Vaayai Moodi Pesavum
Reviews
timesofindia
If his debut film Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi was an irreverent rom-com, in his second effort Balaji Mohan gives us a high-concept comedy which, in its second half, is entirely a silent film. Well, almost. Many of its tropes must be familiar to those who have seen enough Hollywood comedies and rom-coms. A do-gooder hero with a dream, a heroine with a jerk of a boyfriend, her somewhat dysfunctional family (here, it includes a forever busy dad, stepmom who has stopped writing to take care of the family and whom the heroine isn't ready to accept yet, a stepbrother who flunks in his class but is highly creative), a charity organization that faces eviction, and so on. But the director shows that you only need a bit of invention to turn routine into unique. The film is set in Panimalai, a fictional mountain town, where the hero Arvind ( Dulquer Salmaan, making a sparkling debut in Tamil) is a salesperson. As he tells a character, he cannot stop himself from mending things that are broken. He believes that every issue can be resolved if the parties involved talk sensibly to each other. The heroine, Anjana (Nazriya), is diminutive, doesn't talk much and obliges to her boyfriend's dictates (no specs, only contacts and so on). Meanwhile, interesting (read absurd) things are happening in the town. An association of drunks is protesting against a film star (John Vijay as Nuclear Star Boomesh) for defaming them in his movie, but most importantly, a mysterious illness is spreading in the town which results in people losing their voice. The government declares this as dumb flu, and quarantines the entire town. The health minister ( R Pandiarajan), who is stationed there, embarrasses himself in an interview (which results in a funny YouTube mash-up video) and to save himself, announces that he is infected with the flu. And, following researchers the advice of researchers, the government implements a curfew forcing all individuals of the hill station from speaking. Will this loss of speech make things worse or will it make people to communicate better? Vaayai Moodi Pesavum is truly an ambitious effort, at least by Indian cinema standards, and what's truly heartening is that Balaji Mohan succeeds in his attempt. Humour is his trump card and he provides that in liberal doses and in every form, from intelligent ones to downright silly. He doesn't spare anyone, from the government machinery to the film industry and even himself. He takes a swipe at not only the fringe groups which have started curtailing freedom of expression in the form of protests but also people in the film industry, who do the same by stifling critical voices. Tellingly, he uses RJ Balaji, who was forced to take his show off air, to launch into the plot. He doesn't stop with creating quirky characters but he manages to integrate them well with the plot. The conflict involving the drunks and film star might look like low comedy to keep the laughs coming (Robo Sankar is a scream as the leader of the protestors) but it also plays a small part in bringing together the hero and the heroine. The TV news bulletin, too, is used not just for comedy (the tickers are little gems in themselves) but also as a crutch to further the plot or narrate the off-screen events, especially in the second half. In a 'meta' touch, the director himself plays the news presenter; he is the narrator both on screen and off screen! Given that the second half has very little dialogues, there was always the threat of it descending into tediousness, but the various sub-plots help to keep things moving. The jaunty score (by debutant Sean Roldan), too, does its part and prevents things turning dreary. If at all there is a flaw, it is that the resolutions for these various conflicts are so predictable. Anjana manages to find courage to call off the engagement with her boyfriend, the dour landlord who is hell bent on selling off the property on which the charity stands decides to let them stay after he patches up with his son, the writer Vidya getting back to writing, the incompetent minister who chose to lie about the illness loses his voice... And, the writing could have been tighter as at times, we can sense the director staying a bit too long with the sub plots.
Movie Recommendation
Vellanakalude Naadu1988-11-30Vellanakalude Nadu movie which is a political satire based against municipal mafia in the form of BuildingsMore...
Leo2023-10-18A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, but it brings forth consequences with connection to a dangerous world, one which will shake his carefully constructed life to its very core.More...
Junga2018-07-27A simpleton has to turn into a quirky, albeit miserly, don to save his legacy and his ancestral property, a movie hall.More...
Rakshadhikari Baiju (Oppu)2017-04-21A kind-hearted government employee in his forties, who spends most of his time with youngsters, selflessly intervenes in the problems of his near and dear ones.More...
Kathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam2014-08-15A scriptwriter calls his friends over for a discussion to create a script for his first film. The group consists of a cinematographer, a director-wannabe with 40 years of experience and three young assistant directors.More...
Sabse Bada Khiladi1995-06-09For 20 years, intrepid police detective Vijay (Akshay Kumar) has believed the malicious Amar Singh (Sadashiv Amrapurkar) murdered Vijay's twin brother, Lallu. Vijay eventually dredges up enough evidence to put the crafty Amar in the slammer, but he walks on a technicality. Events take a surprising turn, however, when Lallu (also played by Kumar) suddenly shows up in director Umesh Mehra's action-packed film.More...
Salalah Mobiles2014-01-23Afzal is happy after his uncle helps him to set up his mobile shop. However, things take an unexpected turn when Azhagarsamy gifts him a virus-infected mobile application.More...
Midsommar2019-07-03Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.More...
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight 22021-10-27When something horrible happens to the only survivor of a bloody massacre, an insecure rookie cop must overcome his fears to stop further carnage.More...
The Spirit of Christmas2015-11-28A woman falls in love with a man who is somewhat unavailable.More...
The Cave of the Golden Rose 21992-12-20Fantaghiro and Romualdo are preparing their marriage when the Black Queen disgusted by their deep love captures Fantaghiro's father. Romualdo and his soldiers go on their journey to free him. But the insidious Black Queen transforms herself into Fantaghiro, makes Romualdo her slave by kissing him and captures the rest of his army. Fantaghiro follows Romualdo although she promised him to stay home, finds the camp deserted and enters the near castle of the Black Queen. When she asks for a duel to free her people she is very surprised to face Romualdo who has forgot her completely due to the magic of the Black Queen.More...
Noelle2019-11-12Kris Kringle's daughter, Noelle, sets off on a mission to find and bring back her brother, after he gets cold feet when it's his turn to take over as Santa.More...
Cheaper by the Dozen 22005-12-21Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt return as heads of the Baker family who, while on vacation, find themselves in competition with a rival family of eight children.More...
Scooby-Doo! Ghastly Goals2014-05-13While on vacation in Brazil, Scooby-Doo and the gang encounter a mythical beast at a game of soccer.More...
Gone Mom: The Disappearance of Jennifer Dulos2021-06-05Jennifer Dulos, the wealthy, Connecticut mother-of-five who mysteriously vanished.More...
Clifford the Big Red Dog2021-11-10As Emily struggles to fit in at home and at school, she discovers a small red puppy who is destined to become her best friend. When Clifford magically undergoes one heck of a growth spurt, becomes a gigantic dog and attracts the attention of a genetics company, Emily and her Uncle Casey have to fight the forces of greed as they go on the run across New York City. Along the way, Clifford affects the lives of everyone around him and teaches Emily and her uncle the true meaning of acceptance and unconditional love.More...
The Boy Who Killed My Parents2021-09-24Based on one of the most shocking and gruesome murder cases in Brazil, the film presents de Suzane von Richthofen's point of view of the events that led to the death of her parents.More...
The Royal Treatment2022-01-20Isabella runs her own salon and isn’t afraid to speak her mind, while Prince Thomas runs his own country and is about to marry for duty rather than love. When Izzy and her fellow stylists get the opportunity of a lifetime to do the hair for the royal wedding, she and Prince Thomas learn that taking control of their own destiny requires following their hearts.More...
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You2020-02-03Lara Jean and Peter have just taken their romance from pretend to officially real when another recipient of one of her love letters enters the picture.More...
The Price of Family2022-12-19Heartbroken that their children no longer want to spend time with them, two parents fake an inheritance to bring the family together for Christmas.More...