​Varisu Review: Vijay fires on all cylinders in this entertaining commercial concoction

3/5

Story: A business tycoon has to choose one among his three sons as the successor to his business empire

Review: When the makers of Thalapathy Vijay's Varisu announced that the film has all ingredients of a commercial potboiler, they weren't joking. Varisu is a typical curry with just the right ounce of drama, comedy, songs, emotions, melodrama and action thrown in. And it makes for quite an entertaining watch.

The plot revolves around an opulent family (that lives in a palatial mansion) where business tycoon Rajendaran Palanichamy (Sarathkumar) has to choose the worthy successor to his empire. The choice is between his two elder sons Jay (Srikanth) and Ajay (Shaam). Rajendaran is so cutthroat that he even goes to the extent of pitting his two sons against each other to prove their mettle. After all, it's the game of survival of the fittest, he says. The sons, too, act according to his whims and fancies as they both have their eyes on the coveted chairman's position, so much so that sometimes their fights appear trivial. Amid all this, his arch business rival Jayaprakash (Prakash Raj) gives the family a tough time and is ready to go great lengths to take down Rajendaran's empire.

Vijay (Vijay), the third son, on the other hand, has a mind of his own (predictably) and doesn't want to bend to the will of Rajendaran. He is an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to stand on his own feet, far away from the prying eyes of his controlling father. When he returns to the family fold after seven long years, he rebukes his elder brothers, referring to them as students of the warden (his father). But soon he realises that its not just about warring brothers and deteriorating family relationships. His father has a worsening health condition, and there are vested interests trying to create more ripples in the family. He now has to prevent the family from breaking apart and address the urgent matters in hand. Things exacerbate when Rajendaran chooses Vijay over Jay and Ajay as the 'Varisu'. Will the new boss be able to bring things under control?

Vijay is all guns blazing in this commercial concoction, right from the word go. He doles out 'mass' punch dialogues in gay abandon, does energetic high-octane stunts, dances like a dream and brings the house down with dollops of comedy, sometimes on his own and at other times, in the able company of the family cook Kicha (Yogi Babu).

Though the plot has too many characters, they don't really seem overwhelming. The male actors have played their parts well, including the impressive cameos by SJ Suryah and VTV Ganesh. We sincerely wish that both the actors had a longer screen presence. However, the film's ladies do not have much to contribute to the goings-on, except the matriarch of the house played by Jayasudha, who wants to keep the flock together (the tried-and-tested onscreen mother who sacrifices everything for the family). Rashmika doesn't have much to do in the film either and so is her character's romance with Vijay, which is light-hearted, but doesn't seem to go anywhere. The women characters should have been fleshed out better.

Thaman's music is definitely a huge plus to Varisu and the vibrant BGM ensures that it keeps the momentum and tempo on screen going. The songs are a visual treat.

The plot of Varisu is quite a predictable one, where rift arises over the family property and the father and sons go their separate ways. While the first half takes us on a fun ride interspersed with four songs and oodles of melodrama, it's action all the way in the second half. Some scenes in the first half might seem like they lack the punch that they needed, including the tepid interval block. But the film takes off in the second half and how. After that, it's just heavy-duty action where you see Vijay taking down a huge pack of brawny men single-handedly and they, in turn, dropping like a pack of flies. What really works for Varisu despite its duration (the film is nearly 3 hours long), is that there are no dull moments.

On the flip side, some of the gestures and dialogues of Vijay can seem like he has gone a tad overboard by playing to the gallery. The portions about keeping the family together, no matter how toxic they are - be it an unhappy marriage that involves an extra-marital relationship, dealing with a narcissist father who has his eyes only on the business or brothers who have no qualms about destroying their sibling's lives, which includes a near-murder attempt - don't really add up. Though the makers have tried to not get too melodramatic, there are many sentimental dialogues about family. But on the entertainment front, the film manages to impress and is a surefire treat for Vijay fans loaded with many whistle-worthy moments.

Verdict: Watch it for Vijay who shines through the film