Movie Name: Rajinikanth
Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Ritika Singh
Director: T.J. Gnanvel
Produced By: Lyca Productions
Release Date: October 10th, 2024
After the blockbuster success of Jailer last year, Superstar Rajinikanth is returning with another cop drama Vettaiyan. Directed by T.J. Gnanvel known for his critically acclaimed and hard-hitting Jai Bhim, Vettaiyan is a star-studded movie featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh, and Rana among a series of actors from multiple industries. Let’s find out with this Vettaiyan movie review whether Rajinikanth manages to impress again as a cop and how T.J. Gnanvel fared with a big-budget action drama.
Story:
Rajinikanth is a police officer who is known for ruthlessness and encounters. When a schoolteacher named Saranya reports marijuana being stored on school grounds, he’s determined to bring the culprits to justice. Saranya is rewarded with a transfer to Chennai for her bravery, and a shocking twist unfolds: she’s brutally murdered in the school premises.
The rest of the story follows the investigation to uncover the truth. As he delves deeper into the case, he’s forced to confront the controversial issue of ‘encounter killings.’ Are these actions justified, or do they cross the line? The film explores this moral dilemma while unraveling the mystery behind Saranya’s murder.
Superstar Rajinikanth is seen in a role that he can perform even in sleep. We have seen something similar in Darbar and then in Jailer. There is a certain fatigue about watching him perform a similar role yet again and the writing and his looks don’t add any excitement either. Amitabh Bachchan’s character suffers from something similar. While his scenes with Rajinikanth have some great potential, fans might feel the Big B was underutilized in this film.
Fahadh Faasil as Battery is the star of the show and excels in both comic timing as well as emotions. He’s perfectly cast and probably the only one who’s written well. Rana as the stereotypical corporate guy does well to hold his fort against the biggest names in Indian cinema but there’s nothing new here. Manju Warrier’s impact unfortunately is only restricted to Manasilaayo song and it’s another case of underutilising a power-packed performer by T.J. Gnanvel.
Movie Analysis:
Vettaiyan is no Jailer and T.J. Gnanvel has stated it several times. Adding to that, handling commercial elements is not the director’s strong point either. So it will be a good start to expect fewer commercial elements here. This means that the entire movie banks on story and characterization and that is where Vettaiyan fails to engage the audience enough. There are some high moments and some solid elevations for Superstar and Big B, but the buck stops there. T.J. Gnanvel struggles to balance reality and cinematic elements and that’s where film lovers might feel the biggest disconnect.
Vettaiyan has a great core message and builds the platform for a perfect clash of ideologies between Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan. However, beyond that and Fahadh’s extremely entertaining portion, this T.J. Gnanvel movie falls prey to cliches. Where the movie excels is its brave attempt to showcase encounter killings and their human impact. This is a great message in a world of trigger-happy cops and films glorifying cops as superhumans.
Positives:
- Rajinikanth’s Screen Presence
- FaFa’s fun portrayal as “Battery”
- 1st Half
- Anirudh’s BGM & Manasilayo Song
- Interval block
Negatives:
- 2nd half
- Rana’s Characterization
- Predictable narration in later half
- Lack of emotions
- Film’s runtime
Verdict:
To sum up Vettaiyan movie review, watch this action drama if you’re a fan of hard-hitting social dramas and strong messaging. But if you’re walking in with the hope of watching fireworks by Rajini, Amitabh, Fahadh, and Rana, you’ll be disappointed.
