“Superstar” Rajinikanth’s new Tamil film “Vettaiyan,” or “Hunter” in English, showcases the veteran’s immense talent. He acts in the lead role of an Indian policeman in this gory thriller. With that said, it will take you some time to understand the worth of “Vettaiyan” and the purpose behind it, but people know everyone is on the edge of their seats. The first logical conclusion- the fourth collaboration between Rajnikanth and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan is bound to be interesting. “Vettaiyan”, still plods forward for two formulaic, and in large part pleasurable, hours before it encounters a post-intermission twist that was foregone. So far this movie seems to be a straightforward tale of police investigation after the gruesome murder of a saintly public school teacher. After the unexpected plot twist, the movie delves into the issue of private school politics and violence. Later, the movie returns to its generic, bedrock roots, which isn’t all that thrilling but is very comfort-inducing.
In the film “Vettaiyan”, the role of the encounter-specialist Superintendent Athiyan is played by Rajinikanth. His character, or rather, his avatar is revered by his techie lieutenant Cyber “Battery” Patrick (Fahadh Faasil) because he possesses all the three abilities of a phenomenal police officer. And so, he managed to kill impunity with no fears of being charged with a crime, void of a moral compass needing to be reminded of what he would call a “one of my rough sang sororities, ‘When the hunt is on The deer must fall.’” Athiyan is a cold-hearted killer, but he is very much deluded. He only realizes this when he meets famous Sathyadev (Bachchan) a human activist, and one of the few judges left in the Indian high court, who has managed to remain jaded. “Vettaiyan” requires some time to explain the intertwined narrative elements; the same applies to bringing these two characters together and more than often, things in the movie will make sense after the event has unfolded.
Even though Athiyan is an established name (in the movie’s universe), he is forced to inject himself into a major and sensitive case that begins as a murder investigation of Miss Saranya, a renowned public school teacher, and ends up as a case against private school tycoon Natraj. The concern Sathyadev expresses in a preliminary speech about the social injustice that bedevils contemporary India due to deeply engrained caste bias assists in preparing the audience. It is evident that a lot is anticipated towards the end of the movie, but the problem is how slow it very is in changing plot points. For a period, we witness the cat-and-mouse game Athiyan and his irritable colleague Harish Kumar are in with a confirmed sex maniac from some slum in Tamil Nadu. After that, the movie matures, but not too quickly after hearing Athiyan’s self-affirming monologues over legal justification for his character. Yes, his behavior is always justified, even when he’s wrong. He’s only wrong in being generous to the other cops of lower reputation.
Like many other Rajini Kanth movies, this is also one of the socially critical and dramatic ‘rote’ films. Unlike the best of these recent vehicles, “Vettaiyan,” “often wrapped viewers in the blanket of comical declamatory dialogue.” My favorite line, “Seems the price of integrity is death!” captures the essence of the film. You could substitute Rajinikanth with any number of less charming and competitive actors,” said the critic. He continued, “The set pieces of the movie lack choreography and rhythm making them feel utterly uninspired, as they relied too heavily on speed-ramping and slow-motion technology. In his critique of the film, he noted, “The best fight was not even captured from the perspective of a P.O.ed Athiyan, nor did Rajinikanth appear on camera.” It also appears that Mr. Rajinikanth is not in the same room as Mr. Big B, together with them during two of the half-dozen shared scenes.
At its core, the writer wishes to highlight how components of our modern world seep into older pieces of Media like films. Even if one doesn’t have much interest in seeing these pieces, purely from an intellectual standpoint, it can be considered worth delving into. Most of the ‘audience catering’ things like special effects and even casting choices appear ‘once pleasing, now cringe’. Since an older audience enjoyed the fancier elements of all the thrilling shoots, it may look cheap and cringe to the newer audiences. It leaves one to think where gory elements fit in at least having the hope that viewers will still enjoy them.
These unnecessary artifacts like costumes and accessories paired with enabled traits seem like a blatant cash grab on the loony Gai. Having a gory murder done over and over from different perspectives adds absolutely no value. Athiyan injected self-serving and endearing asides in a bumbling old man manner, where one can’t help but think how he manages to make himself look silly and jump around like a long-forgotten action figure. The writer truly captures the horror of dealing with a world devoid of reality.
In addition, there are plenty of unique graphics and funny moments, such as a scene where a ‘heavy’ character talks to Athiyan and asks him if he or his wife would like to die first. He then complains, ‘Tell your wife to stop shooting!’ It’s not truly straightforward or short, but ‘Vettaiyan’ does reach its destination eventually.
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