Movie: Vaaimai (U)

Rating: 3/5

Vaaimai is one of the most negatively rated Tamil film of the year. Neither critics nor audiences seemed to favour it. And this is what became the reason to watch it: by choosing something that others regretted choosing. And yes, they weren't fully wrong. VAAIMAI is neither too great nor too bad as it's helped by some great dialogues, music, action and visuals. Otherwise it's an undercooked dish.

VAAIMAI starts on a very patriotic and impressive note. But as it goes on to unfold after all characters have been introduced, the screenplay starts to drag. There's some unnecessary comedy added in both halves which doesn't draw any laughter but disappointment. Suspense is covered well in the first half but as it is revealed, the film becomes a predictable watch but still keeps you riveted to know the final outcome, thanks to the director's handling of the further scenes well.

But this doesn't mean that the film has no more flaws. It has a lot many to list. Despite being a 93 minutes long movie (which is a plus point), unnecessarily added comedy and some songs slow down the film's already slow pace and contribute to the pain. Thr climax is dragged too much than required and it requires you to be a patient viewer to watch this courtroom drama.

Another thing that comes as a major flaw is the confusion with genres. Promoted as an action thriller, VAAIMAI turns out to be a courtroom drams with less action. Had there been more action, it would have been better. Many performances go over the top. Shantanu is the only good actor amongst all and a few more actors as well. The execution is in certain sequences, easily laughable and this is felt well in the first half.

Then what's good? Well, the film's music and dialogues. Action too. The action is a major highlight and well executed and shot even excellently. The visuals are good and this might be another reason to watch it. Amongst the songs, Ae Nadu and Matta are the best ones. Cinematography is good. The dialogues are well intentioned and worth noting. And though the screenplay drags, there are some emotional scenes and they form another major highlight of the film and are unforgettable too.

Overall, VAAIMAI is an above average courtroom film that can be watched once for overall impact. A second watch, however depends on you :)