VAASUVUM SARAVANANUM ONNA PADICHAVANGA (VSOP) REVIEW

VAASUVUM SARAVANANUM ONNA PADICHAVANGA (2015)

Director: M.Rajesh

Casts: Arya, Santhanam, Tamannaah, Vidyulekka Raman, Bhanu
Music: D.Imman
Language: Tamil
Genre: Romantic Comedy

VSOP – the cheeky creative title says it all about the flick created from the makers of ‘Boss Engira Baskaran’. Promising comedy flick director, Rajesh is back to his “booze-love-bromance” formula after the major downer in ‘All in All Azhagu Raja’.  With a great sense of determination (and desperation), Rajesh has to give a hit urgently to be back to the league of leading directors. Will he prevail?

Synopsis

Vasu (Santhanam) and Saravanan (Arya) are thick friends since young and they own a mobile phone shop named, “VASA mobiles”. Vasu enters the wedlock and unfortunately his wife set a condition to Vasu to break ties with Saravanan. What Vasu does next and whether he chooses marriage over friendship forms the crux of the story.

Story – Screenplay

When it comes to Rajesh films, audience only expect a thread of plot, pages of countering dialogues laced with couple of mediocre songs touching the climax line with an abrupt quirky scene. Yes and this VSOP is just that. But the problem is, that’s all it does. 

Rajesh who is known to engage audience have desperately counted on wafer thin storyline circulating around his same debate of ‘friend or girlfriend’. With just a small idea, Rajesh churned our ‘Oru Kal Oru Kannadi’ that was a blockbuster and the same idea was conveyed in the recent ‘Nanbenda’. The below average performance of that film should is a big warning sign that this idea has worn off among the audience. 

The film does not really reaches any form of stake that stirs up the emotions of the audience. In addition, Rajesh rudely throws in insults to obese people during the second half in the name of comedy expecting the audience to relate. Yes, it does leave the audience in splits for that moment, thanks to the perfect marriage of Santhanam and Rajesh’s dialogues but in big picture, it is utterly crude.

On the brighter side, VSOP has no dull moments and it is perfectly paced. Rajesh as usual scores distinction with his ever-dependable skill of comedy writing. The film undoubtedly engages better than his previous film for the 2 and half hours. But my question here is that how is he going to keep this dying juvenile formula alive in his next film. Next phase of Rajesh’s career will really prove his stand in this industry?

Casting & Performance

Santhanam tops the list here undoubtedly. Without him, VSOP might have just collapsed. Rajesh-Santhanam chemistry might just even clinch victory over most hero-heroine chemistry in the current industry. Rajesh have studied the strengths of Santhanam and wrote according to them. The scene where all enter the house of Vidyulekka’s house to insult the family is a scream.

Arya even though complements Santhanam well in comedic scenes, looks really unconvincing as the ‘innocent and lost’ character.  As he progresses in his career, Arya has to choose films, which suits his age and physique as well.

Tamannah is the surprise package here as she nails the comedy sequences with her over exaggerated expressions and animated body language. Vidyulekka on the other end is another comedy dynamite. However, the episode of insulting obese people is getting sickening and steals some charm of her. Talented upcoming artiste like her deserves a better way to perform comedy instead of just being assigned to physically stereotyped roles. ‘Thamirabharani’ fame Bhanu does well in a limited role.

Technicality

When the story does not warrant any visual creativity in comedy, the technical team might just layback with a snubbed platform to show their true potential. That exactly happened here.

Nirav Shah’s rich colours do aid this light-hearted flick. Joining hands with Rajesh for the first time, Nirav has just given sufficient to support the story without experimenting much as he usually does.

Acclaimed music director D.Imman plays extremely safe with similar sounding tracks from his previous albums. In the four songs, only ‘Luckka Maatidichi’ manages to stick in the mind.

National award winning editor, Vivek Harshan has edited the existing well-paced screenplay, very crisply.

Bottomline

VSOP is yet another ‘nostalgic’ mindless comedy from the successful trio, Rajesh-Santhanam-Arya, which engages at most part.

Verdict: Old jokes in new book

Movie Rating:  2.5/5

Director’s crown – M.Rajesh :