Vai Raja Vai Review – A half-won gamble

Raven

‘Vai Raja Vai’ is a common phrase used in Tamil for referring to gambling games. This aptly titled film also revolves around gambles at different levels. After a hard-hitting film 3, Aishwarya Dhanush has chosen to come up with a light-hearted fun film with Vai Raja Vai. With a huge star cast, has the movie managed to pull off a good show? Read on.

Plot

The movie spins around Gautham Karthik’s superpower (Extrasensory perception), which helps him to win a huge amount by predicting the course of a cricket match. Danil Balaji, after losing that amount, threatens Gautham to play casino and win crores for him. Will Gautham come out of the trap unscathed?

Cast

Gautham Karthik does manage to carry himself comfortably throughout the film, although he doesn’t showcase any remarkable skill. However, his voice modulation needs improvement, as some of his voice-overs fall flat in crucial sequences. Priya Anand merely appears in song sequences and doesn't impress much. Vivek, as the stylish colleague of Gautham, is shown in a different avatar altogether and it is refreshing to see him in roles like this.

Sathish is carefully used in the film with limited screen presence, and he keeps the first half entertaining.  Taapsee is seen in a cameo role with not much of scope for performance. Has Daniel Balaji become too predictable or have the directors stereotyped him? His body language, dialogue delivery and attitude will remind you of Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu and Polladhavan. The climax reiterates that Dhanush has become a rage in Tamil cinema. His charisma gets the whistles and claps, and also helps the movie to end on a slightly higher note.

Crew

Yuvan is both an advantage and a disadvantage to this film. While he has come up with pulsating BGM that elevates the scenes, the songs of the so-called comeback album don’t create any impact on the screens. Most of them look unnecessary and hinder the flow of the movie. Velraj’s cinematography ranges from being functional to good, especially in the cruise sequences.

Direction – Aishwarya Dhanush

Aishwarya Dhanush smartly packages the first half with fun and suspense. Although it looks easy to connect ESP power with predicting a cricket match, it needs to be convincingly brought out on the screen, which she manages to do perfectly. The first half ends on an intriguing note, leaving audience to anticipate how the movie would unfold further.

However, the second half is a complete letdown. Except for Dhanush’s presence in the climax, there is no high point in the latter half of the film. It could be because of the alienated casino culture or because it becomes too predictable at a point. Also, the scenes involving MS Bhaskar and Vivek aren’t really amusing.  Aishwarya tries to replicate the comedy sequence from Guru En Aalu, a film that really bombed. SJ Surya’s song looks unnecessary, and it is quite natural for us to expect at least women directors avoid such forced songs.

Verdict

‘Vai Raja Vai’ aces in the first half, but runs out of steam in the second. A half-won gamble that misses a few tricks!

Rating – 2.5/5

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