REVIEW: Varalaru Mukkiyam – A plot in the name of ‘Just for fun’ is loosely written and executed

A lighthearted, carefree film poses no problems, yet the writing demands some sense of accountability. Varalaru Mukkiyam appears to have assembled the standard guy pursuing a lady love story using some strange logic. The hero meets a girl by chance, falls in love with her, and then goes in search of her sister, whom he believes to be even prettier. The rest of the story is made up of the subsequent events, including the comical couple arguments, family disputes, trust concerns, and whether or not they finish up together.

The film’s biggest flaw is its long list of cliches, which starts with the way Malayali girls are portrayed and boys’ automatic attraction to them for obvious, cliched motives. The heroine’s appearance and actions, however, are handled in a way that places her in the “Good girl” category since the author does not want to place her in that situation. Each character’s introduction is so terrible that everyone treats women the same manner, using the conventional “figure” approach. The unfortunate aspect is that even the fathers of the hero and heroine are, in some way, in the same zone. Examples include situations in which the father of the hero speaks to his female coworker or meets his ex-girlfriend, as well as sequences in which the father of the heroine describes about the boys who wait outside his house or the rationale behind his decision to be friends with the neighbours.

It’s customary in Tamil cinema for the women to take second-fiddle roles, and this movie is no exception, but it becomes old watching them repeatedly perform roles that have no bearing on their personalities. The movie’s two heroines are created in such a way as to only support the hero’s choices and acts. It’s difficult to see how the hero differs from the other men when he arrives at the heroine’s home with the same goal in mind. A familiar changeover toward the end of the movie brought a sense of relief, but when it doesn’t, we think the cliché would have worked better.

On a more positive note, the comedy did succeed in parts. Jiiva is once again cool in his favourite part as the boy next door, which is more reminiscent of his earlier film “SMS.” In majority of the moments, VTV Ganesh as Adaikalam is the only character who makes people laugh with his delivery and one-liners, but he also has the most problematic character development in the film, and particularly his tablets joke throughout the film is not at all humorous. The lyrics and music fit the plot and are no way different from the writing’s intention.

I don’t see anything wrong with the hero acting like a playboy, but the reciprocation is frequently so poor that there isn’t much cause for concern about his behaviours throughout, which finally lead to the heroine forgiving and joining hands with the hero regardless of what. There should, in my opinion, be some sense and responsibility in the screenplay when you approach a movie just in a lighthearted and enjoyable way.