Vidaa Muyarchi Film Review

Ajithkumar’s latest movie, Vidaamuyarchi, is a brave deviation from the formulaic commercial entertainer, choosing an international audience as its focal point. The tense suspense thriller is written and directed by Magizh Thirumeni, the director of films like Thadam, Munthinam Paartheney and Thadaiyara Thaakka.

Ajithkumar and Trisha head the cast, supported by Arjun, Regina Cassandra, Aarav, Nikhil Nair, Jeeva Ravi, former TV presenter Ramya and Jeeva Ravi.

Arjun (Ajithkumar) and his wife Kayal (Trisha) have drifted apart and have decided on a divorce. Arjun suggests that they make a last trip together to drop Kayal at her father’s house. En route, what appears to be a random act of road age, turns into something much more sinister and Arjun finds himself in a whirlpool of confusion and mystery.

The entire presentation of the film – from the setting to the cinematographic palette to the characters and the plot – has none of the normal “mass” elements of a commercial entertainer – not even the expected grand entry by Ajithkumar. Instead Magizh Thirumeni has relied solely on his script and the depth of the screenplay to keep the viewer deeply engaged throughout the film.

Most suspense thrillers rely heavily on the plot and screenplay and do not give much room for intense acting. The four major characters in this film – portrayed by Ajithkumar, Trisha, Arjun and Regina Cassandra – all deliver extraordinary performances. Ajithkumar’s expressions and Trisha’s emoting through her eyes are apparent even to the most casual observer. Regina Cassandra is in one of her best roles while Arjun delivers much more than what the script required.

The film does, however, have some minor flaws: The screenplay could have followed a faster pace in the first half, the editing could have been better – particularly in some of the fight sequences – and the last fight sequence should have been shorter. However, these flaws appear irrelevant when one looks at the excellence of the rest of the film.

Cinematography by Nirav Shah and Om Prakash is a masterclass in lighting, angles, filters and palettes. Not enough can be said about the deft camerawork in the in-vehicle fight sequence.

The soundtrack by Anirudh Rvaichander is unimaginative. His background score is very good in heightening the film’s narrative impact but bears too string a resemblance to his background scores in recent films.

Vidaa Muyarchi is a faithful and creative remake of the 1997 Hollywood hit film, Breakdown and is Ajithkumar’s best film since Yennai Arindhaal.

Vidaa Muyarchi scores 8 points out of 10.