Let's give filmmaker Siva some credit for bringing together some of the finest actors in the industry. Ajith Kumar, Nayanthara, Yogi Babu, Jagapathi Babu, Vivek, Kovai Sarala, to name a few, are part of the ensemble cast that makes Viswasam whole. The family drama has all the elements of entertainment ranging from music, dance, action sequences and an immense amount of emotional drama. How has the film fared on our critic meter? Find out below.
The film's central character is Thookudurai (Ajith Kumar), a lovable delinquent who helps people in times of need but also plays a crook. His flawed personality fancies the headstrong and gallant nature of Niranjana (Nayanthara), a doctor hailing from Mumbai, who has come to the village of Koduvilarpatti in Madurai, to run a medical camp. They both fall for each other but Thookudurai's once likeable violent streak soon becomes a problem for Niranjana and after an episode that almost costs them their daughter, makes her take the hurtful step of leaving him and going to Mumbai along with their daughter. Somehow fate brings them in front of each other once again as Thookudurai learns that his daughter's life is in danger.
As you can see, the plot of the story is very simple. More simple is its execution. There's nothing complex about this film that makes the family drama title suit best. Ajith makes for a good Thookudurai as he balances from being ruthless to being romantic. While the first half of the film focuses on his transition from changing his brute methods for love, the second half brings back the violence and masala. again, for love. Here's the big catch though, we've seen movies like these, umpteen times! The script is languid work where ideas and scripts have been mixed from various other works, to create Viswasam.
All the performers, Ajith, Nayanthara and others, give their best but sadly, the script is not demanding enough for them to even make attempts. It is an underwhelming plot which tries to explore way too many subjects but falls flat. Ajith tries his best to make it work with his dialogue delivery and goofy expressions but even the dialogues aren't impactful. Not to mention how the music is also not very good. Luckily, Ajith and Nayanthara's chemistry is too good to be true that kind of saves the film. Not to mention how beautiful and sublime she looks in the film. Even the actor who plays their daughter Shweta has done a commendable job.
Yays
- Ajith and Nayanthara's screen presence.
- Nayanthara's ethereal appearance and strong role.
- Ajith's goofy expressions and phenomenal acting chops.
- Ajith and Nayanthara's impeccable chemistry.
Nays
- Banal script with nothing interesting to expect.
- The second half is extremely haphazard.
- Logic goes out of the window, especially in the climax scene.
- Sentimental to the point of mawkish.
- Siva tries to blend in too many concepts but is unable to work around any.
- Unimpressive action sequences.
Final Word
Sure, as a family entertainer, this one takes the cake. Fans would be over the moon to see Ajith take on the character that expects him to give them what they like to see. Even Nayanthara is too beautiful for words and too graceful in her performance. They make a good pair and perform brilliantly but this melodramatic ride can only be sat for once.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 10, 2019 01:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).