Despite
its
minor
flaws,
lack
of
logic,
and
lecture-style
moral
narrative,
Vettaiyan should
be
enjoyed
in
a
theatre
amid
Rajini
fans
and
their
wolf
whistles,
endorses
Divya
Nair.
Gone
are
the
days
when
a
superstar
film
was
all
about
glorifying
one
star.
This
is
the
age
of
multi-starrer
cinema
where
regional
stars
are
collaborating
with
Bollywood
and
Hollywood
actors
to
attract
pan-India
audiences.
In
TJ
Gnanavel’s
latest
Tamil
release
Vettaiyan
(meaning
The
Hunter),
Rajinikanth
and
Amitabh
Bachchan
collaborate
after
a
gap
of
33
years
(they
were
last
seen
together
in
Hum).
Rajinikanth
plays
V
Athiyan
aka
Vettaiyan,
a
police
officer
known
for
his
foolproof
encounters
with
hardcore
criminals.
In
a
parallel
introduction,
we
are
introduced
to
Justice
Satyadev
(Amitabh
Bachchan
in
his
Tamil
debut),
who
contests
that
police
encounters
violate
basic
human
rights
and
dishonours
the
Indian
constitution.
While
both
are
law-abiding
citizens
with
their
own
morals,
the
latter
believes
that
nothing
is
and
should
be
above
the
law.
Police
violence
and
quick
justice
should
not
be
celebrated.
The
first
half
is
rather
slow
with
random
new
characters
being
introduced
through
seemingly
unrelated
situations.
During
one
such
investigation,
Athiyan
and
his
wife
Thara
(Manju
Warrier
in
a
courtesy
role)
grow
fond
of
Saranya,
a
high
school
teacher
who
helps
Athiyan
bust
a
drug
racket
at
a
government
school.
When
Saranya
is
brutally
raped
and
killed,
the
police
investigation
leads
to
Guna,
a
young
boy
from
the
slum
who
soon
becomes
the
poster
boy
of
hate.
When
Guna
escapes
from
police
custody,
Athiyan
steps
in
and
kills
him
in
an
encounter.
While
everyone
is
busy
celebrating
Athiyan’s
bravery,
Satyadev
reveals
that
Guna
was
wrongfully
accused
of
the
crime.
Upon
closer
introspection,
Athiyan
and
team
see
the
gaps
in
the
investigation.
Athiyan
vows
to
find
the
find
the
actual
conspirators
and
thus
begins
a
wild
chase
to
nab
the
real
culprit.
Given
Tamil
Nadu’s
disapproval
of
NEET-UG,
the
national
medical
entrance
exam,
Gnanavel
and
his
team
seem
to
have
picked
just
the
right
topic
to
stir
the
audience’s
emotions.
How
the
privatisation
of
high
school
education
combined
with
the
pressure
of
coaching
institutes
impacts
government
school
students
and
how
underprivileged
families
pay
the
price
for
it,
becomes
the
larger
emotional
story.
With
a
stellar
supporting
cast
of
Fahadh
Faasil
(in
the
quirky
role
of
Patrick,
a
cyber
criminal-turned-police
informer),
Ritika
Singh
and
Dushara
Singh,
Vettaiyan
has
all
the
ingredients
of
a
suspenseful
action
thriller.
Surprisingly,
there
were
more
Malayalam
actors
in
the
film
playing
blink-and-miss
supporting
roles
in
the
Tamil
film.
Also,
the
subject
of
rape
and
student
suicides
gets
reduced
to
mere
tokenism
than
genuine
interest
which
affects
the
film.
As
for
star
power,
Anirudh’s
background
music
adds
the
right
effect
for
the
superstar’s
entry.
Sadly,
Nataraj
(Rana
Daggubatti)
doesn’t
satisfy
the
requirements
of
a
corporate
villain
worthy
of
Rajinikanth’s
stature.
When
you
think
of
a
worthy
villain
in
recent
times,
you’d
like
to
use
Jailer‘s
Varman
and
Leo‘s
Anthony
Das
as
references.
Rana
Daggubatti’s
Nataraj
doesn’t
even
qualify
by
that
metre.
But
there
are
moments
where
SR
Kathir’s
cinematography
uses
high
and
low-angle
shots
(watch
out
for
the
elevator
sequence
in
the
second
half)
to
establish
the
power
play
between
Nataraj
and
Athiyan.
There
are
moments
where
the
scenes
are
conveniently
written
but
deserve
a
lot
more
style
and
smartness.
Vettaiyan
has
a
stylish
Rajinikanth
playing
a
cop
who
realises
his
mistake
and
turns
over
a
new
leaf,
which
is
a
rare
phenomenon
for
a
Thailava
film.
Despite
its
minor
flaws,
lack
of
logic,
and
lecture-style
moral
narrative,
this
is
a
movie
that
should
be
enjoyed
in
a
theatre
amid
Rajini
fans
and
their
wolf
whistles,
especially
during
his
‘mass
entry’
scenes
and
encore
dialogues.
Vettaiyan
Review
Rediff
Rating:
