Vaalmiki – handy script middling in narration

Banner: Vikatan Talkies
Production: Srinivasan
Direction: Ananda Narayanan
Star-casts: Akil, Meera Nandan, Shruthi Nair, Gopi and many others.
Music: Maestro Ilayaraja
Cinematography: N. Azhagappan
Editing: V.T. Vijayan

‘For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction’ – Newton’s innovative and pragmatic law seems to be the sole backdrop of every aspect in human life. Debutant Ananda Narayanan has made it appealingly presented on the screens.

The film doesn’t carry any big star casts on title cards and yet the strong content makes it big. But the small diminishing factor comes through the entangled screenplay. It’s well and good Maestro Ilayaraja has scored music, but why insert unwanted songs. When things are gripping, songs for heroines’ introduction is really disappointing.

The opens with Pandi (Akil), a Jail warden filing the record about a convict who has snatched gold and valuable articles and one of the surprisal comes through a statement, ‘Pandi, he has got your Vandana’s gold chain too’. Within fraction of moments, the film swaps backs to the past days of Pandi, a pickpocket in Chennai with his gang of friends. They’re so talent in cutpurse acts. Naturally, after committing fraudulent acts Pandi starts realizing his mistakes with the victims affected by his deed. On the pars, there’s his ladylove (Meera Nandan) correcting his ways. But finally, when things come clear on the way, he has to go through a great loss that will turn his life upside down.

It’s all about the concept ‘ You throw a ball on wall, it bounces back to you’ and it has a good social message.

Akil seems to have gone ahead from his debut film ‘Kalloori’. He’s so good looking on his physiques and improvised a lot on gestures and dialogue deliveries. On the pars, Meera Nandan from God’s own country makes a good start in Kollywood. Shruthi Nair as flower vendor does an appealing touch on her Tamil Slang and strong characterization.

Director Ananda Narayanan has well delineated each characterization doesn’t let them loose with an incomplete approach. But, the elite group of audiences may not love this film for a raw naturalistic touch.

Cinematography by Azhagappan on Chennai is perfect and so does the editing of VT Vijayan.

Dialogues are okay on certain points. Ilayaraja’s musical touch works better than songs on background score.

On the whole, ‘Vaalmiki’ will bring home the bacon for producers with B and C centres getting with likeliness for the film.

Verdict: Watch it once for a different experience…

Richard Mahesh

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