’s swag has definitely worked in this TJ Gnanavel film which is based on extra-judicial killings.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
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