In a crucial scene from director
Linggusamy’s Vettai, actor Madhavan gets off his wheelchair, stood up with a
broken leg and even climbs over a very tall fence to save his brother. It was a
very stupid scene. A scene that I would have laughed at, smacked
my forehead and blame my nausea for and probably even provoked me to leave the cinema – but Madhavan
made me bite my nails.
A get-rich-quick silly commercial fare, Vettai would not have worked if it was not
Madhavan playing a cowardly cop, living in the glory of his brother helping to
save cases, beating up cops.
Two decades ago, K. Bagyaraj played double
role of twin brothers where cowardly cop Bagyaraj was helped by his twin
brother and he gets the glory. In Vettai, a character actually mentions the
name of the movie “Ragasiya Police”. It was supposed to be a reworking of an
abandoned project that MGR did years before.
This time, same story, different actors,
bigger budget. No MGR.
Ragasiya Police worked because of funny
Bagyaraj. This movie worked because of not only a funny Madhavan, but because
he is a good actor, we tend to follow his trials and tribulations of his
cowardly character.
This character, Inspector Thirumoorthy,
needs Madhavan the actor. Many films needed Rajini and Kamal, but all they got
was poor man’s Rajini and sewage cleaner’s Kamal. This role needs someone with
very easy sense of humour and who go one step up and give his own take.
Madhavan was the man for it, and director Linggusamy was fortunate to have him
on board.
I am not saying that it only need Madhavan.
As cocky, brave, superheroic brother, Aarya did a fantastic job.I always liked
Aarya and even liked his performance in the much loathed Sarvam . There was no
need to establish scenes to show how much he loves his brother Madhavan, and
people won’t have to suspend their belief to accept both of them as brothers.
Aarya has his own niche in humour and is used well here.
In fact, there was more humour quotient
that I expected. The girls, played by Sameera Reddy and Amala Paul, gets to be
funny thanks to the script. And I have not laughed at Nasser since Avvai
Shanmugi as I did here. And I have not laughed at a fight scene other than ones
involving Kamal and Rajini, Aarya’s one-liners and puns reminded me of the
glory days of Connery/Bond dropping them off after a tense action scene.
Still, without Madhavan, this film will be
another Linggusamy’s young bloke against big gangster group story that he keep
churning up again and again. Without Madhavan breathing life to a
Vadiveloo/Vivek cowardly cop type, I would not have the goose bumps when he
comes back and whops ass. Even my baby was stirring in the mother’s womb.
Seriously.
Actually it was punching and kicking her,
poor wifey. Never mind, Madhavan eased her pain.
Anyway, this is Madhavan, perhaps the most
versatile actor of his generation. Put him anywhere, he delivers the good. He
has done variety of roles in variety of genre. One thing that gets him ahead of
the so-called “stars” of his generation is that he had done a successful horror
film.
Yeah, the kind of film I loath. In fact,
Yavarum Nalam (13B in Hindi) was a cheap, gimmick-ladden, clichéd Asian horror type
of film that I would have laughed off, but got me gripped for Madhavan’s
performance alone.
Here’s a message to Tamil filmmakers. Sure,
Madhavan got no ambition. He doesn’t want to be the next Kamal (no longer his
guru, but, officially, his God) or the next Superstar (dream on you Rajini
wannabes), he just. I don’t know. He doesn’t even drink like his character does
in Manmadhan Ambu (a film watchable for
him alone….ouch…okay since my wife insist, watchable for Kamal and him) for us
to milk a confession from him (Maybe, “I want to be next Prabhu” Okay,
Madhavan, two plane seats reservation is expensive).
But please use him. Use him in any film you
want and he would fit in and give his best and give some more. This is one of the most clichéd,
knuckleheaded masala film that I have watched that I want to watch again
because Madhavan and Arya. Especially Madhavan.
No comments:
Post a Comment