Cast: Dhanush, Ameer, Aishwarya Rajesh, Andrea Jeremiah, Samuthrakani, Daniel Balaji, Kishore, Pawan, Radha Ravi, Subramaniyam Siva, 'Raja Rani' Dheena, Saran Shakthi, Joy Badlani, Rajesh Sharma, Vincent Ashokan, Hari Krishnan, Pavel Navageethan, Sendrayan
Direction: Vetrimaran
Production: Wunderbar Films, Lyca Productions (Distribution)
Music: Santhosh Narayanan
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Language: Tamil
Version: 2D
Runtime: 2 hrs 46 mins
Censor Certificate: A
Plot - This film takes places in North Chennai, in between the period of 1987 - 2000. Anbu (Dhanush) is a Carrom Board player, who was trained by Rajan (Ameer). He loves Padma (Aishwarya Rajesh). Guna (Samuthrakani) & Velu (Pawan) are the one gang, whereas Senthi (Kishore) & Pazhani (Dheena) are the other gang. How a small problem in Anbu's love makes him to connect with this two gangster and what's the real game in this gangster war forms the crux of the story.
'Vadachennai' is an action-crime thriller directed by Vetrimaran. This film is said to be a trilogy, in which the first part has been released now.
Performance of the Star Cast - Every actor in the film has to be appreciated for living as that character completely, from the beginning to end. Dhanush delivers his usual stunning performance. After the transformation in his 'Anbu' character, his fans are blessed to see him once again like 'Kokki Kumaru' character. Ameer's character looks like an extended cameo role. Still, he delivers his convincing performance. Aishwarya Rajesh gives her best and she scores in few portions through her perfect slang of 'Madras Tamil'. Andrea Jeremiah's character gets a different and bold dimension in the second half. She performs effortlessly. Samuthrakani, Kishore, Daniel Balaji, Pawan and 'Raja Rani' Dheena have justified their characters neatly, with a neat performance. Saran Shakthi comes as a good support for Dhanush in most of the portions. He has done his part well. Hari Krishnan delivers a convincing performance. All the other actors have done their part very well.
Technical Works - Velraj's cinematography looks decent, in which his visuals makes us to feel the nativity of North Chennai. Still, his visuals has some dull moments in few portions. The dark scenes could have been captured well. G.B.Venkatesh's editing work is not bad. His cuts look simple and neat. In few portions, his editing could have been better. Few cuts have an abrupt finish. Santhosh Narayanan's songs are as usual impressive. 'Goindhammavale', 'Maadila Nikkura Maankutty', 'King of Sea' Theme and 'Vadachennai' Theme are my favourite tracks. His background score is really superb, in which he elevates the intensity of the screenplay to next level. The quality of the CG Works doesn't have a good quality in few portions.
Director's Involvement with the Script - Director Vetrimaran's hardwork is clearly seen in each and every scene of the film. His proper detailing about 'North Chennai' and people's live around it, is really nice. He frames every character in such a way, to live as that character instead of just performing. Through every character, he makes us to know more about 'North Chennai' and gangster. He himself, comes as a narrator in the film. Through different chapters, he gives a clear explanation about every major incident and it's play in the main characters life. He also talks about some social content. To give that realistic feel, he doesn't allow to censor the bad words. That's the main reason for 'A' certification. He gives a proper conclusion to this first part and a good lead for the sequel. His screenplay execution is really excellent, which keeps us engaging till the end. The romantic portion doesn't disturb the main flow.
Screenplay Execution - In both the half, the pace of the screenplay looks slow (not very slow). In the first half, the film opens with a great bang. Later, the introduction of the gang and their activities has been shown, with a clear picture. After the introduction of Dhanush, the screenplay gets the strong intensity slowly. Then, it maintains a neat flow till the interval. The interval block is really good. In the second half, the screenplay maintains the intense flow. Ameer's chapter helps to know the true nature of few lead characters. The pre-climax block looks promising. The climax of the film is really convincing, in which the film ends with a good lead for the sequel 'Vadachennai II'.
Main Negatives of the Film - The biggest issue in this film is predictability. We are able to predict 'what's gonna happen next' very easily. This predictability factor disturbs the flow slightly. The film is not technically strong. In 2 or 3 scenes, the character continuity goes missing slightly. Just because of this, few audience may not able to travel with that character easily. But, the strong engaging and gripping factor makes us to forgive these flaws.
Verdict
'Vadachennai' is really an excellent and well-made gangster film, in which the director makes us to travel along with the film. His strong writing of every characters is really the biggest plus. The screenplay execution is completely engaging, without a bored feel. Still, the film has some issues with technical works and also the predictability factor disturbs the flow in between. Still, the film gives a great satisfaction to the audience. This film deserves 'must watch once' category for the strong performance of the star cast and also for Vetrimaran's engaging screenplay.
Cut Short Rating
Dhanush-Vetrimaran Combo Fans - 9.2/10
General Audience - 8.7/10
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