English translation: North Chennai
Director: Vetri Maaran
Story: Vetri Maaran, Naren Siddharth
Cast: Dhanush, Andrea Jeremiah,
Aishwarya Rajesh, Ameer
Music: Santhosh Narayanan
Time: 156 minutes
Bottom-line: A tense, gripping gangster
film with plenty of twists and turns
The third collaboration between
Vetri Maaran and Dhanush, Vada Chennai,
showcases both of them in fine form. Spanning the time period between 1987 and
2003 (a timeline chosen so as to include historic events like the Rajiv Gandhi assassination and the death of MGR), the tale involves politics, local gangs, prison wars and last but not the
least, carrom. The film features Andrea Jeremiah, Aishwarya Rajesh and Ameer
along with Dhanush in the lead roles, with Samuthirakani, Kishore, Pawan and
Sai Dheena in the supporting roles.
 |
| Dhanush as Anbu |
1987: One night, four men kill
someone in a hotel in North Chennai. They decide that two of them (Guna and
Velu) will go to prison and the other two (Jawa and Senthil) will bail them out
in a month. However, a year later, the duo is still in jail, which creates a rift between Guna and Senthil.
2000: Anbu (Dhanush) – once a
skilled carrom player – is arrested after being caught in a brawl. He is sent
to Guna’s jail block but is soon transferred to Senthil’s (who is arrested in 1996) block. Anbu becomes
one of Senthil’s favourites and he gets Senthil to organise a carrom tournament
amongst all the prisoners. As the tournament progresses, we see a surprising
act from Anbu that makes us question his loyalty. We then get to know the whole
story, starting from 1987, including what actually happened on the night of the
murder.
 |
| Andrea as Chandra, Guna's wife |
The tale is narrated in a
non-linear fashion and is divided into four “chapters”, only at the end of
which we get the complete picture (well, or you might have to watch the whole
thing again!). The various well-timed twists and turns keep us guessing all the
way, and in the end, everything falls into place. The narrative structure gives
an interesting perspective to the characters, in the sense that with every
twist, we are taken back to an incident in the past which reveals more about
each person’s true nature. While films like Thegidi and Vikram Vedha have a huge twist in
(literally) the last minute to give a “cliff-hanger” climax, Vada Chennai’s ending necessitates a
sequel (which, apparently, is in the pipeline. I hope Vetri Maaran doesn’t
disappoint).
 |
| Aishwarya as Padma, Anbu's wife |
I like how Vetri Maaran deceives us
with his characters – the ones we think are just secondary actually turn out to
be the drivers of the story. Dhanush and Andrea have both given some of the
best performances of their careers, and their characters demand it. Ameer’s
acting is likely to go unnoticed in the film because of his short screen time,
but that’s a brilliant performance too. In a way, his character (Rajan) gives
the reason as to why the film is titled “Vada Chennai”. The other thing I like
about the characters is how they deal with their enemies on an intellectual
level as well, and not just with fistfights.
 |
| Ameer as Rajan (front) |
Vada
Chennai’s
cinematography and background score enhance the visuals a lot. The song
sequences also continue to narrate the story as they are played, as opposed to
the “dream sequence” songs that I don’t approve of. With strong performances by
the leads and a taut screenplay, Vetri Maaran’s drama guarantees entertainment
throughout the 2.5 hours.
My Rating: 4/5
