REVIEW – Naai Sekar Returns – Returns with his best worked jokes which have gone outdated -

First and foremost, its really excited to watch the legendary comedian back on screen and especially for his fans it’s a special movie to celebrate. The introduction to his character in this film makes it even more special and kudos to the director for the tribute to the actor that is a goosebump moment to the audience.

The plot is intriguing and ideal for a slapstick comedy, which is excellent for Vadivelu, who has been successful for years with his body language and dialogue delivery. It centres on a super dog who brings luck to whoever owns him and his brother-like character named “Sekar,” played by Vadivelu, who tragically split ways because of the villains’ greed. The rest of the narrative is focused on how they reconcile. It is appropriate to assess the film on a lighter note rather than taking it too seriously because it is a lighthearted comedy that is obviously targeted at the actor’s devoted followers and the family audience who have loved him for who he has been for all these years.

The character of the dog and its significant impact on the birth and upbringing of Sekar’s family are established in the beginning of the film, in 1989. Years later, we see a strategical dog kidnapper who frequently makes his attempts a complete failure. The concept is intriguing and serves as the ideal prelude to a series of hilarious incidents, but I don’t think it’s well utilised. The concept of trying to show the character’s stupidity by staging multiple unsuccessful kidnapping attempts back-to-back is OK, but there are far too many of them, and the majority of them are hardly engaging. These sequences are lengthened in an effort to demonstrate the traditional Vadivelu formula, but they end up being too long and most of the jokes fall flat in the first half of the movie.

Due to some successful comedy in the second half, this is probably what keeps the audience seated. The writing becomes a little more engaging after the primary premise of the story—the reunion of Sekar and his dog—begins, and most of the gags become amusing as we get to see Vadivelu himself at his funniest. Long scenes that worked, great laugh out loud moments, and a few twists and turns keep the audience interested for a while.

It’s wonderful to see Vadivelu return with his typical manner after a period of absence, but Anandraj, who portrays “Doss,” produces the movie’s funniest moments better than anybody else. His one-liners are funny because of his nuanced responses and impeccable timing. With his excellent metre and lack of exaggeration, Rao Ramesh as Meganathan (a) Max plays yet another humorous villain who manages to be both amusing and intelligent. Redin Kinsgley has recently been utilised in films in a similar manner, and his portions in this movie are dated and his dialogs are rather boring. The film’s needs are met by Vignesh Vasu’s cinematography. Santhosh Narayanan’s score adheres to the standard background score for this type of humour while also managing to be distinctive in most parts. It is very reviving to see Vadivelu himself with this kind of music, as it enhances the critical moments like Vadivelu’s clashes with the baddies and his small emotional sequences with his dog.

The rationality and easygoing handling of the interval and finale scenes amply demonstrates the film’s intended message. The renowned comedian’s return in Naai Sekar Returns is not an experiment; rather, it sets the stage for him to perform at his peak level as always, but it hardly succeeds this time.