Vanakkam Chennai – A pleasant but predictable 2 and half hours.

It’s been a really long time since I reviewed a movie. This time, I’m back – with Vanakkam Chennai, starring Mirchi Siva, Priya Anand and Santhanam.

The story at a glance...

Ajay (Siva) is an MSC gold medallist (I know what you’re thinking, lol) from Theni. He gets a successful job in Chennai and moves there after renting an apartment. Anjali (Priya Anand) is an aspiring photographer from London who wants to come to India, Chennai especially to capture the colourful shades of the country through her lens. She reaches Chennai and hires a cab from the airport back home. It turns out Anjali and Ajay got duped by the crook Narayana (Santhanam), the guy who acted as the house owner and leased the place illegally to both of them. They go to the police to try and find a way out of the situation but due to various factors, they end up sharing the apartment posing as husband and wife to their neighbours and friends. As fate would have it, the hero falls for the girl. But there is one problem. Yes, you are right. The London maapillai, as always! How Ajay captures Anjali’s heart with the help of Narayana is the rest of the movie!

The screenplay is highly predictable, as this formula has been shown on screen, a zillion times. This time is no different except for the actors. But VC is not as boring as it is predictable. There are enough good dialogs and songs to keep you hooked.

The love story is not overly dramatic, or stupidly cinematic. It is believable. The leads don’t take one look at each other and start singing duets in foreign location in the next shot. Gradually, after spending enough time together, they realise their feelings for each other. It also felt good to see some intelligent people on screen. But yeah, it was almost funny that Siva was a gold medallist, it felt like a spoof in itself! ;) And even though Anjali dangerously seemed to resemble the childish and immature “Ha ha Hasini” at times, she seemed to know her business. They way she took on the crude cab driver was not only commercially valid (there was raucous applause as he switched songs), it also showed that the heroine is not always a damsel in distress. She is quite capable of taking care of herself.

 The songs were fresh and peppy and beautiful to the eyes. Priya Anand looked stunning in whatever she wore. I, personally, loved the choreography of “Oh pennae”. The illusion-based song was very new and lovely to watch. “Osaka Osaka” was beautiful, with the plush green scenery all around. But I was in splits watching Siva dance for the number. I mean seriously, it was Udhayanidhi stalin’s “Venam machan venam” all over again! Siva’s usual poker-faced dialog delivery was hilarious at places, like the injury caused by an aeroplane wing (the way he so seriously tells it... haha!) and the sequence at the pawn shop. Santhanam struts into the movie with his usual slapstick one-liners. But I loved the scenes in which he shows the bridal prospects’ photos to Siva and the horror movie sequence – “Ellarum pei kaga dhan waiting”

I could understand that Siva has done his best to put his comedian cap aside, but one look at his face and you can’t help laughing out loud, especially in all the “serious” scenes. It felt like a spoof of romantic movies! It was sure refreshing to see a traditional mother from Theni, not questioning her son when he brings a half-clad girl home without warning. I mean I welcome such kind of broad-mindedness but let’s get real here! Also, why should there always be a London maapillai? We know he is not gonna get the girl... that part was just too cliché. Veteran actors like Nasser, Manobala and Oorvashi could have been given more screen space. It just seemed unnecessary to cast an actor like Nasser in a role not lasting even 3 full minutes.  The story seemed too familiar at places, resembling especially “What happens in Vegas” and “Azhagiya theeye”. Even some scenes were copied like the place where they both dump each other’s clothes alternatively. (Remember Rachel moving out of Monica’s apartment in “F.R.I.E.N.D.S”?).

Even though logic took a serious hit at many places, VC was a fresh, pleasant and funny movie that’s surely worth a watch. It’s been a long time since we saw a light-hearted romantic comedy and I would recommend you all to take a chance with VC. You’ll probably exit the theatre humming “Oh pennae”.

There are some movies that you can sit and analyse and criticize and list all the things that went wrong. And there are movies like Vanakkam Chennai. Don’t think, just watch!