VETRISELVAN MOVIE REVIEW

A concept pulled out from the plight of the people in mental hospitals, garnished with some romance, action and suspense - well that is Vetri Selvan for you. Director Rudran has attempted to exploit the “comedy-sentiment drama” genre, but has he managed to churn out the impact he intended?

Well, the answer remains to be quite a question. Rudran has genuinely attempted to pack the first half with comedy and finish the movie off on a sentimental note, however the lack of quality humour and an overdose of drama backstabs the engaging factor of the movie.

Ajmal plays Vetri, who has been spending his life in a mental asylum for 15 years. His desperate sneak away from the asylum lands him in Ooty, where he falls in love with Radhika Apte, who plays an advocate in the film. A little incident that happens in the opening of the movie opens up in the second half thereby unfolding the nub of the story.

Ajmal’s companions, Mano and Sherrif have important roles in the script, but the obscurity in the portrayal of their characters might make it difficult for people to connect to their emotions.

Mani Sharma’s songs appear to have been plugged in between scenes at irrelevant situations, especially Radhika Apte’s introduction song. The screenplay in the first half falls on the poor side as the scenes turn out to look disjointed from each other. The brief appearances of Ganja Karuppu and Sanjana Singh in the first half could have been completely avoided as they have no association with the movie whatsoever.

The camera and the editing work in some portions of the second half does create some grip, however the inadequacy of a proper narrative to back it up, lets the movie down.

One might get the feeling that the director could have extracted better performances from the lead actors which seemingly appears to be one of the reasons for the over-dramatic feel to what would have been a much more emotional second half.

Nevertheless, the attempt to stir up a social issue is very palpable in the movie, which definitely deserves some appreciation. Produced by Srusthi Cinemas, Vetri Selvan comes out with a genuine social cause, but fails to impress.