Eli Review - A spy comedy that rides on Vadivelu’s charisma

Bharath Vijayakumar

Numero uno comedians in Tamil Nadu have always had an impact over the masses. They might not have the fanatic fan following of the superstars but they are welcomed by cheers when they enter the screen. Vadivelu who was ruling the roost went into a sabbatical and then came back with Thenaliraman last year. He rejoins with it’s maker to play the leading man again in Eli.

Plot:

A small time rogue gets a chance to be a spy and accomplish a task the success of which would enable him become a police officer.

Cast:

It is Vadivelu’s show all the way and he manages to pull it off quite well. Speaking chaste Tamil in all his previous movies as a hero did become quite monotonous and tiring. Eli is definitely refreshing in that aspect. The antics are more enjoyable here, with his own and inimitable slang of English being the highlight. Sada looks ravishing and makes her presence only in the latter half.

Music:

Vidyasagar who is making a comeback of sorts scores with his BGM. It gives a sense of the 60s and is also mildly quirky. He gets the balance well. The songs pass muster.

Direction:

Yuvaraj Dhayalan has made an apt choice with respect to the period and genre. Thenaliraman ended up being more of a drama than comedy. In Eli he has made sure that comedy has to get top billing and to be honest many of the jokes work. The only hitch is that most of them have a seen before feeling. Vadivelu getting himself caught inadvertently in a mess has been the crux of most of his comedy tracks. Eli uses this line for most of the jokes. But being the hero the difference here is that he comes out unscathed most of the time. The jokes are definitely clean and family friendly. The length is a problem though. Running at 150 mins it is at least 15 minutes longer than what it should have been. The need for songs baffles you. With the number featuring Sada you have a justification that you are pleasing the male masses. But the other songs seem needless. The ‘Sapno Ki Rani’ idea had to be shorter on screen. Remember the Ghajini number ‘Suttum Vizhi Chudare’ in Pokkiri where Vadivelu shared space with Asin. It worked as it was spot on and lasted for about a minute.

Bottomline:

Eli would work with fans of Vadivelu’s brand of comedy which relies on buffoonery and not one liners. It might also annoy you depending on your preference on the type of comedy. Irrespective of the outcome of the film what it achieves is that it shows Vadivelu has a lot of spunk left in him.

Rating : 2/5