Director Vijay Chander's Vaalu is a regular commercial entertainer with a weak plot, poor execution, unrealistic action and mindless fun, writes S Saraswathi.
After endless delay and much controversy, Silambarasan's Vaalu finally releases this weekend.
Simbu has not had a release since 2012's Poda Podi and a lot is riding on this film. Sadly, the film has little to show for all the hype it has been creating over the last three years.
The film is a romantic action comedy directed by debutant Vijay Chander.
The entire film revolves around Sharp (Simbu) trying to win the affections of his love Priya (Hansika Motwani), who is engaged to her uncle's son Anbu (Aditya).
Priya makes a spectacular entry, making good-for-nothing Sharp fall in love with her. His equally worthless friends (Santhanam and VTV Ganesh) help him in his pursuit for her.
Though Priya seems quite happy going around with Sharp, she insists that she will marry only Anbu. Sharp takes this as a challenge and decides to make her fall for him within 10 days.
The second half is all about how these 10 days unfold, ending in a rather tame climax.
Songs are beautifully shot at foreign locales and pop up at odd intervals, alternating with over-the top action sequences. Simbu barely makes any contact before his enemies start to fly all over the place. Except for the You are my Darling number, the other songs are unremarkable.
With over two and a half hours to fill and nothing much to say, the film stretches endlessly. There are no twists and turns and even the plot seems non-existent.
But that is not to say that the film has no entertainment value.
Simbu has the charm and appeal to delight his fans. His enthusiasm and energy coupled with some well-written dialogues catering to the masses and plenty of swagger and style keeps the film from becoming a total bore.
The Simbu-Santhanam chemistry also works big time and is the highlight of the film. VTV Ganesh too adds to the fun.
But all the fun in the film does not compensate for the weak screenplay. The perfect family that dotes on their wayward son seems too hard to digest.
Aditya would probably have made an impressive villain, but has been given little opportunity. At times, the film seems like an ode to Thala Ajith Kumar, who is almost continuously referred to by his hardcore fan, Simbu.
Debutant Vijay Chander's Vaalu is your regular commercial entertainer with a weak plot, poor execution, unrealistic action and some mindless fun.
Rediff Rating: 
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