Vasantham Review

In the end, Vasantham wasn't a boy and girl love schtick. It wasn't a guy and his 2 girls' schtick. It wasn't a man and his life schtick. Instead, it was a director and a tailor-made role for the hero schtick. It was a return to the family cinema schtick. It was a feel-nice factor schtick. It was a wholesome entertainment schtick. It was not a schtick at all.

As per our rock anthem, Ashok (Venky returning from some terrible makeovers) is killing time; he's young and restless, just needing to unwind. But I guess nothing can last forever. His snort of crack is cricket in which he dreams of making it huge.

Ashok's folks (especially his bro) make no pretences about liking his waywardness and cricket aspirations. The only support he finds is in his childhood chum Julie (a deglamourised Kalyani). Except for the last part of a childhood friend, the characterisation of Ashok is on the same terms as those of Pavan Kalyan in Tholi Prema. But it's not anybody's fault just that every possible tree has been scaled before itself.

A plethora of movies were based on the tried and tested blueprint of friends becoming perfect lovers and how friendship will prepare you for the hardships after marriage. This one tries its fate going against that speeding traffic.

When Ashok and Julie are suggested to tie the knot, they don't laugh, they vocalise. They vocalise lengthy and tiresome opinions of the writer about the impurity of tainting friendship by getting married. "Shot through the heart and friendship to blame, you give love - a bad name." Meanwhile, with the demise of Julie's dad (Chandra Mohan in an endearing role), the troubles arrive in the form of Roti, Kapdaa aur Makaan.

True to the sanctity of their love (Archie-Jughead type), Ashok takes up the responsibility of Makaan as Julie is cooed in his crib. Julie takes care of the Roti, by investing the insurance amount in a video parlour for Ashok. And Kapdaa, well that's taken care of by Nandini (Aarti Agarwal wearing clothes the size of The Hulk). For someone with a rich family background, she's pretty light on her expectations of a partner. All Ashok does is some bathroom singing. Literally. And you thought you've seen it all, eh?

Happily married, Nandini and Ashok want Julie also to walk the aisle, and she decides to do it with Michael (Akash). The catch here is that Michael is next on the list to Ashok when he's selected for the Indian cricket team. Michael's dad wants Ashok to make way for Michael, if the latter has to marry Julie. Condition accepted, sacrifice made, heroism proven, and game set and match. An ending however cannot let evil win, says law number one of celluloid, and Vasantham is not going to break it.

Not only of Venky, but another successful return in this movie is that of Sunil, who's lately been indifferent, to say the least. His track this time is worth all the time in the hall. Worth all the time in the hall is the music too, despite the connoisseurs insisting on some tunes being lifted. Kalyani is right on the button and Aarti, fits the rhyme like a glove:

Chubby cheeks,

Dimple chin,

Rosy lips,

Teeth within.

Curly hair,

Very fair,

Eyes are blue,

Lovely too,

Jumbo jet,

Is that you?

Looks like the Tamil original of this one had insights from our own Iddaru Mithrulu and Raja. This sense of familiarity and a climax that drones on and on are the areas where the director and the script guy have fumbled upon. But this apart, Vasantham definitely stands ahead of the glut of other stinkeroos on hand.