Front-row seats for Tamil entertainer
INTRODUCTION
HISTORY was created in South Africa when Vijay’s Thalaivaa was released here ahead of Tamil Nadu. The film brings together for the first time Vijay under the direction of AL Vijay, the director of Madrassapattinam, Deiva Thirumagall and Thaandavam. Amala Paul plays the female lead with Sathyaraj, Suresh, Santhaanam, Ponvannan, Abimanyu Singh, Ragini Nandwani and Manobala in other main roles. There are also guest and special appearances by Naaser, Rekha, GV Prakash, Sam Anderson and YG Magendran. STORY
THALAIVAA is almost a two-in-one story with the first half set in Australia, depicting a carefree Vishwa (Vijay) trying to woo Meera (Paul). Vishwa and his friends are determined to win a major national dance competition. When it is time for Meera and her father to meet Vishwa’s parents, a great shock awaits them. It is then that Vishwa realises for the first time why his father’s occupation had been kept secret from him for so long. It is a time to make some life-changing decisions. PERFORMANCES
VIJAY , whose performance in the first half greatly differs from that in the second, is superb in his portrayal of Vishwa. His comic timing has greatly improved and he drops jaws with his dance skills, which are outstanding even by his own high standards.
His metamorphosis in the second half shows the extent to which he has grown as an actor.
Sathyaraj is in one of the best roles of his career, if not the best. His portrayal of Ramadhurai is electrifying and he has an imposing screen presence in each of his scenes.
Paul is in a challenging role as Meera and is most impressive in the second half. Suresh’s brilliant portrayal leaves one wishing that his role was a bigger one. Santhaanam is also in one of his best roles, matching or surpassing his role in Thaandavam.
There is excellent support from the others, notably from Singh, Ponvannan and Nandwani. DIRECTION
AJ VIJAY has done a fine job as a director, although he needs to shoulder full blame for the pace of the second half. There are also some occasional painful lapses in logic. CINEMATOGRAPHY
NIRAV Shah’s cinematography excels again in his creative use of lighting and some interesting experimentation with angles. The cinematography is complemented by another superb effort from editor Anthony Goncalves, who keeps raising the bar for standards in editing.
SCREENPLAY AND SCRIPTING
AL VIJAY follows a leisurely but entertaining pace, but the first half provides most of the entertainment quotient. The second half could have — and should have — been trimmed to make it racier. However, it is in his scripting that Vijay truly shines, especially in the scenes featuring Sathyaraj.
MUSIC
GV PRAKASH has done an outstanding job of the soundtrack. Sol Sol Sol remains my favourite, but it is impossible to watch the film without Thamizh Pasanga ringing in one’s head for days.
The songs enjoy some of the best dance choreography seen on the screen in recent years.
Prakash’s background score shows the same meticulous attention that he always gives his films. OVERALL
THALAIVAA is an enjoyable and entertaining film which, viewed on its own, is a truly impressive movie. However, for those who see parallels with films such as Naayagan, Thallabadhi and Devar Magan, the effect is somewhat diluted. Nevertheless, the message behind the film, the brilliant acting and its technical excellence make this movie compulsive viewing.