STR’s story is the one that rocks, big time.
It is not perfect but it is thoroughly riveting. He
plays Cable Raja who is far too good looking and smooth
– talking by far and the extent of his ambition
begins and ends with filthy lucre. To further his
aim of getting a one – way ticket out of his
‘Kuppam’, he plans to marry a rich –
plasticky doll who is short of brains and body fat
but nothing else. He is close to achieving his dreams
but all he needs is the sum of Rs. 40, 000 to close
the deal or as he croons lustily to a hooker –
‘No money no honey ma!’
Together with Santhanam, he tries to raise the money
using any means available ethics be damned, finds
himself on a slippery slope towards damnation, and
finally redeems himself. STR reveals the unlimited
potential he has as an actor and there are a few scenes
where he comes close to transcendence. His eyes speak
volumes and his hold over the audience may best be
defined as mesmeric. There is this particular scene
that shows Simbhu struggling with a dormant conscience
that has suddenly come awake and he fights it allowing
his darker side to win albeit temporarily. A myriad
of conflicting emotions from desperation to self –
loathing to sheer human greed make their way in rapid
succession across his eyes and you want to stand up
with the truck driver high on ganja in the first row
and scream your approval.
All this makes you so much madder at the director
for making him provide the comic relief in the film
which results in you not taking the character seriously
even when he makes the ultimate sacrifice and the
second completely unselfish act in his life. But even
so, he and Santhanam are the best things about Vaanam.
The duo is a laugh riot, and their antics hit you
like a gallon of caffeine every time they come on
screen. When the other characters take over the narrative,
you find yourself missing Cable Raja and his sidekick
in petty crime.
As regards the weaker threads, you have a weaver and
his daughter – in – law who desperately
need, Rs. 40, 000(Coincidence!) to pay off a loan
shark and rescue their boy who has been kidnapped
and is being held by said shark. Saranya plays the
poverty – stricken mother and she does a good
job but the problem is her character moans and groans
once too often and you are taken on an unpleasant
trip down memory lane where a screen – mom’s
only job in life was to wail and bemoan her tragic
fate. The weaver accompanies her in paroxysms of grief
and despair, till you find overwhelming irritation
muscling out the pangs of pity you had felt initially.
Speaking of pity, Prakash Raj’s strand fails
to pack a punch and he cuts a somewhat pathetic figure.
The thespian plays a Muslim (you know that because
he wears those cute little caps as a badge of identification
throughout the flick) going through the worst phase
in his life and whose troubles are compounded by a
runaway brother and a cop who is a tad biased against
Muslims in general and him in particular and who runs
into him more often than either they or the audience
care for. Prakash Raj’s search for his brother
and trysts with the supremely lacking – in –
judgment cop make for some scenes that drag a little
and though the veteran lends gravitas to the role,
it is nothing we have not seen before.
Bharath’s is a Rocker dude in the film but his
story does not achieve its potential because he and
his friends are not convincing enough. They dress
the part, look the part, even talk the part, but they
were not able to wing it and come across as wannabe
more than anything else. Bharath is the selfish rocker
who cares about himself, his music, his girl, and
little else, and who undergoes a personality transplant
when life gives him a few hard lessons. But he has
trouble selling it to the audience because it is too
far a departure from who he is in real life though
the effort he puts into the role is commendable. Besides
this strand deserves a round of applause for sending
out the right message to today’s youngsters.
Vaanam also has a sizeable sex quotient with a hooker,
Saroja who fortunately does not have some sob story
that is usually mandatory for justifying such a career
choice. She knows her body is her fortune and she
has no qualms about using it, her main grouses being
that the pimp who runs the brothel helps herself to
a hefty cut and that her experience unlike in other
jobs is not considered an asset. Anushka as the feisty
prostitute with quite the big mouth turns in an entertaining
performance. In the end, she decides to get off her
back and opt for a more respectable job and you are
genuinely happy for her.
The music is a definite plus and STR’s tracks
walk away with the honors. They have tremendous mass
appeal and they have great energy and bounce that
makes it extremely easy on the ears. Yuvan Shankar
Raja has done it again. Simbhu and Bharat are great
dancers and their talent in this department is suitably
showcased. However, it must be mentioned that while
it is great to listen to ‘no money no honey’
while driving or chilling at home, it tends to put
the brakes on the proceedings.
Finally, Vaanam deserves a pat on the back simply
because it inspired STR to get off the beaten track
and begin experimenting with the roles he takes up.
He has come a long way from the days when he played
the loser with the attitude in movies like Alai and
Dum. The Young Super Star has raw talent in abundance
but it needs to be molded before he can really come
into his own as an actor Tamil Nadu can be proud of
and show off to the world. Hopefully, he’ll
churn out more films like this in future.
As for the director, Krish his novel attempt has paid
off in big bucks, so it looks like he has found his
pot of honey at the end of the rainbow – colored
tapestry he wove with his Vaanam. And there is no
begrudging him that. It is a worthy attempt and required
grit and guts to try something so different. So warts
and all, Vaanam and the man who made it deserve hearty
congratulations.
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