Starring: Vishal, Sameera Reddy, Poonam Kaur, Vivek
Direction: Prabhu Deva
Music: Vijay Antony
Production: Vikram Krishna (GK Film Corporation)

Review: Sameera stands out in Vedi

The best thing about Sun Picture's Vedi (Firecracker), directed by Prabhudeva, is that it never takes itself seriously. It has some action, adventure, romance, some laughs, a thundering climax and all you need to do is sit back, relax and watch for the meagre turning-points in this story, which is the remake of the Telugu hit, Souryam.

Balu (Vishal) arrives in Kolkata for a reason that is not disclosed to us. He runs into the balloon-stuffed Sandesh (Vivek), masquerading as a muscled wonder, and asks to be appointed as a physical training teacher in a college. He's forced to seek accommodation at the home of Paru (Sameera Reddy), who, in filmi fashion, takes some sort of dislike to him, does everything to oust him, but ends up falling for him, and sings songs in bewitching foreign locales.

At the other end there's Aishwarya (Poonam Kaur), Paru's college-mate and neighbour, in whom Balu shows inordinate interest (though not in a romantic way). Exactly why he takes such an interest in her affairs, and who he really is, is revealed in the next two hours. There's also a villain, Eswaramoorthy (Shayaji Shinde) who is the epitome of silliness.

The template of a story like this goes according to a pre-set pattern, with plenty of mindless comedy and action thrown in and Vedi is no different. The first half, with its liberal doses of humour, moves at a brisk pace. The second half, once the minor knots have been untangled, drags and dithers.

As expected, Vishal flexes his muscles, throw goons into the air and smashes into them like a pile-driver, all the while never moving a muscle. He throws out both physical and verbal punches with barely an effort.

Vivek struts around as a pseudo-macho man and tickles your funny-bone slightly. Poor Shayaji Shinde, a man capable of great acting, has been reduced for the umpteenth time to a giggling, silly villain who makes brawny men quiver, but not the hero.

Urvasi, in a tiny role manages to wring some laughs, along with Sriman, who looks silly.

It's Sameera Reddy who is a real joy to watch. She brings a great deal of enjoyment to her tiny role. She dances, laughs and delivers her lines with such enthusiasm that she invests it with an energy that's infectious. Beside her, Poonam Kaur, though in an important role, appears washed out.

None of Vijay Antony's songs stand out. If not for R D Rajasekar's snappy camera-work, they wouldn't be watchable either. V T Vijayan's editing is rather effective. But, then, nothing in the movie really requires superlative work from anyone.

None of Prabhudeva's signature touches are visible in the film. In fact, the movie looks like a mass-product that could have been turned out by any random commercial director.

Vedi is just another run-of-the-mill entertainer.

Review 2

After Avan Ivan, Vishal has emerged one of the top heroes of Tamil industry and expectations are obviously running high as his next Vedi is hitting the screens today. With Prabhudeva helming the affairs and the movie released by Sun Pictures, it is a grand outing for Vishal. 

Story

The movie begins on an interesting note in a colourful manner with a peppy song featuring music composer Devi Sri rasad.

The first half of the movie sees Prabhakaran (Vishal) being chased by henchmen. He escapes to Kolkata  and seeks admission to a college. There he Deepa (Poonam Kaur) and asks her for a room to stay. She suggests he talk to her friend. In the meantime, Vijay runs into Paro(Sameera Reddy) and her gang of friends who rag all boys in college. But Prabhakaran outwits them. Paro comes to know the other side of Prabhakaran. And as expected fall for him.

Meanwhile, Divya is often troubled by some goons and Prabhakaran saves her. A flashback reveals the mission Prabhakaran is up to and he is on an undercover. A sibling story in undercover backdrop

Performance

Vishal is at ease in his role -- fighting with panache and dancing with elan. He seems to have come out of Avan Ivan mode. The expressions and his angry young man's portrayal sit well on him. Impressive is Sameera Reddy. She is more than a regular heroine. She is at ease in her encounters with Vishal. She shakes her legs well for the songs. Poonam Kaur is impressive in her role. Watch out for some interesting cameos in the film. 

Technicalities

Music by Vijay Antony is the highlight. For a commercial film, he does all justice. The songs Icchu and Eppadi mazhai are impressive. Cinematography by R D Rajasekhar is other major highlight. He captures Kolkata well. The sleek editing by V T Vijayan adds pace to the script. Prabhudeva has crafted the film in an interesting manner and there are no dull moments.

Analysis