Candid review: Vaathi — This Dhanush's moral outrage against corruption in education system lacks right intensity

What do you need to impart the knowledge that could transform a child's life? Just a blackboard and a few white chalks. This is the underlying thesis of Dhanush's latest movie Vaathi , which is titled Sir in Telugu. The movie was released in theatres earlier in February and to the surprise of many it did better than expected at the cinemas. One of the reasons for the low expectations from the movie was its trailer. The promo video made it clear that the film was not edgy and it seemed to have been made to deliver a socially relevant message. 

And many predicted a poor showing for the film at the box office. But, the movie turned in profits for its producers or at least that's what the official stand of the producers is. 

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Vaathi, which is Tamil for a teacher, is set in the 90s. The movie begins in the early 2000s, the early days of India's middle-class obsession with engineering courses. We see the images of lining up outside the colleges to give away all their lives and earnings to provide good education to their children. It highlights the daylight robbery in the name of quality education. 

In an engineering classroom, a student scratches his head as he can't make a head or tail of what's being taught by his teacher. Even though he hasn't understood a single word of what has been taught to him, he's asked to complete an assignment on it. In a state of confusion, that student goes home, only to find his father selling away his grandfather's now-out-of-business video store. Before the transaction is complete, the student and his friends stumble on a few erotic movies locked away in a secret compartment at the video store. The students forget about the assignment and run back home to watch the contents of the video. They plug the VHS tape into the television, only to be disappointed. It's not an erotic movie but a video of a teacher solving a complicated math problem on a blackboard. And you guessed it. Yes, that teacher in the video solves the exact mathematical problem that was given to the students earlier in class.  

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The students get curious about who is the man in the video and they start asking questions. The student could have found the answer probably by asking his father. "Dad, who is the guy in the video tapes found in grandpa's personal collection?" Instead, he and his friends cross state lines enquiring about the strange man. The students did not dig out these video cassettes on an archaeological expedition, far away from their homes. It was lying right in the backyard of their house. And an elder in the family could have provided them with a quick answer to their questions. This plot contrivance comes more into focus in the climax when we find out the role the student's grandfather, the owner of the video store, played in an educational revolution in a nearby village. The movie wants us to accept that the family has buried such a rich legacy of its patriarch for no reason. The patriarch hasn't imparted any of his wisdom on corruption in the education system to his family. Why? 

The search takes the students to the office of District collector Muthuvel Kumar, played by (Sumanth). And the collector seemingly cancels all his engagements for the day to tell the story about his teacher Balamurugan (Dhanush) to three students who showed up at his office without an appointment. 

Balamurugan is a low-ranking teacher at a major private school run by Srinivas Thirupathi (Samuthirakani). Samuthirakani channels a powerful presence as a ruthless businessman, whose only flaw is he's open about his evil plans. In a pivotal scene, Srinivas reprimands Balamurugan for spoiling his master plan to defame state-run schools. And he blurts out his deep prejudice against the middle class, only to turn a docile Balamurugan into his biggest enemy. 

As protests erupted over the rising school fees, Srinivas devises a plan. He takes over all the government-run schools and promises to provide a high-quality free education to children from weaker sections. The success of his evil plan hedges on the confidence that all the junior teachers on the payroll are lousy and they would do a terrible job teaching students. When government schools give poor results, it will naturally increase the allure of private schools among middle-class people. It's a good plan but it counted on the inefficiency of his teachers. But, Balamurugan is cut from a different cloth. He takes his job seriously and he performs his duty with the utmost care, sincerity and compassion. He's Srinivas's Achilles' heel. 

With a single speech, invoking the great feats achieved by former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam, Balamurugan changes the hearts of people in a village that doesn't understand the need for education for their children. And then he further inspires the students to put in their best efforts in scoring good marks. When he's singled out and pushed to the edge by the might of Srinivas, who has all the institutions of the government at his disposal, Balamurugan innovates new ways to educate his students. Thus, disproving the idea that you need to break the bank and fall into debt to access good education. 

Last week, Vaathi was made available for streaming on Netflix . As expected the movie was innocuous in its outrage against a pressing social injustice. And yet, it finding acceptance by many does point out the complacency of the audience. We seem to have developed an unconscious appreciation for movies that don't invoke strong reactions from us. While the movie talks about a critical social issue, it doesn't discuss it with the intensity and focus that befits the seriousness of the subject. 

If you are aware of director Venky Atluri's filmography, you know his expertise lies in making feel-good movies. He has ventured out of his comfort zone for Vaathi, which is a social drama. And he has made this movie with the same sensibilities that he would apply to make a benign romantic, coming-of-age drama. It has your attention, but never speaks to you at a deeper level.