Opinion: Is Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan’s biggest failing the lack of a formidable villain?

What do Neelambari (Ramya Krishnan), Mark Antony (Raghuvaran), Haridev Abhyankar (Nana Patekar), Varma (Vinayakan), among others, have in common? They were antagonists in Thalaivar Rajinikanth films who continue to be remembered as the Superstar’s formidable foes. But why are these characters a topic of discussion now, one may wonder. Well, the Tamil star’s latest film, Vettaiyan has just dropped in theatres, and one of the most commonly heard comments about the TJ Gnanavel directorial is that the villain, Natraj, played by Rana Daggubati, just had no teeth.

According to a majority of social media comments, Natraj’s under-developed character has been cited as one of Vettaiyan’s big flaws. A superstar of Rajinikanth’s stature needs a badass villain – brilliant in his/her own way, who is a force to reckon with. Rana’s version of the big baddie Natraj is a man whose motivation to unleash evil is money and nothing else, which made the narrative flat and predictable. Granted that Rana is a sight for sore eyes all suited up, but restricting him to a character who thrives on the belief that money can buy everything was not enough to make Natraj even remotely engaging.

Vettaiyan Movie Review: Rajinikanth and TJ Gnanavel’s film on encounter killings is honest but a starry mess with too many things to say 

Besides the fact that Rana barely gets to flex his muscles and has no massy scene or punchline, what also works against his Natraj is that it comes close on the heels of Vinayakan’s Varma, a mix of frightening and comedic, from Jailer. Natraj pales in comparison. The weak writing of his character apart, Natraj’s role in the larger scheme of things is also problematic. He is not the biggest conflict for Rajinikanth’s trigger-happy SP Athiyan.

Amitabh Bachchan’s retired judge Sathyadev, who is on a crusade against random and illegal encounter killings and seems to have an axe to grind with Athiyan is a better foe, although only momentarily, than Natraj ever gets to be. As audience members, we are generally invested in finding out who the villain in the tale is, what he/she does and what he/she is capable of doing in adding to the conflict of the hero’s journey.

Gnanavel establishes Natraj as a ruthless businessman, with a single-minded focus of monopolizing the entrance coaching sector – a man so powerful with the who’s who at his beck and call, who is rattled by a lowly school teacher. But what is he capable of? Apparently, only to hire goons to do his dirty work and leave a trail leading to him. And that also means that when audiences walk out of the theatre, Nat will be long forgotten and will never come up in the same breath as any of the more memorable Rajini villains. 

Vettaiyan Movie Review: Rajinikanth and TJ Gnanavel’s film on encounter killings is honest but a starry mess with too many things to say 

Vettaiyan, which also stars Fahadh Faasil, Ritika Singh, Kishore, Manju Warrier, among others, is currently in theatres.