Thala’s one-man show: Valimai review

He is the man behind superhits like ‘Sathuranga Vettai,’ ‘Theeran Athikaram Ondru’ and ‘Nerkonda Parvai.’ So it seemed natural that his second association with Ajith was going to be the most awaited one. This time he tells the story of a group of bike racers who are involved in drugs, Satan worship, murder, and robbery. Ajith plays Arjun Kumar IPS who has the task of putting this notorious gang behind the bars. They are known to be the most difficult case to crack for the Tamil Nadu police.

The city is witnessing a rise in chain snatching, murders, and drug deals involving a biker mafia gang. Even the Chennai police force is unable to do anything about this. That’s when Arjun Kumar IPS takes charge of the investigation. He soon realises that he is up against a tough opponent. But manages to quickly unravel the case and comes up with some shocking truths. This gang does all these cruel activities through a website called Satan Saviors. The rest of the film follows Arjun’s attempts to get to the bottom of this case.

The film’s first half flows smoothly backed by a tight screenplay and gripping narrative style. Vinoth has employed a more realistic approach than taking a typical mass masala template. Even the action sequences aren’t over the top and look sleek and well-executed.   A word or two about the neatly done racing scenes and action choreography which were top-notch. There is a terrific 30-minute visual treat just before the interval block. The bike chasing shown on the trailer was also spellbinding. Kudos to the team behind these stunts. They have made minimum use of VFX and gone with live-action sequences.

Expectedly Ajith is the main attraction in ‘Valimai.’ Interestingly his character also shares his passion for bikes in real life. It is said that he has done most of the bike stunts without a dupe. Karthikeya who plays the antagonist was also very impressive. Malayalam actors like Dinesh Karthik, Pearly Mane, and Dhruvam have important roles. Other actors include Huma Qureshi, Sumithra, Raj Ayyappa, Chaitra Reddy. Neerav Shah’s cinematography elevated the frames, especially the chasing scenes were on par with Hollywood action scenes. Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music as usual was faultless.

‘Valimai’ which was released in theatres after a long wait of two years has really lived up to all that expectations. If the film focuses on stylish action scenes in the first half, it focuses on family sentiments towards the latter half, and this has really worked with the audience. Ajith fans will not be disappointed and yes, please make sure you watch it only in theatres.