Valimai Review

What's Behind

Thala Ajith's Valimai is carrying huge expectations among movie lovers. The film stars RX100 hero Karthikeya as the antagonist and is directed by H.Vinoth. The film directed by Vinoth is slated for a grand release on February 24,2022 on a pan-India scale in various languages. Let us see what impact Ajith made with Valimai on movie lovers.

Story Review

Visakhapatnam witnesses mysterious murders, chain snatchings, and drug peddling. Unable to control the crime, Visakhapatnam commissioner, gets ACP Arjun (Ajith Kumar) from Vijayawada to bring peace in the port city. Arjun with Narcotic Bureau officer Sophia (Huma Qureshi) tries to crack the code and find out the dark website Rag Brower. To find out more about the rag browser and what is the motive of Naren  (Karthikeya Gummakonda), a biker, watch Valimai on screen.

Analysis

H.Vinoth just like in Khakee (Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru), started the narration in an interesting manner showcasing the troubled city of Visakhapatnam. Interest increases with the introduction of Ajith as ACP and with the subsequent investigation. However, things deviate in the middle with the narration touching upon his family and the introduction of his family members. The intensity dips and it picks up with the entry of Karthikeya Gummakonda ahead of the interval block. The interval bang with intensity set the stage for the perfect second half. However second half turns out to be routine with the director trying to highlight the sentiments of mother and son and the unemployed youth. This looked completely outdated and tested the patience of the viewers. Even the bike racing scenes which excite viewers at the start, cease to attract viewers as they turned out a bit artificial. The second half becomes more predictable and the cat and mouse game between Ajith and Karthikeya doesn't engage the viewers. The climax finally turns routine after pre-climax increases the interest. However, the dragged narration in parts in the first and second half robbed the viewers of watching a perfect thriller.

Ajith performed the role tailor-made for him. He at times looked aged and seems to have put on weight. However, for all the shortcomings, Ajith stunned all with his breathtaking action scenes. He showed good expressions and emotions. However, Ajith's acting talent is not used to the optimum. Karthikeya surprised with the role of the antagonist. He plays the role of a bike racer. He makes his presence felt appearing just ahead of the interval block with an intense high octane action sequence. His dialogue delivery and he attracts with his macho physique.

Huma Qureshi is ok in the role-playing second fiddle to Ajith in the investigation. She did not get much screen presence but did her role well. Others performed their roles accordingly.

Yuvan Shankar Raja's elevated the scenes with his intense and powerful background music. However, the songs acted as speed breakers. Dilip Subbarayan's stunt choreography is breathtaking. One gets a feeling that they are watching a Hollywood film. The cinematography of Nirav Shah is top class. Dialogues looked cliched. He captured the action scenes in a perfect manner elevating the scenes. However, the editing of Vijay Velukutty could have been far better. There are many drags in the film which affected the tempo. Production values are ok.

Advantages

Ajith

Stunt Choreography

BGM

Disadvantages

Weak Story

Screenplay, Direction

Editing

Forced Emotions

Rating Analysis

The excitement increased when Vinoth teamed with Ajith for Valimai. However, Vinoth in order to elevate the heroism of Ajith failed to come up with a powerful story, racy screenplay, and direction. He failed in his execution. Except for the sensational bike racing sequences featuring Ajith and Karthikeya, the story falls apart. Everything else turns out to be mundane and brings viewers the memories of the old films of the 80s and 90s. Had Vinoth concentrated on including twists and turns and trimmed the length of the film, Valimai would have made a better impact.