A still from the movieWhen James Bond weds Rambo and goes for a honeymoon at picture postcard locales in Europe, the offshoot would probably be similar to Vivegam, the Thala Ajith Kumar starrer.
The movie revolves around global secret societies and their terror strategies to sabotage India's national security for capitalist enemy nations and multinational corporates.
Thala Ajith's character Ajay Kumar, aka AK, happens to be an intelligence personnel-cum-ethical hacker-cum-hitman who fights a scientific way out to block the enemies from breaching the national security.
Vivek Oberoi's character, Aryan, is the best friend or 'nanpan' of AK and is another intelligence personnel who has secret ties with the global secret agencies. When AK attempts to deactivate a 'nuclear plutonium weapon' that could cause a massive earthquake in New Delhi, Oberoi is commissioned by the bad guys to kill AK. Thereon begins the thrill of the chase.
Vivek Oberoi plays the role of AryanThe two-and-a-half-hour-long movie keeps you on your toes, without giving a moment to take a deep deep breath. The basic Kollywood formula for superstar blockbusters is followed to a tee by the Vivegam crew.
Also read: Vivegam movie: audience review
No matter how many “bio-metric weapons” you have in your arsenal, be it the most advanced combat rifles or those bombs that follow “morsel code” communication, the hero sticks to tradition and defeats the villain with an over-the-top fight gore that get us pumped up enough to finally take a stand against that old UP school bully; not to mention the audacity to utter 'punch-dialogues' when there is less than a minute for the nuclear weapon to explode.
Kajal Agarwal (Yazhini) is the brave and beautiful wife of Ajay Kumar who utters “ek chutki sindoor ka keemat” kind of philosophical dialogues on marriage, love and life as a whole. And as always, she looks gorgeous on screen and has undoubtedly served the purpose of unleashing a new ethnic wave in south Indian fashion. Yes, the semi-cotton sarees and full-sleeved blouses caught this reviewer’s attention. The director also introduces a bold female avatar through Akshara Haasan's Natasha, who may even redefine Kollywood's heroine stereotype, with her cat-eyed, bushy brow look.
Kajal Agarwal (Yazhini) is the brave and beautiful wife of Thala Ajith (Ajay Kumar)It seems the filmmaker has taken the gender quota rules a bit too seriously as he has assured female representation in almost all fronts: under-world gangs, intelligence team and terror troupe, you name it.
While the anatomy of Aryan’s 'chase' reminds us of the Decaprio classic Catch Me If You Can, the scientific overkill and the intelligence agency headquarters makes us think of scenes from Matrix. AK's role is no different than a James Bond character while the terror plot resembles the Rambo series. In a nutshell, Vivegam is a movie close to Hollywood in concepts but executed with Kollywood principles.
Akshara Haasan in the movieWell, all that was for the physics geeks out there. For a common man, Vivegam is just a complex physics-based movie in which Thala kills the villain in a ‘mass’ fight sequence towards the end.
The songs of the movie, viz., 'Kaadalaada,' ' Thalai Viduthalai' and 'Never Give Up', make up for some good listening experience and are visually pleasing.
The two-and-a-half-hour-long movie keeps you on your toesBut the most impressive scene in the whole movie is when a fully pregnant Kajal Agarwal sings a fast-beat number when her husband is fighting for his dear life. Yes, the Kollywood has just surpassed all other film industries in making logic-defying movies.
Rating: 2.5/5
