We have often come across debut directors trying to mimic their extravagant ancestors and more often than not falling in between two stools. Rowthiram's debut director Gokul might have thought that he has got a flamboyant and stylish action script in place and has only managed to take a free fall fall right into the stool (pun intended!).

If I say that there is nothing solid in the script, it would hurt my conscience as there is no script in the first place. It all starts with Prakash Raj (in a cameo) as the protagonist's grandfather who serves as a source of inspiration for him to beat up 100 or more henchmen for the next 2:30 hrs, making the experience tedious even for the theater operator.

Jiiva as the angry young tough nut is wasted. He should take great care in choosing scripts. A huge disappointment for all, who just witnessed a thorough entertainer in the form of 'KO', which eventually turned into a blockbuster.

Shreya, uhh... a tailor made role which instantly drives the cliches associated with it like love at first sight, short skirts in the first half and covered clothing in the latter half, duet.... there should be a ban on such roles at least for a certain period.

Others are just there to add to the woes.

I am not sure how many bad men were there in the movie (about a 100?).... but I am certain that each and everyone of them were there to be muscled by Jiiva.

Minimalistic music has been used in the background which is a welcome change for such genre of films, but it adds subtlety to the scenes, way beyond what is required. Among the songs, "Malai Mangum Neram" alone steals the heart, a mesmerizing melody.

An element of solace in the theater were a bunch of college bunkers who were passing excellent one liners which augered well at various contexts of the movie. I relished it thoroughly :)

Verdict: Strictly refrain from it

Rating: 0

When I came to know that Veppam has released in Bangalore, I promptly booked the ticket at a cineplex through online booking for the 6:50 PM show today. 30 minutes later, around 4 PM it started raining cats and dogs. I was keeping my fingers crossed for the rains to hold on and finally the skies gave way to some fresh air and I zoomed past the traffic and wet roads to the theatre by 6:45PM only to find the "cleaning in progress" sign. I was the sixth and final guy. Yet another experience at a cineplex, watching a movie with almost no audiences.

Coming to the movie, I was expecting a realistic movie with a Chennai milieu with some twists and turns. It was almost on the plate, but I should say that I was largely disappointed with certain directorial glitches of debut director Anjana. Naive dialogs and a weak screen play which oscillates back and forth in time bring in the wearisomeness.

I was about to say casting was good, well almost. There was this female antagonist role (Ammaachi), which was supposed to pack some punch, but the person who has enacted it, badly needs a crash course in acting.... she sticks out like a sore thumb.

The way in which the film unfolds and the sequences which follow, helps in unwinding the story rather smoothly and I have no complaints. But, since the director has no grip over the screenplay and the story, the audiences too loose the same.

As far as the acting goes:

Nanni and Karthik Kumar have been well utilized and they have shared their screen spaces like gentlemen and have contributed to the healthy trend of making multi-starrers in Kollywood. They both have got into the skin of their respective characters and have done a great job.

Nithya Menon, as a local Chennai girl is bubbly and has oodles of talent in her. Though she has not dubbed in her own sweet and husky voice which is her biggest strength, she still manages to do a convincing job at it.

Bindhu Madhavi, in a role which is a bit of a risk has distributed glamor and acting skills almost equally and is able to get the sympathy from the audiences towards the end.

The person, who acted as Nanni's brother (Muthukumar), portrays the role of an angry young man convincingly with a subtle voice over by Gautham Menon which kicks in the sickness at times.

One of the protagonists Jothi (Shimore), is one of the few good "bad man" in recent times.

Om Prakash's cinematography nails the title of the movie in every frame and one can feel the sweat as every scene has a bright and shimmering dimension.

Music and BGM by Joshua Shridhar is riveting. I have been listening to the numbers for the past 2 months and "Mazhai Varum Ariguri" is the pick of the lot and is counted as one among my favourite melodies in my iTunes playlist. The songs are pictured like a music video, with an aesthetic appeal.

Editing by Antony is laudable and it brings in the slickness. But the sensors have done their honours in various parts of the movie as far as the dialogs are concerned.

Anjana, has done a decent directorial debut, but should not forget to learn the nuances from her mentor, Gautam, who is a master at casting and screenplay. Still, I am saving an element of appreciation for her for making an audacious attempt which departs from the path which is usually traversed by her female counterparts in this space. Good luck.

Verdict:  Can be watched once (with less expectations)

Rating: 2.5/5

PS: Lots of violence and explicit dialogs