Movie: Adirindhi
Rating: 2.75/5
Banner: Thendral Films and North Star Entertainments
Cast: Vijay, Samantha, Kajal, Nithya Menon, Sathya Raj, S J Surya, Vadivelu and others
Music: A R Rahman
Cinematography: G K Vishnu
Editing: Ruben
Producer: N Rama Swamy and Hema Rukmini
Screenplay: Vijayendra Prasad and Atlee
Written and directed by: Atlee
Release date: November 9, 2017
Vijay’s “Adirindhi” has been in the news for many reasons. The original version “Mersal” ran into controversies as BJP raised objections to the scenes that referred to “GST” and “Demonetization” and later its Telugu version landed in trouble with the Censor Board.
Despite all this, the Tamil version became a massive blockbuster. Now, the Telugu version dubbed as “Adirindhi” is here. Let’s see whether the movie is worth all the hype.
Story:
A renowned doctor named Bhargav (Vijay) kidnaps four guys and hides them in a secret location. Police arrest Bhargav after which he narrates his story.
On the other hand, a magician Vijay (Vijay) kills a doctor in Paris. Police suspect that the magician must be the practising doctor.
Are Vijay and Bhargav the same or are they two different people? Finally, police figure out that it is that magician doing the kidnaps and murders. But why?
Rest of the movie is a lengthy flashback about Vijay’s father Vijay Bhargav (also Vijay) who was killed in his village some years ago.
Artistes’ Performances:
Vijay has played three roles that of a father and two sons. The movie entirely works on the charisma and performance of Vijay. He is in terrific form here. Some of the mass moments performed by Vijay would definitely make the audience whistle and clap. More than the performance, he has come up with antics that will keep his fans upbeat throughout.
As villain, S J Surya has given another terrific act after recent “Spyder”.
Sathya Raj as police officer is good.
Both Samantha and Kajal are there for a song and two scenes. They don’t have much to do in the film. Of them, Nithya Menon gives the best performance.
Vadivelu is neat. Kovai Sarala is okay.
Technical Excellence:
Cinematography is excellent. The film has grand settings, rich production values and excellent work by the film's cinematographer.
A R Rahman’s music is a mixed bag. Though a couple of songs are catchy, they are not Rahman’s best.
The editing work in the first half is racy but it lacks the same verve post interval. Some dialogues are very effective.
Highlights:
Decent First half
Mass moments
Drawback:
Second Half
Songs
Analysis:
Mass hero films follow the same pattern irrespective of the theme and story. Vijay starrer “Adirindhi” begins in a rather different way with kidnappings and arrest of a doctor (Vijay). This sets the right tone and the story further reveals the identity of a magician who also looks like the doctor.
The whole set up is quite engaging and gives us the impression that we will be witnessing a completely different masala movie.
True to this impression, the first half races grippingly with some interesting bits. Pre-interval, the death of a girl becomes a major highlight. This sequence seems straight out of Shankar's film.
But as said earlier, all masala movies eventually end up taking the same route, despite grand beginnings. Soon “Adirindhi” turns into a revenge drama. Son(s) taking vengeance for the killings of their parents -- is the theme despite the other important subject -- medical scams, which it mainly highlights.
Plus, in the second half, the director has focused on the father's character set in 1970s which runs up to one hour that is quite boring for the Telugu audiences. The film smacks of déjà vu, as most scenes are a rehash of many old movies.
However, director Atlee has infused lot of mass moments that are quite appealing despite predictable narration. He keeps us engaged with these elements.
The pre-interval scene, the protagonist fighting for a noble cause… all these work quite effectively, even though these elements have already been repeated in many blockbusters.
More than the story and drive, it is Vijay who holds the movie with his mass acting. He is also effective in crucial emotional scenes.
The main villain, played by S J Surya, comes across as a weak one than a strong opposition for the hero. Also the final portions are dragged on and on with little interesting sequences. The controversial GST dialogues are muted in the final speech that also dampens the impact.
All in all, “Adirindhi” is a passable mass entertainer.
Bottom-line: Works in Parts
