Varisu: Vijay shines in potent cocktail movie review

Varisu is a family drama film that combines business rivalry, emotional sentimentality, and action heroism in a potent commercial cocktail. Directed by Vamshi Paidipally, the film stars Vijay and Rashmika Mandanna and boasts of an ensemble cast that includes Prakash Raj, Sarath Kumar, and Jayasudha.

The story revolves around Rajendran, a business tycoon who grooms his sons to take over his business empire. While the first two sons blindly act out their father's whims and fancies, the third son Vijay has a difference of opinion with his father's methods and chooses to stay away. When Rajendran learns that he is counting his days, he makes Vijay his successor, which results in the other two sons going on a warpath and worse, joining with his bitter rival Jayaprakash. Can Vijay prove himself to be a worthy successor and also reunite his now-broken family?

The film starts on a shaky note with scenes that seem somewhat alien to its milieu and rather cold. Even the mother sentiment doesn't seem forceful enough, and the scenes between Vijay and Jayasudha have the sanitised feel of a TV commercial. What keeps us interested in these moments are the parallels that we read into them based on the reported real-life tiff between the film's star and his parents.

However, the film picks up the pace in the second half and Vamshi scores with the mass moments that have both comedy and heroism in equal measure. He also punctures the sentimental moments with comedy and ensures that things don't get too melodramatic. At the same time, he also doesn't hold back when he wants to reach for his audience's tear ducts. This is a film that is quite self-aware. Family and relationships are what drive the plot, and the film is woke enough to acknowledge that relatives can be toxic and old-fashioned enough to understand that sometimes, we have to make the best of what we have when it comes to family.

There are slip-ups in the form of a rather slight romantic track and less-than-formidable villains. Even an actor of Prakash Raj's stature cannot turn the antagonist into a formidable threat to the protagonist, showing how weak the characterisation is. Perhaps, the director felt the conflict involving Vijay bringing his two brothers back into the fold was enough. The overall writing in the scenes is also quite broad, which lessens the emotional impact of the scenes, especially in the first half. The pacing is also uneven, and Vamshi includes unnecessary songs and one too many fights that turn the film into an overlong affair.

But what makes up for all of this is the leading star, Vijay, who is in terrific form, cracking one-liners that have us breaking out into a smile, exchanging comic counters with Yogi Babu, making self-referential punches, and showing earnestness to make us buy the sentimental moments. Rashmika, however, plays the arm candy here, and the less said about the villains, the better.

Overall, Varisu is an enjoyable commercial entertainer that will keep Vijay fans and action film lovers entertained. The film has its flaws, but Vijay's performance and the second-half's mass moments make it a worthwhile.

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