Varisu (2023) :
Movie Review -
Vamshi Paidipally teams up with superstar Vijay for a family masala entertainer, Varisu. This is nothing but Vanshi and Vijay's attempt at remodelling Allu Arjun's "Ala Vaikunthapurumoolu" (which celebrates its 3rd anniversary today, along with its Hindi remake Shehzada dropping the trailer on the same day). Too many family drama cliches for me in one day. Vamshi has done 5 films till date, and he has always worked with a new superstar each time, so Varisu was made for Vijay after he worked with Prabhas, Jr. NTR, Ram Charan, Nagarajuna, Karthi and Mahesh Babu. It seems that he is more desperate for superstars than for his storytelling. Opiri Thozha and Maharshi still tried to tackle important subjects, but other works haven't been anything but old cliches. Varisu is no different. It brings all the old scenes of family masala flicks together, mixes Vijay's style, a few references from his movies like Thupakki and Master, an 80s background score, daily soap style pauses, and romantic dance numbers in one bottle that drops water for almost 3 hours.
Vijay Rajendran (Vijay), the youngest son of an eminent business magnate, Rajendran Palanisamy (R. Sarathkumar), is disowned and thrown out of the house as he refused to join the family business, deciding to launch a food delivery startup instead. Vijay returns home for a family function and learns about his father's illness and that he has only a few months to live. To provide him a happy farewell, Vijay decides to take over the business and save it from his brothers, Ajay (Shaam) and Jay (Shrikanth). How Vijay saves the business and family both is all you get to see in Varisu.
Varisu is an outdated script, but that's not the major issue here. It's the screenplay that spoils both fun and soul here. There are cliches, yes, but how badly have they been written? Why does Vijay's character have to behave like a child before every aggressive moment? I mean, we all know that he is "the hero" and he is going to smash the opponents. We all know that he always has plans and comebacks to hit back, but why does he have to make a childish caricature for that? Moreover, why do you have to stretch a simple, 2-hour story to 170 minutes? Predictability is common nowadays, but it's even beyond that. You start murmuring dialogues even before they are delivered by the protagonist. As a whole, it's the screenplay and idealistic approach that turn the tables against Varisu.
Performance-wise, I don't really think that it was a film for "acting." Vijay gets to do everything he has been doing for years, just to make sure that you get bored of it at least this time. Action, romance, heroic dialogues, dance numbers, swaggy walks, and what not. Vijay does all of this, but in the meantime, he forgets to act. Rashmika Mandanna looks so cute that you'd like to kiss her, and that's the only reason why she has been sighed for this film (or maybe every film she does). Sarathkumar and Prabhu don't get enough chances, whereas Shaam and Srikanth get chances but waste them. Jayasudha plays the same old housewife and the ever-so-kind mother without any efforts, and Prakash Raj hardly does anything different. The supporting cast is there only to fill the frames, nothing else.
Coming to the technical aspects, Varisu is more like an unbearable daily soap than a feature film. Except for those "3-times-repeat-shots" and "Dhin ta na ta na," it has everything that can rule the nomination charts of the "Indian Television Awards 2023." The cinematography and action may please you, but only if you haven't seen much in the way of action flicks (I mean, which Vijay film hasn't really got it?). The music is somewhat good. You will enjoy the lavish set design and choreography, but why have an overdose of it? Vamshi Paidipally could have attempted another important subject after Opiri and Maharshi, but he decided to make this one. It's like getting out on a duck after hitting half a century in the previous two matches. As a whole, Varisu is strictly for Vijay and Rashmika's fans, who can sit for 3 hours only to see them moving on the screens. I wouldn't even recommend Veeram and Ala Vaikunthapurumoolu to content lovers, forget Varisu.
RATING - 4/10*
