Monday Oct 08 2007, Chennai

Veeraappu: A faithful imitation

Directed by - Badri

Produced by - Sujatha Vijayakumar

Music by - Imman

Casts - Sundar C., Prakash Raj, Gopika, Vivek

Banner - Home Media (P) Ltd

The tug of war between a strict father and a flamboyant son is what ‘Veerappu’ is all about.Prakash Raj and Sundar C.play the roles of father and son respectively.Veeraappu is a remake of a Malayalam film titled ‘Spadigam’ starring Mohanlal, Thilagan, Urvashi, and Silk Smita.The plus point of ‘Veerappu’ is that the emotional struggle between father and son is not portrayed in overtly melodramatic or sentimental manner.

The film tries to drive home the point that parents should allow their offspring to blossom naturally instead of compelling them to grow according to their wishes.Vedakannu, a Maths teacher and a disciplinarian, wants his son Pulipandi to excel in Maths.But the boy shows promise in Science and small inventions.The dad, instead of encouraging him on this field, gets angry.The boy gets corporal punishment at home and school.

The rough and unjust treatment makes him grow as a thug.The ego clash between the father and son develops further and the movie deals with what happens between them.Sundar C.handles his role with confidence.He impresses by underplaying in emotional scenes.

The director-turned-actor is growing fast as an actor.He may pale in comparison with Mohanlal, the hero of the original movie, but it would be unfair to compare a budding hero with a veteran and hence we have to give due credit to Sunder.Prakash Raj excels as a strict and egoistic father.He gets into the skin of the character with ease.Gopika’s looks natural.

She adds liveliness to the character.But a teacher running behind a thug is hardly convincing.  Master Udayaraj, who plays the young Pulipandi is quite impressive.Sumitra, in role of the mother is flawless.She steals the show when she revolts against her heartless husband.

Vivek’s comedy track is enjoyable.Anju (the child artist of ‘Udhiri Pookal’) as comedienne makes you laugh.The debutant director Badri, erstwhile assistant of Sunder C., has executed a few scenes well.The mob gathering on the streets of Tirunelveli looks quite natural.

He has handled the emotional scenes well.He has effectively adapted the Malayalam original to suit Tamil audience.He has thankfully avoided going overboard in emotional sequences.Music by Iman is a major plus point to the movie.The song ‘Pona Varuveero’ stands out.

K.S.Selvaraj’s camera work is pleasing to the eyes.Verdict: ‘Veerapu’, the faithful imitation of the Malayalam original, is by and large impressive.