Vivegam (2017): When you're in a mass-hero film, two important aspects are prerequisite. One: Whether it has a panoply of mass scenes to make your theatre experience... deafening. And two, whether it caters to the star's fans.If the movie is a typical commercial film,we may allow that but when the movie is hyped as a spy thriller with grandeur scale and costly production values,we seriously expect a decent experience.Did Vivegam achieve it? Plot: Ajay Kumar (AK) is an agent working for a counter terrorism agency. The agency is in Serbia. He is wanted by 80 countries and many agencies as he is suspected to have gone rogue, misusing his power.His former friends in the agency headed by Aryan (Vivek Oberoi) are now hunting for him. In turn, Ajith Kumar is after people who betrayed him when he was on a mission to track Natasha (Akshara).How AK finds his betrayers and also saves his wife Yazhini (Kajal) is the rest of the story.
My Review: Five minutes into the movie,the opening scene itself clarifies that the so-hyped spy film is just another fan-mela film with unnecessary build-up shots and loud music.
Consider Ajith's introduction scene. An army officer locks a weapons deal with a terrorist organisation. When he's cautioned about the Counter Terrorist Squad, the general says, "Even the wind needs my permission to enter into my territory." Ideally, you would expect Ajith Kumar to show up. But the wind gently ruffles Ajith's salt-and-pepper hair.There are lot of fan moments in the film and scene after scene makes this movie look like a Fan-Made trailer sorta thing.
Director Siva and Ajith, in their third consecutive collaboration, go all out to present a film on an international scale and going by the standards they've set, it's truly remarkable. The attempt is ambitious and the team's effort is commendable, but what's the point of all this hard work when it is not backed by an engaging story. Despite going international, in terms of scale and vision, Siva's filmmaking style is still loud and over-the-top mostly. It defeats the whole purpose of giving the story an international touch.
Except for ridiculous opening scene,rest of the action scenes are handled good but have lot of illogical factors.The pre-interval portion, especially the stretch that leads to Akshara Haasan's introduction, is easily the film's best sequence. It builds the tension effectively and is followed by a breathtaking chase sequence on the streets of Serbia.
Ajith in the role of an agent is in top form. He has done some high-octane action sequences terrifically. Indeed it is his show all the way.Ajith's physical transformation deserves special praise, and he has worked really hard, despite shooting in extreme climatic conditions. He carries the film on his shoulders and turns in a never seen before kind of performance.
Music is bad and Cinematographer must have undergone severe pain following the directors messy vision.
So,Vivegam may look grand because of foreign locations and action scenes but it is just a typical mass-masala film.Watch it only for Ajith and action scenes.
My Rating 5.5/10
