Vanangaan by Director Bala has many fine elements, yet it doesn’t come together well enough to make an impact. Despite a brilliant performance by Arun Vijay and Chhaya Devi as his sister, the film struggles due to its disjointed narrative and lack of a compelling screenplay. Mangoidiots gives it a Raw rating.
Arun Vijay plays a speech and hearing-impaired youth Kotti who has taken in an orphan he found after the Tsunami tragedy as his sister. He earns a living by doing odd jobs and often finds himself in situations where he has to fight against wrongdoers. When he lands a job as a security guard in an orphanage, the plot becomes predictable.
The background score by Sam CS adds the much-needed tempo and enhances key moments effectively. The songs by G V Prakash Kumar are fine but don’t leave a lasting impression. The thirty-minute post-interval showcases Director Bala’s brilliance, offering some engaging sequences. However, I found the screenplay before and after that stretch to be uninspiring. The cinematography by R. B. Gurudev and the sharp editing deserve praise—there are no unnecessarily prolonged scenes, and the film avoids spoon-feeding the audience.
From the start, the film features relentless action sequences, with Arun Vijay constantly engaged in beating people. While this may work initially, it becomes tiresome, especially in two critical scenes. The violence in the film is over-the-top, with graphic depictions of murder that may not sit well with everyone. Moreover, most scenes unfold exactly as expected, draining the story of suspense.
I am baffled by the climax, unsure of what I just watched and why certain things happened. The inclusion of the tour guide’s explanations about the Vivekananda Rock and the Thiruvalluvar statue seems to be a nod to Bala’s iconic characters, like the one played by Suriya in Pithamagan. Unfortunately, these scenes don’t add much value to the storytelling here.
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