Pavithra Srinivasan feels that there's not much to do for actors in Vandhaan Vendraan. Post YOUR reviews here! After he made promising films such as Jeyamkondaan and Kanden Kadhalai, it's natural to expect a lot from director R Kannan. This time, he has chosen to do an action-adventure-thriller of sorts, (He came, he conquered), under the aegis of Vasan Visual Ventures. Unfortunately, what may look good on paper doesn't quite work the same way on screen.
The film begins with two young boys, half-brothers, who are constantly at each other's throats. Small events lead to bigger ones and eventually the older one throws the younger into a well and runs away.
Cut to Mumbai some years later, and the dashing, suave Ramana (Nandha), a man of few words, flaunting designer-wear and a host of goons and looking every inch a hero -- except that he isn't. He is, in fact, very much the villain with his own set of enemies and ruling, a la Varadharajan Mudaliar, almost the whole of Mumbai courtesy several Mumbaiites who speak Tamil fluently.
Enter our hero Arjun (Jiiva), a would-be boxer but currently lover, who moves heaven and earth for an audience with the much-feared
don, and gets it. Once he's allowed to outline his problem, though, he embarks on a long story about his ambitions and his girlfriend Anjana (Tapsee), with whom he sings numerous duets to Thaman's music while frolicking beside some truly beautiful waterfalls (courtesy P G Muthiah's camera-work). In the end, Arjun has just one proposition to make, which comes as no surprise and all hell breaks loose.
Unfortunately, the screenplay falls apart spectacularly. The mildly engaging first half, with the antics of Santhanam, works slightly, but in the second half with its supposed cat-and-mouse games, silly plot twists and melodramatic climax, you can do little but sigh with disappointment. The sudden change of heart of various characters adds to one's dismay.
Pattukkottai Prabhakar's dialogues don't really add much pep. Jiiva more or less sleep-walks through his role while Tapsee mostly smiles and smirks through hers. Nandha comes off as the most stylish of them all and appears to be enjoying his role. The rest -- Malavika, Nizhalgal Ravi, Rahman et al -- have practically no part to play.
As for the hero, he does not, unfortunately, conquer much.
Rediff Rating:
