Vada Chennai (2018)

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