VILANGU (2022)
 |
| Critic No. 269 |
Director: Prasanth Padiyaraj
Written by: Prasanth Padiyaraj
Produced by: Zee5
Casts: Vemal, Bala Saravanan, Ineya, Munishkanth, RNR Manohar, Ravi, Reshma Pasupuleti
Music: Ajesh
Language: Tamil
Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
SYNOPSIS:
Paridhi (Vemal), an honest cop, must race against time to solve a mysterious crime case and nab the dangerous serial killer who has baffled the police department.
REVIEW:
There are many series that have emerged in the recent years especially during the pandemic period where even fairly popular stars are exploring the arena to give their career a fresh reboot. ‘Vilangu’ has an interesting team with director Prasanth (the director of the disastrous, Bruce Lee (2017)), Vemal (once a decent star who has made some disappointing movies in the recent years), Ineya (an actress who had made a sparkling start but faded off), Bala Saravanan (another fading off comedian) and Ajesh (winner of Super Singer, an underrated composer who is still waiting to kick off his career). On paper, the film is a collaboration of people who are declining in their cinema career and Zee5 should be commended to believe in this project. Does the belief pay off?
Paridhi (Vemal), a sub-inspector at the Vembur Police Station, in the outskirts of Trichy, is unable to balance his personal and professional life and it is the latter that consumes most of his time. A jewellery theft in a house, a decomposed dead body without a head, a cold-blooded murder - all three crimes that happen back to back, fall under the Vembur Police jurisdiction and the crimes are being investigated by Paridhi and his team of Police officers including Karuppu (Balasaravanan), Uthaman (Munishkanth), and others. As they set out to find the killer, they are welcomed by a series of unexpected events. They have to race against the ticking clock to crack the case and find the dangerous serial killer who is responsible for the murders that happened in the village.
Each of the characters in the story are given a nice shade of backstory and the subtle lining about caste and the commentary on how police are judged as prioritizing cases according to that are interesting. It paints a telling picture of how deep-rooted caste is and how it works in discriminating people. In a sense, both the 'hero' and the 'villain' are from marginalized sections. While Paridhi works for his upliftment through education and securing a good job, the killer resorts to violence.
Though at times it might look like the sub plots are densely packed, Prasanth gradually connects the dots and presents a finished puzzle that is mostly satisfying. The strength of the writing lies in the depth of characisations. While the camera doesn’t shy away from exposing the brutality of the police force, we also see the pressure that they are under to solve cases. The police officers have very little time for family, and must solve cases with few resources and plenty of red tape. What I liked about the series is the consistent cliffhangers that each one finishes off with. The series also doesn’t self censors itself from showing the detailed violence involved in crimes which is quite a welcoming note for Tamil series. The production quality is top notch as well and looks like a feature film in all aspects.
While watching a crime-thriller, it is the investigator's body language and how he cracks each puzzle that instill a sense of excitement in the viewer. But in Vilangu, Vemal carries a restrained approach and does more of a mechanical job. Contrary to the usual super cop roles in Tamil cinema, Paridhi is an ordinary policeman devoid of any special skills. He's neither brainy nor brawny. What works for him is his humane approach. However, in every episodes, we witness various torturing approaches employed the police team against the suspects (not even the accused) that I found very disturbing and could have been avoided. That said, Vemal's humane approach towards the serial killer in the last few episodes, serves as a balance, almost showing that it works better than hitting the people.
Vemal looks confident and apt as the rookie police. As much as we see how much solving the case means to the character, Vemal’s hunger to turn this series as a reboot for him is evident in each of the scenes. His dedicated performance is one of the biggest strengths of the series. Hope this brings him back to form. Bala Saravanan, an actor known mostly for his comedy roles, is terrific in Vilangu as a hot-headed constable who is known for his third-degree treatment of suspects. He is a pure-hearted cop but ballistic with his approach which I felt was designed to serve as total contrast to Paridhi. Ineya and Munishkanth are good in their brief, conventional roles. Late actor RNR Manohar is great as usual while the person who plays the serial killer (shall not name the actor’s name) might be an important find in Tamil cinema. The visual treatment and score feels like Vetrimaran’s Visaranai (2015) at times, especially during the investigation scenes. Ajesh excels in his subtle but effective score.
The series almost feels like it just needed about 5 to 6 episodes to tell off its message as the last few episodes feel like a stretch and executed just to fulfill the 7 episode contract. After a nail biting thrilling journey, when we are finally shown the serial killer, his motive feels a little flat. I just felt that the sub plots could have been reduced in the start and the series could have spent more time developing the psyche of the serial killer. But that said, Vilangu is a definite winner in many sense as an investigative crime series and as mentioned at the start of the series, the declining stars involved in this might have just turned their career to an extreme height of a great form!
VERDICT:
With a grounded, realistic approach, Vilangu is an arresting investigative crime thriller series with an intelligent writing that offers a nail biting, rewarding journey, serving as a strong hope for the Tamil web series arena.
CELLULOID METER- 4/5:
Comments
Post a Comment