‘Veetala Vishyam’ movie review: RJ Balaji’s ‘Badhaai Ho’ remake is a hilarious drama

When it was announced that the actor-filmmaker RJ Balaji Amit to remake Rabindranath Sharma’s 2018 Hindi comedy-drama Congratulations!, Intrigue was about the approach to filmmaking that he would adopt. This was because the origin was in the realm of Balaji – for its humorous and socially relevant subject matter – and far – for its subtle form. fortunately, Vitala Vishyam Everything we love about Balaji makes it both grounded and humorous. Ironically, it is also serious in nature, especially when compared to LKG And Mukuthi AmmanOther recent movies in which he was in the lead role.

The film follows the life of Elango (Balaji), whose life turns chaotic when his middle-aged parents (played by Urvashi and Sathyaraj) announce that they are going to be parents again. Facing humiliation and ridicule from society, a family of five, including Elango’s brother and grandmother (KPAC Lalita), are forced to tread their personal and social lives carefully.

During promotions for the film, Balaji, who directed the film with NJ Saravanan, suggested that he saw it as an opportunity to ‘improve’ the original, a standard promise for all remakes. Thankfully, here, it doesn’t become a matter of pi in the sky. It seems to be clear to the makers what to keep from the original and what to leave out. Even in scenes that seem straight out of the original screenplay, something new and quirky is added. It follows from the introduction scene itself, a shot-by-shot replica featuring actor Deepa Shankar, who plays a neighbour.

Tamil cinema and pop-culture references have been carefully kept in many of these new additions. For example, Rajinikanth’s famous song ‘Naan Sedha Kurumbu’ moondru mugam Appears out of the blue during a hilarious non-verbal exchange. Similarly, Tamil music composers Anirudh Ravichander and hip hop Tameez are mentioned in a joke, which adds a layer to its counterpart in the original.

Even music is innovatively used to evoke nostalgia. The best is in a beautiful scene featuring an elder couple, from Balachander’s film Sippy Irukkuthu. Varumayin Niram Shivappu is referred to; The scene ends with a remixed instrumental score of the classic song which only adds to the mood.

Vitala Vishyam There is an assortment of several genres of comedy, including tragicomedy, situational comedy, slapstick and Balaji’s well-known witty counter. As one might expect, the film also dilutes its sex jokes and intimacy, perhaps to make the subject family-friendly.

The way the characters are written also works in its favor. Elango is written as a struggling character with a conservative approach to things, something that doesn’t go down well with his girlfriend (played by) Aparna Balamurali) This arc ties in with the overall story. The power dynamics between father and son help the film progress, and scenes involving Sathyaraj and Urvashi dramatize, thankfully, without melodrama.

Urvashi and KPAC Lalita give their all to the characters and this is best displayed in the spectacular tear-jerker scene between the two of them at the end. The same cannot be said for lead actor Balaji, whose onscreen conflict becomes very evident during the emotional scenes.

beyond comparison with the original, Vitala Vishyam Manages to stand on its own as a well-written play that takes its subject matter seriously and as an entertainer leaves the audience divided during regular intervals. This is probably also the first film to feature RJ Balaji’s ‘Parichay Card’. It is also a film that can introduce the audience as ‘RJ Balaji Cinematic Universe’ (RJBCU). Will this become the season of cinematic universes in Tamil cinema?

Veetala Vishyam is currently running in theaters