Vidaamuyarchi is a Tamil film which was scripted and directed by Magizh Thirumeni. Stars Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra & Arav. The movie is an adaptation of the 1997, American movie, “Breakdown” by Jonathan Mostow. Produced by Subaskaran Allirajah under the banner of Lyca productions and distributed by Red Giant movies, Sree Gokulam movies, Swagath Enterprises, Asian Suresh Entertainment LLP & Sri Lakshmi Movies.
This movie has been shot by Om Prakash, edited by N. B. Srikanth and the music by Anirudh Ravichander. The official running time of the movie is 2 hours 34 minutes and as reported, the budget of the movie was Rs.225-330 crore. On first day, the movie minted Rs. 32.1 crore at the box office. The rights for the OTT release of the movie were purchased by Netflix for Rs 100 crores.
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Review
We have Vidaamuyarchi after a long wait, which shows us Ajith Kumar breaking away from the mold of mass hero, which he has locked himself and his fans in with commercial hits. For a genre that can all too easily lapse into fan-service porn, Vidaamuyarchi is a low-key, plot-powered thriller that’s content to trade flash and dazzle for narrative weight.
A local corollary and emotional slant is given to the Hollywood’s Breakdown premise’s movie adaptation. Ajith’s Arjun is not an invulnerable superstar, but a vulnerable and desperate husband in search of his missing wife (Trisha), rushing through the empty roads of Azerbaijan. Arjun Sarja and Regina Cassandra bring multi-layered antagonism and Trisha shines in what is a short but crucial role.
In stripping away grand mass moments, even in confrontational sequences, Magizh invests the movie with a sense of realism hard to come by in star-led Tamil cinema. But the pacing, especially in the first half, is a test of patience, some of the early romantic flashbacks seem forced. The second half delivers ample action, but sacrifices some of the emotional complexity that the setup was apparently promised to provide.
Vidaamuyarchi is technically a success. The cinematography of Om Prakash treats the desolated beauty of Azerbaijan with sickening realism; the score accompaniment of Anirudh only enhances the tension and the last acts of the film are the best in the film.
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But since it is a thriller, the ease with which the larger plot is given away and the absence of a solid emotional deliverance could be discouraging to the average viewer. The movie is strangely silent and solemn and those fans who may have hoped to get the punch dialogues, heroic posturing will be disappointed by this film.
All in all, Vidaamuyarchi is a gutsy, meditative thriller which is more about the story rather than the star power. It is not the most flawless, yet it is one of the most mature acts Ajith has so far delivered, and the clearest way to claim that Magizh Thirumeni has been committed to being smart in his filmmaking, not mentioning the fact that this was the first introduction of genre in his movies. Epitaph on substance seekers: over style.
Cast
As someone who knows Tamil cinema inside and out, I can say that Vidaamuyarchi made its claim to be something great mostly on the basis of its nuances with performances. As M. Arjun bereft of mass hero dressions, Ajith Kumar delivers among his career best. His tamed physicality and frail emotional instability serve as a stark departure from his average screen persona, proving that he’s not afraid to take risks when it comes to developing as an actor. Arjun Sarja has a menacing charm as Rakshith and also a body language which makes him layered and unforgettable as an antagonist whose aggression is seen without being cliched in any manner.
Trisha Krishnan, in the role of Kayal, is the representation of disillusionment and emotional exhaustion in a marriage on a downward path. While her presence tapers off in the second half, with her performance, she anchors the emotional center in the first half. Regina Cassandra does a good job as Deepika “Deeps” Rakshith, infusing her whole character with unpredictability and complexity, especially in the grey shaded role as the vaguely psychopathic character.
Arav does a decent job as Michael, and Nikhil Nair is good as Nikhil, but their characters deserved better writing. Veteran actors like Ravi Raghavendra and Jeeva Ravi bring credibility and weight to minuscule but critical roles, especially in the emotional turns of the movie.
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Ramya Subramanian, Dasarathi and Vidadi Hasanov supporting acting is used to keep the movie close to the ground and ensure that the international location does not seem like a distant stage. To summarize, the immersive experience that is provided by Vidaamuyarchi is really supported by the committed performances of the cast.
Critical Reviews
Janani K of the India Today gave the movie three out of five stars and noted that Vidaamuyarchi is a pleasant surprise, but the first half is intriguing and the acting of the cast improved, particularly of Ajith and Regina Cassandra. However, they consider the second half to be boring, the twists to be predictable, and the emotionality to be weak. The film is admittedly a clever one, yet it is not any good thriller and the end product should be described as a mixed bag rather than anything else even with good cinematography and music.
Giving the movie three and half stars out of five stars, Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express writes about the following: How the movie bucks the trend of cliched action with a patient, atmospheric first half and strong performances, especially of the lead, Ajith Kumar. Azerbaijan’s milieu helps to raise the story, but the second half is a predictably pedestrian. Regina Cassandra is a shining. character could better written. The movie despite all its flaws has rarely quiet heroic and unpredictable.
The movie has won three stars out of five stars from News18’s Kirubhakar Purushothaman who also praised the film for subverts Tamil superstar tropes with toned down Ajith Kumar. The emphasis of the story-making over fan service makes it interesting even when it’s predictable because Magizh Thirumeni executes it so well and there are great action sequences. Regina Cassandra and Arjun are shining, however, Ajith’s action is shallow. The film’s unenthusiastic approach to nakedness or violence provides an opportunity to make Ajith’s departure from convention that nudity or violence into obvious mass heroic territory a benchmark being set in a terrestrial manner.
The Times of India critic Sridevi S gave it two and a half out of five stars saying, “The movie is slow and predictable, with the first half dealing with relationships and the second half, which aimed at the section of Tamil audience and lost its impact on it due to the early reveal of the antagonist in the movie.” Ajith Kumar is not too subdued for his good and the fans wish for more explosive Ajith; the action though realistic is not too exciting. Strong cinematography and music help, but a more condensed screenplay was needed.
Audiences Reviews
The movie got decent reviews from audiences as it got 6.2 stars out of 10 stars from 22k people on IMDb which is a decent review for a Tamil movie. Based on audience reviews, Vidaamuyarchi has had mixed but generally generally positive receptions, being referred as a visually ambitious and well-acted thriller with novel flaws.
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Most users even complimented Ajith Kumar’s role calling it one of the best plays of his life career for its subtlety and the depth of emotion he is portrayed with, especially in contrast to his usual image as a mass hero. The cast of the movie was also praised and people have particularly mentioned that the performance of Trisha, Arjun Sarja and Regina Cassandra were very good. The cinematography by Om Prakash and the parts of Anirudh’s background score was praised a lot for making the movie an emotional and a visual delight.
But a few users complained that it was a rather predictable story – including the second half – and some of the flashbacks and emotional scenes were just too stretched. A few minor users said that the pacing was slow, especially the first half, and that the tension of the movie was lost after a good start. Some pointed out that the rendering from “Breakdown” was good but less taut, less suspenseful than its original.
So, where does Vidaamuyarchi come out on top of Ajith’s previous movies? Well, most of the viewers agreed that Vidaamuyarchi is a welcome change for Ajith’s fans, a grounded, character driven movie as opposed to a commercial entertainer. It’s considered a decent watch for those searching for a content hefty action thriller.
Songs
It has a high energy, emotionally charged soundtrack suitable for the high energy narrative arc of the movie. The album opens with “Sawadeeka” a high-octane number composed by Arivu and sung by Anthony Daasan and Anirudh Ravichander. Dropping under the banner of Sony Music South, the song catches the eye right up with its beat and vivacious singing, which makes it solid and leaves an imprint on the listener.
Then comes “Pathikichu” written by Vishnu Edavan and Amogh Balaji sung by Anirudh Ravichander and Yogi Sekar along with Amogh Balaji. It offers a punchy, advancing skyline, summoning the energy of the movie, charging it with a sense of a youth and a sense of infecting rhythm.
The album winds up with “Thaniye,” more of a meditative number, written by Mohan Rajan and sung by Anirudh Ravichander on his own. Softer and more reflective it gives a calm, emotional concluding touch to the otherwise dynamic album.
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Clocking in at just a little over 10 minutes in total across the three songs the combo pack packs an emotional punch in quick succession, much like Vidaamuyarchi itself, finding that near-perfect range between adrenaline and emotion.
How to watch Vidaamuyarchi Movie
Vidaamuyarchi is done in theaters and is currently on Netflix. Now people that skipped the showings can see it at home. The OTT rights of the movie were sold to Netflix for Rs. 100 crore and has been one of the biggest deals in streaming this year.
Vidaamuyarchi can be legally streamed and downloaded on Netflix (requires a premium subscription). Subscribers will have access to many other movies, series and documentaries in one-stop entertainment experience on the platform as well.