Vetrivel (2016)

Having tried to break free of his image with Brahman and Thaarai Thappatai and not really succeeding in it, Sasikumar has gone back to his tried and tested formula of family feud, sentiments, romance, revenge and message. The only difference here is that instead of friendship, it is brotherly love that drives the hero's actions. This doesn't mean the film is disappointing; it is actually engaging.

The film begins in the past when a man commits suicide because he has lost an election to Rajamanickam (Prabhu, whose understated performance adds dignity to this character), his wife Kayavarnam's (Viji Chandrasekhar) half-brother. In the present, Vetrivel, a happy-go-lucky guy, is wooing Janani, who works in an agri college. His brother in love with Rajamanickam's daughter, and when Rajamanickam disagrees to the match, they decide to kidnap the girl. But things get screwed up when the wrong girl is kidnapped. And it happens to be Latha (Nikhila), who is betrothed to Arul, the son of Kayavarnam!

Debutant director Vasanthamani confidently spins his yarn and this helps the film and prevents it from turning into a routine rural fare. In the filmography of Sasikumar, it should rank alongside Sundarapandian or just a notch below it. The actor is playing the quintessential Sasikumar role here — an intrepid do-gooder — but the Vasanthamani's writing of this character helps him overcome his limited range of expressions. Interestingly, in the credits, his name appears after all the other cast members, even though he is the film's hero!

Every character is well fleshed out, and it is quite interesting to see how situations keep getting out of the characters' hands even when their intentions are good. The scenes between Prabhu and Ilavarasu, who plays Sasikumar's father, are superbly written and the level-headed nature of these characters makes for a nice contrast with the hot-headed attitude of the youngsters. The director also finds a smart way to integrate this plot with Naadodigal, and it is a pleasant surprise when that happens. There is also enjoyable comedy in the form a running gag that involves Thambi Ramaiah's uneventful married life.

But after a point, things get predictable to an extent that we are able to see the twists coming — like the fate of Vetrivel's relationship with Janani, a match being fixed between Arul and Rajamanickam's daughter, Arul's offer to help the girl and so on. We keep wishing that Vasanthamani had thought out scenarios that aren't resolved simply by the battered hero taking on the villains in a fresh burst of fury. This is why, once the film ends, we cannot ignore the niggling feeling of having succumbed to a well-calculated formula.