H Vinoth's Valimai begins with a series of chain-snatching incidents and a robbery committed by masked men on bikes in Chennai. The public is up in arms against the police force, who are clueless. In an internal monologue, the police chief wishes for a super cop to prevent such crimes. The action then cuts to Madurai, where a temple procession is underway. And so is a murder plot. And then we are introduced to ACP Arjun (Ajith Kumar), the film’s protagonist, whose introduction is intercut with scenes from the procession. Like a God who is held up high, we see this character being rising up from the depths (here, from within a car). In short, a whistle-worthy hero-introduction scene. Arjun gets posted to Chennai and starts investigating a suicide case that seems to be related to a larger crime that is afoot. As he begins to track the case, he realises it is connected to the chain-snatching and drug-smuggling cases from before. But when the gang's mastermind (Kartikeya Gummakonda) realises that Arjun is on to him, things turn into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game, in which Arjun's family become pawns. Can Arjun save both his family and the city from this dangerous criminal? It's a clash between stunts and sentiment in Valimai, a somewhat engaging but overlong action movie that hides its simplistic writing with elaborate action set-pieces. We keep getting a sense of Vinoth trying hard to strike a balance between making a gritty action movie and satisfying the demands of a star vehicle. Despite the scope for rooting the action scenes in emotion, the film is content with treating them as just standalone set-pieces. We see this approach clearly in the superficial manner in which the film deals with its secondary characters and their relationship with Arjun. They are mainly one-note - loving mother (Sumithra), drunkard brother (Achyuth Kumar), supportive colleague (Huma Qureshi, who gets one kickass moment and then is relegated to being a sidekick) - or worse, caricatures - corrupt cop (GM Kumar) tattoo-sporting, Goth-like villain's girlfriend. Even the arc of a dejected brother (Raj Ayyappan) who goes rogue isn't built convincingly. This is why the film feels less impactful when we are not in the middle of of an action sequences. But Vinoth makes up for this with the stunts, which are mostly big-screen spectacles that are superbly choreographed (Dhilip Subburayan is the stunt choreographer) and are undoubtedly the film's highlight. A bike chase in the pre-interval portion and a chase involving a bus, a truck and many bikers in the second half are definitely edge-of-the-seat stuff. Ultimately, Valimai is a battle between good and evil. There are clear analogies to Batman. Like that masked superhero, Arjun, too, doesn't believe in killing criminals to eradicate crime. We often see him dressed in black, with his face hidden under a helmet, especially when is taking on the bad guys. He, too, is up against an anarchist who doesn't believe in society. And at one point, he faces a situation where he has to choose between saving his loved ones and the lives of the public. And Ajith plays this role like a superhero. He lends credibility to the stunt scenes and tries to elevate the other scenes with his star power. There are times it works (a scene in prison when he has to break someone's arm) and times when it doesn't (the monologue in the climax). But there is no denying that it is his presence that holds together this two distinct tones of the film.Read more

After two long years, Ajith Kumar is back on screen. He was an actor who dissolved his fan clubs. Whenever his fans go overboard, he issues statements asking them to respect others. But, he is an actor who wants to keep his fans happy through his films. And his latest outing, Valimai, is just that. It’s an action thriller, with cliches, but is still a major crowd-puller. A series of chain-snatching incidents result in grievous injuries. Masked men on bikes selling drugs. A drug mafia with a syndicate head (Kartikeya Gummakonda). And Tamil Nadu Police brings in super cop Arjun (Ajith) from Madurai to crack the case and trace the mastermind. Throw in some mother, brother sentiment and some high-octane stunt sequences, you have Valimai. Valimai has an interesting premise for a slick action thriller. Like director H Vinoth’s Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, Valimai talks about the system and how it doesn’t help common people. However, Valimai isn’t as effective as Theeran. Courtesy: Valimai’s predictable screenplay. The cat-and-mouse game between Ajith and Kartikeya should ideally excite you and make you look forward to the proceedings. But, it only works in parts for Valimai. It is safe to say that Valimai is probably H Vinoth’s weakest script so far. Every conflict is resolved in a matter of seconds. Every solution is just a stone’s throw away. This brings down the excitement considerably. There were some juicy ideas in Valimai. However, these portions are too few and get bogged down by the rest of the film. For example, the bike-and-police-van chase sequence in the second half is tastefully done and has a lot of quirks. And the entire stretch was very exhilarating for the audience. That said, it is great to see Ajith Kumar back on the big screen. Seeing him perform and dance his heart out is something that his fans would totally enjoy. Valimai is a crowd-pleaser in that sense. Ajith, as Arjun, mouths punchlines, shares ‘messages’ about family values, talks about being honest and whatnot. Every now and then, Ajith makes you get up from the seats and clap for him. Apart from Ajith, Kartikeya Gummakonda delivers a neat performance, making him the dreaded villain. Huma Qureshi as Sofia is a supporting role. Though she gets a fight sequence, her character is boring. Ajith has to spell out what she has to do in an enquiry, despite her being a top officer. GM Sundar’s performance stands out among the lot. The second half of Valimai is laced with family sentiments. Before the characters appear on screen, we are given a heads-up, thanks to Ghibran’s background music. It’s a cue for the audience to get sentimental. The cinematography by Nirav Shah is excellent, especially the bike chase sequences. So are Dhilip Subbarayan’s action choreography and Vijay Velukutty’s editing. Naanga Vera Maari song by Yuvan Shankar Raja, enhances the theatrical experience for the audience. Valimai isn’t a bad film. But, the screenplay is stale. If H Vinoth had incorporated some engaging elements, it would have created a solid impact.Read more