Cast: Sivakarthikeyan, Soori, Sri Divya, Sathyaraj, Sri Ranjini
Director: Ponram
Rating: 3 out of 5
With four back-to-back hits, Sivakarthikeyan must have realised that his strength lies in comedy.
With four back-to-back hits, Sivakarthikeyan must have realised that
his strength lies in comedy and in making films that appeal to masses
more than multiplex-goers. He has got it right one more time with his
latest film 'Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam' (VVS) that more or less,
follows the same path of several of his own films and eventually,
triumphs.
Even though you know there is no scope for a story in the film, you can't ignore the fact that it entertains from the word go.
Set in a village called Silukkuvarpatti in Tamil Nadu, VVS is the
story of a group of wastrels lead by Bosepandi (Sivakarthikeyan) and
his loyal sidekick Soori. They spend most of their time eating, sleeping
and interfering in matters that don't require their involvement.
Bosepandi is attracted to Kalyani, played by Bindu Madhavi, a
school teacher. He seeks the help of Lathapandi (Sri Divya), a class 12
student in the same school, to deliver love letters from him to Kalyani.
As time goes by, Kalyani gets married to someone, leaving Bosepandi
heartbroken.
Meanwhile, Lathapandi's father arranges for her wedding, but she
is still a minor. When Bosepandi comes to learn about the marriage, he
seeks the help of police to stop the teen marriage. When the wedding is
called off, a relieved Latha falls for Bose.
What happens between Latha and Bose? This forms the rest of the story of the film.
VVS is an out-and-out comedy entertainer that delivers what it
promises. It's a film that expects audiences to sit back and enjoy.
Without focusing too much on its story, VVS gives us a simple,
slice-of-rural-love story that rides solely on the roles played by Siva
and Soori.
The film, knowingly or unknowingly, subtly addresses a few issues
prevalent in rural places. One such issue is teen marriage, and we
realise that director Ponram cleverly uses comedy. It's impossible to
address a domestic issue nowadays without earning criticism, but Ponram
deserves credit for pulling it off successfully.
But even before you finish lauding the director, you're in for a
surprise. Latha's marriage gets called off at the first place because
she is a minor, but she gets married to Bosepandi a few months later.
All this makes one wonder what happened to the concept of not supporting
teen marriage? Has it been thrown out of the window? This whole episode
looked like it was conveniently written for the purpose of uniting the
lead couple.
The comedy is supremely complemented by Siva and Soori in their
respective roles. They hit it off quite well as a successful pair that
entertains from the second they appear on screen. Both of them have some
wonderful lines that make up for some cliched moments in the film.
Sathyaraj turns in a highly amusing performance, while debutant
Sri Divya's role is limited, but she rises up to the occasion with a
polished act.
While the film's biggest strength are its dialogues, its lengthy
second half tests the audience's patience. Even though the twist in the
climax brings a smile on your face, you walk out with the feeling that
it came too late.
VVS reeks of rural entertainment and it predominantly works for
the masses, but if you have been a follower of rural culture and
lifestyle, you are likely to enjoy it more.
