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Veyil
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'Veyil' - A Captivating Film

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Tamil cinema continues to spring surprises. Just when you start despairing that Kollywood is stuck in the rut of mediocrity comes a movie that lifts your spirits and strengthens your conviction that all is not lost for Tamil cinema.

The Vasantha Balan-directed ‘Veyil’ belongs to this category of films. It provides proof that Tamil cinema is not devoid of quality directors.

Producer

Shankar also deserves full praise for entrusting the job of direction to Vasantha Balan.

‘Veyil’ is a quality product. A captivating collage infused with human emotions, drama and foibles. Excellent direction and top-class performances elevate the film to a new level.

The strong points of ‘Veyil’ are superb characterization and a powerful screenplay. The icing is imaginative and emphatic direction by Balan who knows the pulse of realistic cinema.

The protagonist of ‘Veyil’ is Murukesan (Pasupathy) who adores his younger brother Kathir (Bharath). He also has another weakness: MGR films. He never misses any MGR film screened at the local theatre.

But his craze for movie watching lands him in trouble when his father once catches him at the cinema theatre, and not at the school.

The chastised boy runs away. Murukesan manages to gets a job in a theatre, and it is a new life for him. He also falls for the charms of Thankam (Malavika). But tragedy strikes with the death of Thankam and the demolition of the theatre. Life loses all meaning for a devastated Murukesan.

In desperation, he is back home after a gap of 20 years. Murukesan continues to be tormented by the vicissitudes of life. The only silver lining is younger brother Kathir who showers affection on him.

Kathir is in love with a sweet and guileless girl Meenakshi (Bhavana). Murukesan has a childhood sweetheart too in the form of Pandi (Shreya Reddy).

It is Pasupathy who dominates ‘Veyil’ with a masterly performance. His mobile face registers the entire gamut of emotions with effortless ease. Bharath’s Kathir shows that he has matured as an actor.

Bhavana looks beautiful and essays her role with élan and feeling. Shreya and Malavika also give a good account of themselves.

A.R.Rahman’s nephew G.V.Prakash is the music director of ‘Veyil’. Prakash is a talented composer and has coaxed a few melodious songs out of the rich lyrics of Na Muthukumar. “Veyilodu Vilaiyaadi” and “Uruguthey”, soaked in melody, deserve special mention. Madhi and Azhagappan’s camera has framed rural Tamil Nadu at its bucolic best.

True, ‘Veyil’ is a bit too sentimental and crammed with one song too many. But the director’s sincerity of approach and innovative interpretation cannot but evoke admiration.

Worth watching because it is a good film unblemished by the formula tricks.

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