Uthhama Villain Review - Lifted by Performances, Let Down by Screenplay

Cast      : Kamal Hassan, K.Balachander, Andrea, Oorvasi, MS Baskar, K.Vishwanath, Jayaram, Parvathi.
Music     : Ghibran
Direction : Ramesh Aravind
Story/Screenplay : Kamal Hassan
Cinematography   : Shamdat Sainudeen

Director K.Balachander's last movie, Kamal's tribute to his real life Margadarisi",The band demand by Hindu Outfits like VHP, the last minute financial troubles for EROS and Lingusamy, Kamal's different looks - well, controversy's favorite child Kamal, as usual has huge expectations riding on his latest offering Uthhama Villain.He introduces Ramesh Aravind as the director here, to take over his story/screenplay. How far does this combo succeed? Let's see.

Plot and Performances:
Uthhama Villain is about Superstar Manoranjan, and his race against time to accomplish things he had missed to do.He sets out on a mission to finish tasks with respect to his family,a child from a lost love,his mentor,and above all, make an epic movie, that'll live forever to speak high of Manoranjan,the superstar.How Manoranjan does that , and what ultimately happens is what Uthhama Villain is all about.

Kamal Hassan is at complete ease as the Superstar,at his romantic best in his scenes with Andrea, and literally drives audience to tears in the emotional sequences. He has given enough space (as always) for the rest of the artistes including MS Baskar and Andrea.Though Kamal's look as Uthhaman in the movie within looks a bit odd, Kamal's performance in some of the emotional sequences (Jayaram's revelation, the meeting scene with
Margadarisi and revealing the condition, Manoranjan explaining his situation to his son Manohar,the Sequence where Manonmani reads out Manoranjan's letter to Yamini and the sequence that follows, stand out among other scenes), bear testimony to the fact that he's a king when it comes to emotions and expressions.


Surprisingly, Andrea gets to play a better role as Doctor Arpana(who isn't just a doc, for Manoranjan) and delivers a fine act.Veterans K Balachander and Vishwanath perfectly fit into the roles of a mighty creator and an arrogant producer,and the former's combination sequences with Kamal are emotional.Almost everyone gets to display their abilities, be it Oorvasi in the hospital scene or MS Baskar in his confession sequence. However, Jayaram, Parvathi and Nasser could have been utilized better.

Technical Departments:

Lalgudi Ilayaraja's art work is commendable and helps in creating the Theyyam-Kooththu setup perfectly.The palatial environment is perfectly set.Shamdat's cinematography captures the Superstar's lavish lifestyle as well Uthhaman's period backdrop in an aesthetic manner.Ghibran's BGM is top notch, and Single Kisske passes
the muster. Saagavaram lingers in your ears even after leaving the cinema hall.


Direction:

Obviously, this movie falls into the list of movies which are instantly recognized by any film buff to be ghost-directed by Kamal himself(Anbe Sivam-Sundar.C, Aalavandhaan- Suresh Krissna,Manmadhan Ambu- KS Ravikumar,are notable ones). Uthhama Villain on the outset, is Disciple Kamal's tribute to Master KB, and
Kamal and Ramesh Aravind have ensured that the scenes featuring KB and Kamal looks good on screen. But the remaining part of the movie, is let down badly by a dragging screenplay. Superstar Manoranjan wants to make his last movie memorable, but settles for a folklore based movie, with a totally outdated script and screenplay. It's this portion, that acts as the Villain to the movie which was made with "Uthhama"(Noble) intentions, for, this part focuses more on the glamorous Pooja Kumar than on the acting abilities of the Ulaga Nayagan.

Besides, Manoranjan wanted a movie high on comedy, but the sequences with Uthhaman,are neither funny nor interesting,and you are forced to laugh for few ordinary jokes.This is where Crazy Mohan would have definitely helped, and probably his absence made Kamal settle for a period backdrop, with limited humor. Besides,the screenplay doesn't have any interesting moment worth mentioning, dragging for most part,and the whole movie rests on the shoulders of Kamal, whose emotional tear-jerker acts in sentimental sequences, are sure to move the audience.Songs coming in regular intervals(Especially Kadhalam kadavulin) just before the movie is about to end, the run time of the movie(2 hours 52 minutes) are some other areas of concern.

The movie within the movie, ends, showing Manoranjan is the king of performances, and his fame will never die - Just like how Kamal Hassan wanted to establish that his Guru KB's works and fame will never die. Hope the producers - Thiruppathi brothers and EROS don't get a biter experience at the BO similar to the one faced by Red Giant or Kalaippulu Dhanu. A fitting tribute, that could have been better. Nevertheless, Powerful,moving performance by the legend Kamal Hassan makes Uthhama Villain worth a watch - with some patience.

Uthhama Villain - Uthhaman for fans, Villain for Thiruppathi Brothers.

What works   : Kamal Hassan, KB Sequences, Emotional quotient, Ghibran
What doesn't : The dragging screenplay and the runtime.

VERDICT : Emotional tribute to a master, Lifted by performances, let down by Screenplay.
6/10

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Vai Raja Vai - An Interesting Theme Ruined by Incoherent Screenplay

Cast           : Gautham Karthik,Vivek,Daniel Balaji,Priya Anand,Tapsee.
Direction      : Aishwarya R Dhanush
Music          : Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematography : Velraj.

What happens when a man is targeted by an anti- social betting racket for his extraordinary ability to predict things that are gonna happen ? That's what Vai Raja Vai is all about. Gautham Karthik plays the young man with ESP, and he's caught into the web of the gambling gangster played by Daniel Balaji, due to his closeness with a mysterious Panda Played by Vivek. What happens to Gautham? Does he manage to escape from the evil Daniel
Balaji and unite with the love of his life Priya anand is what is to be seen on screen.


What Fails:

- Casting Gautham karthik as the lead. His deadpan face is a big turn off,and he remains expressionless, be it an intense scene or a romantic scene. Even in the songs, his face is devoid of expressions. Come on, Priya Anand deserved a better on screen pair,who can actually express romance.

-Except the Climax and the pre-interval sequence, none of the scenes stay in your mind, and the screenplay is unimpressive. Poor casting, incoherent screenplay, and the placement of songs is just annoying.

-There are lot of comedians like Manobala, Mayilsamy, Sathish and Swaminathan but Vai raja vai is low on humor, except for few scenes featuring Vivek. The song-dance sequence featuring MS Baskar and Vivek acts as an irritant rather than providing comic relief.


What Works :

- Dhanush's cameo in the climax as Kokki Kumaar is just stunning, and Yuvan's Varriya BGM and the humour laced dialogues just help in elevating the scene.The theater erupts, the moment Dhanush arrives, and there's no other good moment in VRV.
- Yuvan's BGM score is impressive, and among the songs Pachhai Vanna poove passes the muster.
- Daniel Balaji doesn't look menacing, but his mere screen presence just makes the viewer sit through the boring movie.
- The pre-interval India Vs Srilanka match prediction sequence just raises the expectations towards the second half.


With an interesting premise like a hero with ESP,A betting racket,Casinos and gambling, Aishwarya could have gone for a gripping action thriller,but delivers a half baked product, sans quality. Poor casting just adds to the negative effect. At a runtime of just 2 hours, Vai raja Vai actually is decent on the outset, but the content isn't gripping, and that ultimately kills the movie. Aishwarya makes us consider Moonu is a classic !! (Moonu had atleast a superior performance by Dhanush and an awesome score by Anirudh)


VERDICT: Wait for the DVD, to watch the climax featuring Kokki Kumaaru.

5/10

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