Review: Vettaiyan
Make no mistake about it, Vettaiyan will be a significant film in Tamil cinema for all time to come for the important issues it seeks to highlight. Director Gnanavel makes some very commendable points about encounters and why the people must ask for wholesome justice instead of demanding instant justice.

Film: Vettaiyan
Writer & Director: T.J. Gnanavel
Music: Anirudh Ravichander
Director of Photography: SR Kathir I.S.C
Action Director: Anbariv
Editor: Philomin Raj
Cast: Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Kishore, Ritika Singh, Dushara Vijayan, GM Sundar, Abirami, Rohini, Rao Ramesh, Ramesh Thilak, Rakshan
Rating: 3.5 stars
Director T J Gnanavel, who impressed with his courtroom drama Jai Bhim, is back with another engrossing investigative entertainer in Vettaiyan. Gnanavel not only delivers a meaningful story with a substantial takeaway for audiences but also infuses elements of commercial cinema in the right amount to keep Rajini’s fans happy.

The plot…
The character of Kanniyakumari Superintendent of Police Athiyan (Rajinikanth), who strikes terror in the hearts of criminals and offenders, is a culmination of three distinct qualities. He has integrity, is courageous and is very efficient when it comes to solving cases. One other reason that he is known for is encounters. The man doesn’t hesitate to take down criminals through encounters.
It is under these circumstances that one day, Athiyan receives a letter from an honest and upright government school teacher (Dushara Vijayan), who, through the letter, informs that her school premises is being used as a storehouse for drugs by gangs smuggling them.
Athiyan begins investigating the case and one thing leads to another. However, he solves the case swiftly and delivers instant justice. He lauds the teacher for her bravery and urges her to remain the way she is.
Things are peaceful until the teacher is one day brutally raped and murdered. What happens then is what Vettaiyan is all about…

Analysis
Make no mistake about it, Vettaiyan will be a significant film in Tamil cinema for all time to come for the important issues it seeks to highlight. Director Gnanavel makes some very commendable points about encounters and why the people must ask for wholesome justice instead of demanding instant justice.
There are several important and significant takeaways from Vettaiyan. For instance, director Gnanavel, through his well-presented story, drives home the point that until now, all those criminals who have been killed in encounters are all from the poor sections of society. The rich and the powerful, despite committing more heinous crimes, don’t die in encounters. The film also seeks to highlight the hollowness of the argument that police kills someone through an encounter due to public pressure. The film points out that even when there is immense public pressure, the police show restraint when the criminal is a wealthy person.
One other laudable aspect about the film is that it has a sequence in which Athiyan (Rajinikanth) is shown admitting to the public his mistake of killing an innocent person during an encounter and stating that he is ready to be tried in a court of law for such a crime.
The film also shows the manner in which private coaching centres fleece parents and children and how ruthless they can be.

Performances
Rajinikanth as Athiyan does a fantastic job. He is cool, collected and convincing as the efficient and honest encounter specialist. Manju Warrier, who plays his wife, has very little to do but she does her part well. Amitabh Bachchan appears as an expert in the Human Rights Panel and delivers a neat cameo.
Dushara Vijayan, who plays the altruistic and bold government school teacher, delivers a fantastic performance and hogs the limelight. The only other person who manages to outshine her is Fahadh Faasil, who steals the show as Patrick aka Battery, a common thief-turned-police informer. In fact, Fahadh so effortlessly slips into the skin of the tech expert character, that you actually yearn for his presence all through the movie. Luckily, he appears for the most part.
Ritika Singh and Rana Daggubatti too play their parts well.
Technical Aspects:
Music director Anirudh partly succeeds in Vettaiyan. His songs for Vettaiyan aren’t as impressive as they were for Jailer. Nevertheless, the man impresses with his background score for the film. The music multiplies the impact of the powerful screenplay.
Kathir’s cinematography is almost flawless. Full marks to him and to stunt masters Anbariv for coming up with an intelligent fight sequence, which gives viewers a first hand view of the action.
Philomin Raj’s editing is tight for the most part and that is the reason the story moves at a brisk pace. However, towards the end, the film gives the impression of being a tad too long. A little more efficiency here and the film could have been even more better.
Verdict:
Vettaiyan is a brilliant entertainer that needs to be watched and enjoyed in a theatre. Have no doubts about it, this one is worth both your time and money.