Movie: Valiyavan
Direction: M Saravanan
Cast: Jai, Andrea Jeremiah, Aaron Chaudhury, Azhagam Perumal, Anupama Kumar, Bala Saravanan
Music Director: D Imman
Cinematography: Dinesh Krishnan
Editor: Subarak
Genre: Action
Rating: ∗½
What it’s about: Jai’s character plays an executive marketing manager of a mall, while Andrea plays a rich individual and works for a bank alongside Jai’s dad Azhagaperumal. Andrea proposes to Jai in the early minutes of the movie and as the plot develops, he finds out that she is ready to accept his love only if he hits a silver medal Olympic boxing champion for a reason that is revealed later. The story takes off on that tangent, with Jai’s training and obvious victory .
Why it’s disappointing: The screenplay is so weak that barely a few minutes into the movie, one feels restless in one’s seat. The chemistry between the lead characters is close to non-existent, with Andrea clearly looking the elder of the two. The climax hangs by a thread of logic which is a definite let down.
What to watch out for: Imman’s music is certainly a saving grace – two of the songs from he movie are already starting to look like chartbusters. Jai’s physical prowess is quite evident when he shows off his six-pack abs. The boxer, though expressionless, fits into the role quite seamlessly.
The verdict: Tamil cinema and boxing revenge stories my go hand in hand, but this movie proves that too much of anything can certainly leave a bad taste in your mouth. One wishes that the money spent on the clearly haphazard production could have been well spent scripting a more defined screenplay – this is one movie you can definitely afford to miss.
