‘Vidaamuyarchi’ movie review: An earnest Ajith Kumar shines in this generic yet genre-centric actioner

Ajith Kumar in a still from ‘Vidaamuyarchi’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In a scene in director Magizh Thirumeni’s VidaamuyarchiAjith Kumar’s character Arjun, trying to move a stalled car from the road to the shoulder, wraps the car’s seat belt around him to push the vehicle safely. That, in a scene, encapsulates the film and the contribution of its lead actor to make it work. Walking out of the film, the biggest takeaway is how Ajith, the star who takes the road less taken when compared to his contemporaries off-screen, also pulls off the same with his choice of scripts. Irrespective of whether the payoff is worth the trade, it’s fun to see the star shed the vanity of stardom and surrender completely to the script in hand and that’s what makes Vidaamuyarchi work… almost.

Heavily “inspired” by the 1997 Kurt Russell-starrer Breakdown, vidaamuyarchi is the story of a couple whose road trip is interfered with by some uninvited guests and it’s up to the husband to save his kidnapped wife. More than a decade after Arjun (Ajith) and Kayal (Trisha) fell in love with each other and decided to tie the knot, the romance seems to have faded. When Kayal breaks the truth of having an affair and wants to file for divorce, Arjun decides to hit the road to drop Kayal at her parent’s place. Magizh layers the narrative by intercutting the journey of two strangers who fell in love 12 years ago, with the one last journey they take through the open roads of Azerbaijan.

Trisha and Ajith Kumar in a still from ‘Vidaamuyarchi’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The film spends a considerable amount of time on the formative years of this relationship, and we get to witness several timeline jumps to understand how their concept of love has evolved. Fascinatingly, when the jumps stop and the film moves from a story of years to a day’s tale, it picks up pace. We get introduced to Rakshith (Arjun), Deepika (Regena Cassandra) and Michael (Arav) as they rain on our lead couple’s parade, and what follows is a chase to uncover the truth.

Over the last few years, Ajith’s filmography became infamous for following the good-guy-bad-guy routine, with most of his recent roles either being a cop/upholder of the law or someone on the wrong side of the law. This is why, Vidaamuyarchi feels like a breath of fresh air as Ajith plays a commoner with relatable problems. When trouble comes knocking on his doors, he’s not someone who takes it head-on but avoids confrontation. Even when hell breaks loose, he aims for his opponent’s extremities as he’s not a killer but just a regular guy who wants to escape from the situation as unscathed as possible. And boy does he get battered in the fights!

For an action film, Vidaamuyarchi comparatively has fewer scenes where the hero is “giving it back”. Contrary to cliches, the lead character gets cheated on, double-crossed, pranked, insulted and beaten down to a pulp multiple times. Boiled down to its core, Vidaamuyarchi is the tale of an ordinary man put under extraordinary circumstances. When Arjun stops reacting to the occurrences and finally decides to play the game his way, the hunted becomes the hunter and Ajith is a treat to watch irrespective of which end of the punch he’s at.

While Arjun and Arav stick to playing textbook examples of an evil mastermind and a cocky crook respectively, it’s Regina’s Deepika that comes off as a pleasant surprise. After her tryst with a dark character in ChakraRegina pulls off the psychotic nature of Deepika really well. While the relationship between Deepika and Rakshith (Arjun) might initially give us Harley Quinn and Joker vibes, it reminded me of Cletus Kasady and Frances Barrison from Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Speaking of superhero films, one of the character’s gory demise might also remind you of another Batman villain.

Ajith Kumar in a still from ‘Vidaamuyarchi’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

It’s in the execution of ideas that Vidaamuyarchi falters the most. The basic plot is painfully simple and predictable, and the makers’ attempts to add tension fall flat as we see a fair share of twists coming a mile away. Who’s the character that randomly helps Arjun? Of course, he’s an accomplice of the baddies. What to do when Arjun is clueless about how to track the villains? Make him meet a tertiary character who can give him the co-ordinates, and oh, extra points for the new character being a wife-beater and an abusive father so it can be “cathartic” when he’s manhandled in front of those abused. While it’s easy to call mass, theatre moments as cheap thrills that double as fan service, it’s this catharsis Vidaamuyarchi heavily misses out on.

What works heavily in favour of the film is the technical excellence behind the camera. Anirudh’s ‘Pathikichu’ track doubles as a fantastic background score in the action blocks though it leaves us wishing there were more tunes for him to use instead of counting on just one. His pathos songs are generally underrated and ‘Thaniye’ is the latest addition. Om Prakash does a brilliant job with his camerawork and the stunt sequences — especially the one within a Hummer — are well executed and captured.

What rounds them all up is the fantastic characterisation of Arjun and how Ajith initially succumbs to and later conquers his vulnerabilities. It also leaves you wishing the other characters had similar arcs — especially Trisha, who ends up as nothing more than a damsel in distress. Nevertheless, with Vijay in Master and Ajith in Vidaamuyarchiit’s wonderful to see established stars trusting the vision of filmmakers with a unique voice and knowing where exactly to pull the punches instead of mindlessly playing to the gallery.

But films like Vidaamuyarchi also double as a reminder that only star power alone can’t steer a film towards success. Without multiple aspects working in tandem, a breakdown is often imminent and that’s not what one would expect from a star vehicle.

Vidaamuyarchi is currently running in theatres