A Civil engineering graduate is resolute on getting into a job on his line of study. To keep the resolve going he has to resist a barrage of insults from family members & his own bruised ego. When guilt consumes him as his mother dies, his dream project comes in the form of a gift from his dead mother & he goes all out to deliver the project successfully in spite of venomous hurdles of power.
Language:
Tamil
Running Time:
134 min
Rating:
U
Release date:
18 July 2014
Directed by:
Velraj
Produced by:
Dhanush
Written by:
Velraj
Starring:
Dhanush
Amala Paul
Vivek
Samuthirakani
Saranya Ponvannan
Amitesh
Music by:
Anirudh Ravichander
Shot by:
Arunbabu
Editing by:
M. V. Rajesh Kumar
Distributed by:
Escape artist motion pictures

What’s Hot

  • It is Dhanush’s milestone film (25th) & director Velraj delivers a package that fans of the actor will not be disappointed with. He has succeeded in providing mindless entertainment.
  • Dhanush uses his commendable screen presence to good effect & the witty one-liners add to the comedy which comes naturally to the actor.
  • The family bondage has been dealt with quite well & would be nostalgic bringing a smile on the viewers’ faces(Sound of a plastic ball in Motta maadi cricket as an example).
  • Supporting cast has come up with a solid showing thanks to Saranya(though her enjoying her son’s fight with gundas is a huge tamil cinema mother stereotype), Samuthirakani, Amala Paul, Vivekh.
  • The director handles the cinematography as well & so the sync between those departments is evident. Editing deserves a mention for the scenes when the halted project gets restarted.
  • Anirudh scores with his inspiring background music providing nice bits suiting occasions in the film themed differently.

What’s Not

  • The film doesn’t seem to take itself seriously & the second half takes us straight back to Rajinikanth films from the 80s which fed on victimising villains with the rich/poor divide. There is even a disgusting racist dialogue (one that terms the villain a ‘white’ pig).
  • Anirudh’s songs fall flat (save Amma Amma & the title song) because of their semblance with those from his earlier films, because of a seeming low effort put in them, because of their irrelevance to their placement in the film.

Badges

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

VIP has all ingredients to quench the thirst of Dhanush's fans but in the process of offering entertainment, it takes a trip back to the 80s commercial genre.