Ajith Kumar’s Vivegam is a pure action film by Siva, the same director as Vedalam. And that’s my issue with the film. It’s trying to be something like a Bond film or a Mission Impossible type of movie. Spies and double crosses and missing nuclear codes and so on. But it doesn’t have heart. It doesn’t have a story between all the great action set pieces to keep you interested in the story.
Kajal plays Ajith’s wife in the film, and there is no romance track. She becomes a woman in peril, as you would expect in a film like this.
There are some wild action scenes and nearly the entire movie is set in Serbia. If you want to see Ajith doing amazing motorcycle chase sequences and fight a samurai sword wielding warrior woman with nun-chucks. Then this is the movie for you.
I was hoping since it was the same director, Siva, as Vedalam, that it would be a similar experience. It was more Hollywood influenced. Maybe that’s what the Tamil audience wants, but the NRIs I saw the film with were also disappointed. I talked to two different groups in the lobby to see if it was just my negative reaction. It wasn’t just me.
But, it was a roller coaster ride of action. I’ll give them that. And Vivek Oberoi was a good villain.
After the horrible events in Charlottesville on Saturday, on the spur of the moment, I went to a packed late show of Nene Raju Nene Mantri (I am the King, I am the Minister.) Whoo boy, it was not an escape from violent politics.
I did like the film, but the ending, not just the very last moments, but the last ten minutes or so were very much wtf plot turns. I left shell shocked and so did the audience. I had to approach some women in the lobby to talk about their reaction to the ending. I went by myself, and it was one of those kinds of films where you just have to talk to someone and say — what about that ending?? What did YOU think?? So please, if you’ve seen the film, please leave a comment and tell me what your takeaway was from that ending.
It was just delightful to see the chemistry between Rana and Kajal. This is a tour de force film for Rana Daggubati, but Kajal gets to show depths of acting that I have not seen in her other roles, especially in the melodramatic scenes. Rana starts the film very sweet – he’s a money lender, but a soft hearted one who helps poor farmers, not the kind who bashes heads to demand payment.
We don’t see the romance of Kajal and Rana, but do see a flashback of them as childhood sweethearts. The film shows them as an established happily married couple. Jogendra (Rana) is obsessed with keeping his Radha (Kajal) happy. When a tragedy befalls them, then he is hell-bent on revenge. He sees a path through politics to gain the power he needs to rain down justice. But then the power corrupts him as he climbs up the political ladder. Nothing and no one can stand in his way. He says it is from the love of his wife, but she points out that that is not really true.
Frankly, Jogendra becomes a monster. I felt like it was an abrupt change of his personality when the tragedy happens, but the descent thereafter was somewhat believable as the power corrupts him more and more. The last 10 minutes though. Yowza. I’ll leave this spoiler free, but again, please comment if you saw it!!
It was a worthy film to see, and Rana gave a great performance showing a range that he wasn’t able to fully show in the Baahubali films. The people in the packed theater were there to see him, and I’m looking forward to see where he goes next in his career. While the director Teja, tried to give a critical look at a corrupt political system, where he took it left me rather stunned as he showed crowds sympathizing with the extremes of Jogendra’s acts.
What was also fun for me was now that I’ve seen more Telugu films that just about every character actor in the industry had at least a small part in the film. There was a lot of “Hey, it’s that guy!” for me.
I’m super excitecd for DJ now after seeing Arya(2004) and Arya2 (2009) over the last 2 days. Only Arya2 is the MUST see movie, but you should watch the
opening dance number of Arya, to get a sense what a great dancer Allu Arjun is. Arya was his breakout film, and the debut blockbuster for director Sukumar — the guy who directed 1: Nenokkadine!
Like most Indian “sequels” Arya1 and Arya2are not continuations of the same story thread, but variations on the same theme.
Arya1 has Arjun playing Arya, and he’s in a love triangle with Geeta and Ajay and the setting is college. Ajay is your typical college tough stalker. He decides Geeta will be his and threatens suicide to make her date him.. Ugh. Arya loves Geeta but expects nothing in return. He even helps to get Ajay and Geeta togehter, etc. when her father wants her to marry someone else. Geeta is played by a former model, and she has only one basic expression the entire film — looking miserable. She has the charisma of a wet dishrag. Ajay is your basic evil boyfriend. Arya (Allu Arjun) carries the entire movie by sheer force of his cheerfulness, charm and excellent dance numbers
Seriously, Allu Arjun is THE best Telugu dancer I have seen yet. He dedicates Arya2 to Michael Jackson, and he can MOVE. This dancing ability leads to great action sequences, because he’s really acrobatic in his kicks and so on.
I thought I had to watch Arya 1 to get Arya2, but it’s not necessary as Arya 2 is a stand alone film, and not a continuation of the first film’s story. It’s amusing enough, and was a blockbuster hit at the time, but not nearly as enjoyable as the second film. The heroine is just so passive you want to scream, and the plot fairly regressive — except for Arya‘s selfless love.
It just made me appreciate Arya2 all the more. To see how Allu Arjun had grown as a dancer and actor and the director! . I’m really glad I waited until now to watch Arya2, because it is just that much more funny to me now!
Arya2 is brilliant, because it is a total riff and send up of all the usual Telugu movie tropes. And it makes fun of them all, while referencing Darr and even has a white dog at a wedding JUST like the one in HAHK! But what the director does with the dog in the scene just had me in stitches. The whole movie is very entertaining, if a tad long.
First off, we start with Arya and Ajay as fellow child orphans and there is something off about Arya. He demands to be Ajay’s friend, and is a psycho possessive kind of friend. The whole movie is taking that brotherly Dost bond to the far reaches of the extreme.
They fall in love with Geeta at the exact same moment — and she’s played by Kajal who I LOVE, so she’s a spitfire and not a dishrag. They actually flip a coin for her, again riffing on sexist Telugu tropes over and over again, and mocking them.
There’s the forced wedding, the battling families, and on and on. And throughout Arya is mostly completely off his rocker, and yet still mostly likeable! It’s a great performance. And so great of the director to make the main character with negative shadings — he has his blown up Darr sized picture wall of Geeta in his room and all.
The whole set up is in a way similar to the first movie — Arya has a struggle between his love of Geeta and this time his possessive love of his friend Ajay. He wants them to be happy, and works to make it possible for them to be together — while occasionally slapping his own face to remind himself, “Have to give Geeta back to Ajay, Have to give Geeta back to Ajay…) Also, Ajay is not a cardboard villain type. You go back and forth in and out of sympathy with his shades of gray third wheel character. Kajal is sometimes a spoiled brat — and has a penchant for throwing down cell phones and breaking them, which I found to be a very funny running gag.
Don’t expect an emotional rollercoaster with crying and pathos. Expect to laugh and laugh — and be delighted by the clever action scenes, and the allusions to so many other films.
That comedy uncle guy, Brahmanandam is in it as the HR manager of Ajay’s tech firm where they all work, and he has a toned down performance — and was really good! I actually liked him in this one!
This Arya2number is just jaw dropping AMAZEBALLS!! Allu Arjun’s dancing is off the chain!
I’d still say that Prabhas is my number one in Telugu films, and Mahesh second. Alllu Arjun has the best dance skills by far, and real comedic chops, though.
For Bollyfools, I watched a few of the new Regional trailers, which unfortunately have no subtitles! Super frustrating.
I have only seen Allu Arjun in Rudhramadeviand he was amazing in that, even though he was not the lead. I watched both the Rom Com feeling teaser, and then the full trailer, neither of which have subs. Anyone that speaks Telugu, help me out as to what’s going on. Is it a double role? The action looks cool, and even though I’m not a Pooja Hegde (ugh, Mohenjo Daro) fan, the rom com aspect looks adorable.
Dhanush has VIP 2 which will also have KAJOL!! So excited to see her in a new film. I don’t speak Tamil, and I’ve not seen VIP 1, so I have no idea what’s going on in this trailer. That ending flying kick looks super cool. Any translation help would be most appreciated!
Kartik from Bollyfools translated Rana’s new teaser for me. The title means I am the King and I am the Minister. Rana will be opposite Kajal for the first time, and I’m really excited to see that. When he’s on the scaffolding with the noose, Rana says, “I will decide when I die, and I will decide when you die!” I love that shot with him as the prisoner about a foot taller than all the guards behind him.
Ajith Kumar’s Vivegam is a pure action film by Siva, the same director as Vedalam. And that’s my issue with the film. It’s trying to be something like a Bond film or a Mission Impossible type of movie. Spies and double crosses and missing nuclear codes and so on. But it doesn’t have heart. It doesn’t have a story between all the great action set pieces to keep you interested in the story.
Kajal plays Ajith’s wife in the film, and there is no romance track. She becomes a woman in peril, as you would expect in a film like this.
Pardesi Reviews 