If Thani Oruvan saw director Mohan "Remake" Raja reinvent himself as a fine director of a remake-worthy original feature, his sophomore attempt in this quest cements the credentials he had earned with his previous venture.
Make no mistake. Despite getting packaged as an entertainer, Velaikaaran is a message movie that tends to get preachy. Yet, if it works for the most part, it is because of some smart writing and directing that sincerely attempts to raise the bar for the mundane masala flicks that are dumped on us on a weekly basis.
Sivakarthikeyan fits the role like a glove with a convincing performance (perhaps, his best work yet) and this film should see him hit a new high in his rapidly soaring career graph. Rest of the ensemble cast including the excellent Fahad Fazil making his debut in Tamil (excellent diction), Nayantara, Sneha, Prakash Raj, Rohini, Charlie, RJ Balaji and others acquit themselves competently in their cameos.
While it has its share of flaws including certain formulaic cliches, lectures and some flab in running time, the movie has its heart in the right place and tells a story with sincerity that strikes a chord with the viewers without succumbing to too many compromises or cheap thrills.
