Vivegam(2017)

General characteristics of Vijay and Ajith movies:

• Impossible Stunts

• A Heroine who's nothing more than Eye Candy

• A lot of foreigners

• A Non-Tamilian Villain

• Cheesy one-liners by and about the hero

• Insignificant story-line

• Tons of Hero Worship

           Ajith's Vivegam checks all these points perfectly. 

       There is not much in the way of a plot, but I'll try to cobble something together. Ajay Kumar, aka AK(Ajith Kumar) is a conscientious officer of the Counter Terrorism Squad(i think) and he and his team of five solve.... well I am not sure what they solve, but in the case that's shown in the movie, they are searching for a hacker, Natasha. Things go sideways when Natasha is found and it's thought that AK is dead, but he isn't(duh!). He then sets out to clear his name.

           If you notice the storyline, I didn't mention the heroine. Because that's exactly how important she is to the plot. Kajal is positively stunning in her beautiful sarees but the parts where she is on screen look as if they were stolen from a Sivaji Ganesan film. It is sharply in contrast with the other scenes where we look at Earthquake causing nuclear weapons and life like holograms. The only independent thing we see her doing is teach carnatic music to children. She is also(technically) the boss of a restaurant but it runs smoothly only when AK is there to turn over the dosas. You know what would be more impressive? A heroine who actually knows how to handle a gun as her husband is so obviously in a dangerous business. A wife who can handle her affairs perfectly when her husband isn't around to hold her hand. A wife who is a pillar of support for her husband. But no. The only thing special about her is the fact that she knows the Morse code so that she can tap "I love you" on her husband's shoulders. But then that's what all heroines are for in ginormous commercial movies like this.

       Now, for the object of worship. The omniscient, omnipotent and all knowing AK. As I already mentioned, he is practically invincible but then that's one of the perks of being Ajith. But let's forget logic for a moment. When it comes to the acting, he is perfect. His English is impeccable and he does his best in making the cheesy lines sound as less cheesy as possible. Unfortunately that is not exactly in his hands. The other actors... well there's only Akshara Hassan and Vivek Oberoi. Akshara Hassan is good in her role, but it beats me why a definitely non Indian hacker would speak Tamil after a plastic surgery. As for Vivek Oberoi he's kinda okay, because there isn't much to his role except to praise 'AK' and look suave and dapper in his suit. Karunakaran's role in the movie is totally perfunctory and he doesn't have enough screen time to exhibit his talent. As for the music of the film, I would say it was great at some places and just okay at others. 

                     When it comes to movies like Theri and Vivegam, the focus is never on the story or on even the actors. It's always only on the hero - Ajith or Vijay. In the director's quest to make full use of the actors' star power, the importance of an impressive storyline and the need for an emotionally independent heroine is totally neglected. They are thought to take the focus away from the hero and his bravery and his glory. A box office success and popularity is all that is prime in their minds. There is no intention of giving quality material to the audience.

   Despite all this, none can deny the fact that these kind of movies do entertain us, and hence the generous rating:

6/10 - Good