After the dreary romantic horror flick Neeya 2 which was panned by the critics, actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar is back on screens with her psychological thriller drama Velvet Nagaram. Film maker Manoj Kumar Natarajan makes his Kollywood debut with this psychological thriller drama. We are in a time where irrespective of what genre a flick belongs to our film makers implant the mandatory raising voice for a social cause in the plot, whether or not the script needs it. Velvet Nagaram is not an exception to it as despite being a thriller it threads its plot around an important social issue which has already been tried and tested in Tamil cinema. But has the flick managed to do it in an engaging way? To know that let us get in to the review.
Velvet Nagaram opens with a large area under wildfire and a voiceover explaining the mayhem that the native tribal people of Kodaikanal are forced to suffer in order to vacate them from their native lands by the corrupt politicians for the sake of a corporate company. The government has long forgotten the people in these regions. But help comes to them in the form of an actress and social activist Gowri (Kasthuri Shankar). She aids them in every possible ways she could and she takes up the issue on hand. While working on the case she discovers that the wildfire was not a natural incident but was set in to motion by few greedy men to evacuate the people from their lands so that they can use it for business purposes. Just when she is about to expose the criminals behinds the illegal operation she is mysteriously killed.
Her death not only agitates the people she worked for but also her friend Usha (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar), a journalist. Disturbed by the murder of her friend she sets out to finds the truth behind her murder. And to do that she asks for the assistance of her friend Priya (Maalavika Sundar) and her husband Mugilan (Pradeep Benetto Rayan.) They all begin to work on the case. While their investigation is in progress Mugilan gets in to a fight with a gangster in a bar. Following which a group of gangsters get in to the scene and bash Mugilan, Priya, and Usha. Later, after the incident Usha figures out that the thugs were sent after them and that they are connected to Gowri’s murder. Who are these people really, why are they after them, is the corporate company behind Gowri’s mysterious death, will Usha and her friends be able to bring the individuals responsible for Gowri’s death to justice, is what make the rest of the flick.
Seems like debutant director Manoj Kumar Natarajan had first developed his story altogether in a different way. Then he seems to have got in to the idea of cooking up a thriller drama and then made alterations accordingly. It is what one feels half way through the entertainer. The flick that opens in a cry for justice sort of tone totally drifts away from its track with various elements and unnecessary new characters getting in to the plot. The film buries the very social message that it wanted to explore and treats it in an amateurish way. Also, after a point the drama becomes a home invasion flick. Though, it begs for the question in what way it is related to the script, it did give the thrills. There are a number of loopholes in the plot but as the entertainer itself proceeds the way it does simply because the writer wants it to, you do not care much about the loopholes.
Director Manoj Kumar Natarajan is so ambitious and wants his flick to be many things so to keep the audience guessing. But to do that a gripping screenplay and a good narration that builds the plot are the key elements. But story teller Manoj Kumar Natarajan deviates away from them and gives the vital details in the flick – though he has left the audience hanging at many places – through his character’s dialogue which makes the audience lose interest in the flick. After a point you just do not bother about what is happening on the screens and just wait for the storm to pass off.
Actress Varalaxmi Sarathkumar fights hard to bring in the intensity but where is the scope to do that? Actors Maalavika Sundar and Pradeep Benetto Rayan have delivered a decent performance. Actress Kasthuri Shankar struggles even in the cameo appearance. The rest of the cast is adequate.
On the technical front, the technical department of the flick is quite strong with music director Saran Raghavan’s pulsating background score though Achu Rajamani disappoints. Cinematographer Bagath Kumar has done a decent job in capturing the entertainer particularly during the home invasion portions. His hard work is well supported by editor Raymond Derrick Crasta’s editing. Stunt choreographer Dinesh deservers a special mention for his two stunt sequences.
On the whole, Velvet Nagaram wishes to be an ambitious murder mystery thriller with western influence but lags in content to achieve it.
