Vijay is back to his vintage best in his latest flick “Kavalan” which has finally hit theatres after many hurdles. Movie is faithful to its original “The Bodyguard” which was a hit last year in Kerala directed by the same director , Siddique. This is the second one from the director-actor combo after the immensely successful “Friends”. Though they were not able to recreate the magic of the former , “Kavalan” is better than most recent few movies of Vijay.
“Kavalan ” is a reminiscence of those golden days of Vijay in the mid & late 90’s with many such romantic movies of his which made him the most popular up & coming hero of those days. Seeing Vijay trying to change his track of sorts is in itself quite refreshing for Tamil Cinema needs heroes of his stature & charisma to be around to bring in the variety . Hope that he is not pulled into the muddle of politics & lost forever to Cinema.
“Kavalan ” as a movie is not a path-breaking , artistic movie which can be classified as a classic. It has its share of downers like the patchy screenplay , poor editing with poor song placement , very average making , gimmickry in the form of stunts. Yet it is a refreshing simple romantic tale with the last 30 minutes of the movie having one of the best twists we have seen in the last few years.
First half has a meandering screenplay which is very wobbly & patchy with the comical duo of Vijay-Vadivelu providing the succour to the viewers in the otherwise below average half. The second half is where the movie’s screenplay picks up steam & tightens leading onto a good finale. Its been a long time since the days of “Kadhalukku Mariyadhai” or “Thullatha Manamum Thullum” that a Vijay movie has such a poetic ending.
Vijay is good as ever showcasing his all-round talents be it in emotional sequences or comedy . He has tried to underplay with certain sequences not in keeping with his mass hero image & its the way forward for him. He dances like a dream & agile in action sequences. His combination with Vadivelu is rip-roaring & they bring the roof down with their comedy.
Asin looks jaded & disinterested in the movie though she is as chirpy & ravishing as ever in the song sequences. Mithra as the other heroine is adequate.
Rajkiran’s character though bereft with confusion , his portrayal of the role is blemish-less. Roja , M.S.Baskar , Lingstone , Neepa , Bakru in the supporting cast don’t have much to do.
Vadivelu is good once again with his combination with Vijay after their immensely successful “Friends” , “Vaseegara” & “Sachein”.
Movie is technically not that great infact very average in that aspect. Ekambaram is the cinematographer & it is a far cry from some of his earlier works.
In Vidhyasagar’s music “Yaarathu” , “Pattampoochi” & “Sada sada” are delightful melodies while “Step Step Step it up” is a foot tapping number. It’s been a very long time since a Vijay movie without a “kuthu” number . Background score is patchy with good work in between largely average work.
On the whole , “Kavalan” is a perfect decent family entertainer sans any violence or gore or vulgarity. Coming in the background of string of box-office duds “Kavalan” may help Vijay salvage some pride in the B-O.
If you are a fan of vintage romantic Vijay of the yore , then “Kavalan” is your pick.
Bottomline : Vintage Vijay..
3.5/5.
