Varisu review: Vijay lends life to this otherwise cliched storyline

Telugu director Vamshi Paidipally is debuting in Tamil with Thalapathy Vijay-starrer Varisu (Varasudu in Telugu) today, 11 January. Here’s our review of the much-anticipated movie of this Pongal season:

To make sure that he has the right successor for the family business, Rajendran (Sarathkumar) pits his sons against each other. His elder sons Jai (Srikanth) and Ajay (Shaam) have their eyes on the chairpersonship.

However, Rajendran’s third son Vijay chooses to stay away from the chairmanship as he differs from his father’s ideology and modes of operation.

But Vijay is declared the successor to Rajendran after the latter sees his elder sons for who they really are. The second half deals with what happens next.

Overtly dramatic and predictable

Varisu starts like a Vikraman’s version of Chekka Chivantha Vaanam (2018) but in a Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham (2001) backdrop.

It has many problems: Right from the TV serial kind of makeup and drama in the first half to the dreamy Bollywood/Karan Johar kind of massive sets and, of course, the exhausting runtime (2 hours 50 minutes)!

The film is predictable in every frame. It is neither self-contained nor original.

Vijay’s one-man show

But, guess what? Even with all these issues, Varisu still works. For, Vijay carries the film like Atlas carries the Earth on his shoulders for all eternity.

Vijay as Vijay Rajendran is perfect to the T. He lends life to the otherwise cliched storyline.

He is in outstanding form. He looks super, his costumes are fabulous, he dances like a river flow, trolls his own dialogues, and he does comedy and emotional scenes well.

In a nutshell, this is a one-man show. The major strength of this movie is in how damn likeable Vijay is.

You guys have nooooo idea how excited I am about this one! 🥰https://t.co/7IrUXmBKmL pic.twitter.com/lGjOPbFZhm

— Rashmika Mandanna (@iamRashmika) January 4, 2023

Thaman rocks it

Other than Vijay, two more things work in favour of Varisu: Music composer Thaman S and comedian Yogi Babu.

Thaman does a brilliant job as a music director. The background score is sometimes loud but perfect for the respective scenes. He elevates many scenes with dynamic soundtracks.

Yogi Babu’s comedy timing is superb and keeps us entertained all through. In fact, every time he appears on screen, we hear the audience bursting into laughter.

Actors’ performances

Srikanth as Jai, Shaam as Ajay and Sarathkumar as Rajendran are good.

Jayasudha is also good as a mother who struggles between a corporate husband and power-hungry sons.

Rashmika Mandanna does not have much to do but is good at whatever she got. She doesn’t go overboard. Others are okayish.

Do watch out for the “Soul of Varisu” and “Ranjithamee” songs besides the voting scene at the company.

Share a snap of your #Varisu Ticket nanba 🤩#MyVarisuTicket#Thalapathy @actorvijay sir @directorvamshi @SVC_official @MusicThaman @iamRashmika @Lyricist_Vivek @7screenstudio @TSeries #VarisuPongal‌ #VarisuFromTomorrow pic.twitter.com/TPRJhbi6ei

— Sri Venkateswara Creations (@SVC_official) January 10, 2023

Grandeur everywhere

Director Vamshi Paidipally does what he knows well: Bringing grandeur into everything.

For example, the villain comes in a helicopter instead of an SUV, and Rajendran’s family stays in Mysore palace in the name of a house, a function bigger than the wedding of Ravi Pillai’s daughter!

However, Vamshi did a laudable job by beautifully presenting Vijay’s loveable character. He also wins by giving back-to-back theatre moments in the second half.

The comedy one-liners in the melodrama scenes help Varisu from not becoming too melodramatic. With a lesser runtime, it would have worked even better.

The cinematography is really good. The computer graphics works could have been better.

Verdict

Varisu works like a tribute to Thalapathy Vijay and it is exactly what the trailer promised. The second half is a crowd-pleaser. It’s silly, crazy, and entertaining, too, because the marvellous Vijay makes it work!