Vidaamuyarchi (Tamil)
Star actor Ajith Kumar’s latest release is a road drama meets crime thriller, the most interesting aspect of which is the stunning Azerbaijani landscape where the film is set. In Vidaamuyarchi, Arjun (Ajith) and Kayal (Trisha) are a couple on the brink of divorce. On route from Baku to Tbilisi in Georgia, where they live, Kayal is abducted by an initially friendly Tamil couple, and Arjun must now rescue Kayal. The film is an adaptation of the 1997 Hollywood release Breakdown.
The story opens with Kayal admitting to an extramarital affair and wanting a divorce. To add a touch of misogyny, Arjun’s relentless search for his wife after her abduction, and the lengths he is willing to go to, are repeatedly compared to how undeserving she is—an aspect that doesn’t appear to be present in Breakdown.
Perhaps this is director Magizh Thirumeni’s attempt to create an alleged moral dilemma for the hero. Or maybe, as is common in Tamil cinema, this is the extent of effort male directors seem willing to put in when writing female characters. There’s little for Trisha to do than be awkward around a soft-spoken husband until she’s abducted and terrorised by a Tamil couple in Azerbaijan.
The couple in question are Dikshit (‘Action King’ Arjun Sarja) and Deepika (Regina Cassandra). Deepika has a ‘personality disorder’ in the usual Tamil movie attempt to vilify people with mental health concerns. Her mental health condition apparently also makes her a cold-blooded killer.
Following the release of Valimai in 2022, after many delays, the joke doing the rounds was that the movie had more bike stunts—courtesy of Ajith’s known love for racing—than an actual plot. In Vidaamuyarchi, you can substitute bikes for all kinds of four-wheelers, and the joke would still fit. It really is time someone pointed out to the actor that it’s entirely possible to do just stunts on camera without dragging us all out to a three-hour movie with very little else to offer.
The sprawling sand dunes of Azerbaijan, small, lonely towns, and their rugged residents all have more interesting personalities than the film’s protagonist. Om Prakash cinematography deserves credit for this. The landscape is a welcome relief from the plot’s aimless meandering.
In an unintentional callback to the narrative styles of older Tamil movies, Ajith is beaten up throughout Vidaamuyarchi by an assortment of villains, until the very end when he inexplicably fights like a pro. The actor plays a soft-spoken man, not prone to brash outbursts of emotion like most Kollywood heroes. But while this aspect of his character is conveyed, Ajith’s performance is as lacklustre as the dull story he’s telling.
The film’s big reveal leaves you wondering why the villains had to hatch such a convoluted scheme in the first place, other than to give various characters a chance to lecture Kayal and Arjun at knife point.
Anirudh’s background score is hard to distinguish from the other high-decibel variations as seen in his recent films.
Vidaamuyarchi has the effect of a bleak travel blog. You’re more likely to be looking up the stunning shooting locations and the Azerbaijan actors who have passing roles in the film, than be able to recall the actual plot of the big budget commercial movie you just watched.