In his third directorial venture, RJ Balaje has chosen a solid family entertainer. Titled Veetla Visesham, the film sees RJ Balaje once again in the lead role opposite Soorarai Pottru-fame Aparna Balamuralli. The supporting cast includes Sathyaraj, Oorvasi, Shivani Narayanan, Mayilsaamy, Pugazh, George Maryan and 80s actresses Seema and Kamala Kamesh.
Balaje plays Elango, an educator at a private school. Elango is part of a close-knit family with the usual family squabbles and differences, especially between Elango’s mother, Krishnaveni – brilliantly portrayed by Oorvasi – and Elango’s paternal grandmother, played by KPAC Lalitha. Haplessly caught between these two is Elango’s father, Unni – deftly played by Sathyaraj – an employee of the Indian railways who is close to retirement. Middle class family problems aside, life is relatively uncomplicated until a single incident changes everything. What this incident is and its hilarious consequences form the rest of Veetla Visesham.
This is by far Balaje’s best acting performance to date and he does brilliantly in the non-verbal emoting. Unfortunately for him, he is overshadowed by the comedic genius of Oorvasi and the experienced comedic timing of veteran Sathyaraj, both of whom are in scintillating form as Elango’s parents. KPAC Lalitha as the acid-tongued mother-in-law does brilliantly while Aparna Balamuralli and Pavithra Lokesh – playing daughter and mother respectively are the best of the others. Seema, who South African viewers might remember as the lead actress in films like Kali and Shankarlal, is in a neat but small role while Visvesh, playing Elango’s younger brother, Anirudh is the best of the others.
What makes the comedy in this film work so brilliantly is the credibility of the characters who are realistically flawed and have believably flawed relationships. Full credit to scriptwriters Akshat Ghildial and Shanthunu Srivastava whose lively script keeps one entertained from beginning to end. The screenplay by RJ Balaji and NJ Saravanan provides the perfect mix of engaging drama and rib-tickling comedy.
Whilst the film scores highly as an entertainer, other cinematic aspects are not as impressive. The songs by Girish Gopalakrishnan are adequate but the background score is far from impressive. Karthik Muthukumar’s cinematography shows no attempt at innovation while Selva RKs editing stays firmly on the conservative path.
These flaws would annoy those seeking cinematic excellence but if you watch a film purely for entertainment, you will thoroughly enjoy Veetla Visesham.
Veetla Visesham scores a solid 8 points out of 10.