Vil Ambu - Shows promise

Bharath Vijayakumar

If Jil Jung Juk used the butterfly effect for a few scenes the other release of the day Vil Ambu employs this concept almost throughout the film.

Plot:

The film follows the lives of two youngsters who are as different as chalk and cheese. With almost no connect whatsoever both their lives are impacted by each other.

Cast:

Sri is at his expressive best in the film. After playing the timid and good guy in Vazhakku En 18/9 and Onnayum Aatukuttiyum he gets to play a ruffian here and he does make us take notice.

Harish as the good boy chasing his passion does a neat job. In someways the role has shades of his earlier film Poriyalam which too was about a youngster caught in a situation for no fault of his.

The supporting cast selection has been spot on. Harish's family for instance, looks every way  a family from the middleclass neighbourhood would look and behave. It is not just about the performance that counts. The physical attributes of the actor who play these little parts too is vital.

Yogi Babu is very good these days and his timing makes even routine exchanges all the more funny.

Direction:

Vil Ambu is a neatly packed entertainer that has you sufficiently engaged. The lives of the two contrasting lead characters make for an interesting watch and things move at quite a rapid pace right from the start. Though not edge of the seat stuff there is definitely a quiet anticipation of where things are heading to. The major itch in the film is that the central idea of how the two leads affect each other's lives looks too contrived and forced on screen. It is a nice little idea that they 'actually meet' only in the end and have been impressioning the other's life all the while without their knowledge. But it never really plays out the way it should have. Having a slomo shot with a suggestive BGM whenever they cross paths gets tiring beyond a point. A voiceover explaining the concept of the film at the beginning  does seem like a lazy approach. It is as though you are watching your native language film but with subtitles to ensure nothing is lost. But film commerce is probably a tricky affair and to cater to a wide audience these things possibly are being thrust in. That said, forget the central idea and this film still works. It is good to see that these small entertainers are moving away from the 'hero' tag. Both the leads never become bigger than their shoes. At times of adversity it is only so much that they can do and they need a powerful man's help to conquer the odds. Why cannot more effort be put into chronological detailing? There is a scene that shows the Ajith starrer 'Yennai Arindhal' get released and a few days later we have the New Year. Not a big deal per se. But it shows that the intent is only to fit in a 'Thala' reference and it is not a byproduct of seamless storytelling.

Bottomline:

Vil Ambu is an engaging watch that ticks most of the needs of a small time commercial film without getting into too much compromises.

Rating: 2.75/5