vaathi movie review times of india

'Vaathi' movie review: A wonderful Dhanush anchors a promising tale bogged down by cliches and deja vu

Even if everything goes downhill in a Dhanush film, one can rest assured his films will always have a poignant father-son scene. Right from the times of  Thiruda Thirudi  and  Sullan  to  Polladhavan  and  VIP  to even  Thanga Magan  and Asuran, a Dhanush film is elevated by the scenes featuring a father and a son. In Venky Atluri’s  Vaathi  ( Sir  in Telugu), Balamurugan (Dhanush) asks his father (Aadukalam Naren), why he is making a big fuss out of not having the money to make his son an engineer. The father says,  “Pasanga kaekkara vishayam kedaikkalena avangalukku oru naal dhaan varutham, aana kaettadhu vaangi thara mudiyalena, pethavangalukku adhu eppavume varutham  (Children are sad for a day if they don’t get what they ask for, but the parents are sad for days together for not being able to fulfill their children’s wishes).”

What follows and precedes this poignant moment in  Vaathi  is a bunch of cliche-ridden scenes that have a tremendous sense of deja vu. In fact, sandwiching a sentimental moment between template scenes is a trademark of this film. However, there is a reason why cliches exist in the first place… they work, and in  Vaathi , they almost do. 

The film begins in 2022, and soon enough, through the wondrous world of VHS tapes, we are transported back to the late 90s and jump right into the crux of  Vaathi  — privatisation of education. On one end, there is dwindling attendance at government schools, and on the other end, there are burgeoning admissions in private schools. Of course, even if the system is a villain, you need a face for it, and that’s where Thirupathi (Samuthirakani) comes into the picture. He is the corporate villain archetype who treats education as a commodity.

Of course, his materialistic world is challenged by the idealistic and rather simplistic world of Balamurugan, or as he is fondly called Bala sir. In fact, it is fun to see Samuthirakani ham like there’s no tomorrow, especially when one realises that  he  is the Bala sir in  Saattai , and his Dhayalan has shifted to the dark side in  Vaathi . Nevertheless, Bala’s utopian worldview can be labelled as impractical, but it is nice to see a protagonist having a want and a lot of heart.  It is this heart that is seen in  Vaathi , even in the most mundane of scenes.

But where  Vaathi  really surprises us is in the sudden burst of ingenuity. Take, for instance, the first time we see Rajendran in the film. He is Bhoopathy, a videographer who moonlights as a theatre owner who runs soft porn films. When his place gains respect among his own people, there is a nice wrap to that arc. The way Venky decided to sketch this character speaks a lot about his intent. 

This heart and intent hold him in good stead as Venky blows hot and cold with the writing, which is burdened by a  Super 30  hangover, in addition to a cocktail mix of films, including  Saattai, 3 Idiots, Nammavar , and a bunch of other films. If coaching centres were the bane of quality education in  Super 30 , it is private schools in  Vaathi . There are a lot of similar beats in both films, especially the camaraderie between the students and the teacher. Honestly, these portions in  Vaathi  were quite enjoyable, and the lengthy sequence where the students defy the odds and rally for their teacher is a mass masala moment that finds its way to the top in a film that managed to stay rooted till then. It is a nice touch that when being exalted as a god, Bala is not really in his senses. This is the perfect amount of masala in a film that wants to be rooted.

However, sensationalism soon finds its way to the fore pushing realism behind, which leads to some uncharacteristic narratives, and unintended humour. Also, the ‘love at first sight’ and the ‘fighting for the girl’ tropes have no place in Vaathi, even if the film is set in the glorious 90s that always had a soft corner for such scenes. The forced humour does more good than harm and has a very bitter aftertaste too.

Also, can’t help but detect points from the makers for naming the film,  Vaathi , and not having the students use it as a term of endearment and respect. Having a superstar like Dhanush at the centre of things also pushes Venky and Co to give us more than the required number of stunt sequences. They work because of the actor’s charisma, but they poke large holes in the narrative.  

Undoubtedly,  Vaathi  is all about Dhanush and his students, and it is impressive to see an unwavering focus on this equation. The biggest strength of Dhanush's performance is his understanding of when to take the back seat, and in more than a few scenes, he doesn’t shy away from letting the children take the wheel. The kids rise up to the occasion too, and most of them get their moment under the limelight, and they use it to the fullest. 

Another smart idea in  Vaathi  is the setting of the film, which allows the inhabitants of the town of Sholavaram to speak a smattering of Telugu. However, the idea isn’t fully developed, and it is also the case with the film being set in the 90s era. Apart from a PCO booth, and a beautiful scene involving hall tickets and a newspaper,  Vaathi  doesn’t really explore the time period, and we are left with the feeling of watching a rather trendy story unfold in a period setting.

Also, Samyuktha is wasted in a role that starts off quite well but doesn’t offer her anything, There is a nice aside where they refer to each other as 'sir' and 'madam' even when they are romantically inclined towards each other, but this arc is largely disappointing, especially since the writer even finds a way to conveniently pack her away during the second act where things don’t always go in favour of  Vaathi . The same holds good for the supporting cast, who are spectacularly one-note and offer nothing new. 

Bolstered by a mostly loud and moderately effective background score by GV Prakash, whose songs are used smartly by Venky,  Vaathi  is a triumphant tale of an underdog who fights against a system that is heavily stacked against him. With the power of retrospection, Venky and the team talk in detail about the education system in the country.

As the credits roll, and we move past the induced mass moments and the warm relationship Bala shared with his Super 46,  Vaathi  becomes the latest film to strike warring bells against the increasingly expensive field of education. Impressively,  Vaathi  presents the problems without offering any solutions. Despite using a 140-minute runtime to teach us a bunch of subjects, including the importance of education, respect in society, caste discrimination, women empowerment, and financial independence, the biggest two lessons that  Vaathi  teaches us are...

1) Films don't have to be preachy to drive home a point

2) Dhanush can make anything look easy

Director: Venky Atluri Cast: Dhanush, Samyuktha, Samuthirakani, Sai Kumar Ratings: 2.5/5 stars

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Vaathi Movie Review: Dhanush is the only saving grace of this Venky Atluri film

Dhanush, who plays bala, tries to change the education system by making education accessible to all. while vaathi has a noble mission, venky atluri's story and narration are a big let-down, says our review..

Listen to Story

• Dhanush tries to reform a government school in this film.
• Vaathi is like some earlier Tamil films that have been made.
• The storyline and writing needed to be far superior.

Release Date: 17 Feb, 2023

Vaathi (Sir in Telugu) is Dhanush’s first foray into the Telugu film world. Directed by Venky Atluri, Vaathi (Master) tells the story of the education system and the flaws in the privatization of education. It’s about the journey of a simple middle-class man who becomes a teacher.

At the outset, we meet three boys who find a box of video tapes and when they play one, we see Bala AKA Balamurugan (Dhanush) teaching Maths. Off they go with the tapes to the District Collector’s office and we are taken back to the late 90s when Bala was an assistant Maths teacher at Thirupathi Coaching Centre. He is sent packing to teach underprivileged kids in a government school because the government formed a deal with private coaching centres to run the government schools. Thirupathi Coaching Centre is run by Srinivasa Thirupathi (Samuthirakani) and he posts all the teachers whom he thinks are ‘third grade assistant teachers’ to these government schools.

READ I After striking gold in Kollywood, Bollywood and Hollywood, can Dhanush conquer Telugu market too?

Bala arrives in Sozhavaram and he finds no students actually attend school, so he decides to change this. When all the government school students in Sozhavaram pass with first class marks thanks to Bala, Thirupathi warns him not to mess with the existing system. ‘Zero fees, zero education. More fees, more education,’ he tells Bala. And this is when Bala takes this up as a challenge. Does he change the education system? Is he able to make government school students shine?

Dhanush has carried this film on his shoulders and it works to some extent only because of him. Unfortunately, his talent goes to waste as the story writing and narration are quite weak. The theme that education is important, especially for the middle class, and the need to make good education accessible to all is laudable, but it hasn’t been translated convincingly on screen. The point of conflict is pretty flimsy and so is Thirupathi’s role. Bala wants to change the system but he eventually doesn’t and Thirupathi continues to do what he does - sell education at a steep price. While Bala does something for children in need, there is no dramatic change that we see.

Vaathi is more about the journey of a middle-class teacher and director Venky Atluri has tried his best to tug at the audience’s heartstrings to make them emotionally connect with this flat film. Some scenes are touching and others simply have no logic. Take the scene where Bala tries to convince parents to send their kids to school in the village. He narrates the story of APJ Abdul Kalam, which supposedly opens everyone’s eyes as to why education is important and they decide to send their kids to school.

ALSO READ I Vijay, Ajith and Dhanush: Actors and their 'no interview' policy

G V Prakash's BGM is OK and, with his song Vaathi, already a big hit, the audience enjoys it on screen too. J. Yuvaraj's cinematography is good but the editing by Naveen Nooli could have been tighter. There are a lot of lags in the film, especially in the second half.

As always, Dhanush delivered a good performance, but Samuthirakani doesn’t have too much to do in the film and neither does Samyuktha, the pretty Meenakshi whom Bala falls in love with. There are other actors who make brief appearances without too much impact on screen.

Venky Atluri’s Vaathi may strike a chord with middle-class parents who want to see a change in the education system, but like in the film, it’s all just up in the air.

Rating: 2.5 stars on 5 Published By: Latha Srinivasan Published On: Feb 17, 2023 --- ENDS --- ALSO READ | After playing professor in Vaathi, Dhanush asks fans to take education seriously. Here's why

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Vaathi movie review: Dhanush-starrer about right to education is effective and brave, but needed better characters

Vaathi movie review: the film allows dhanush to play to the gallery, but the story never glorifies his character. it also stars samuthirakani, samyuktha and sai kumar..

Venky Atluri’s Vaathi, which is set in the late 1990s, is a straightforward film about one man’s fight against the privatisation of the education system. It doesn’t do anything pathbreaking in terms of storytelling, but it definitely manages to strike a chord or two in the fashion it chooses to narrate this story of one man’s dream to make good education accessible to all. Unlike most films that have dealt with the education system in the past, Vaathi never goes overboard in its messaging and at the same time is quite engaging. Also read: Dhanush’s film is about privatisation of education. Watch Vaathi trailer

Dhanush plays Bala Murugan, who works as an assistant teacher in a popular educational institute run by Thirupathi (Samuthirakani), who treats education as business. After the state government introduces a new bill, which forces private schools to take over government-funded schools, Thirupathi assigns three third-grade assistant teachers from his institute and sends them to teach in a government school in a remote village.

Bala happens to be one of the teachers and he takes it up as a challenge to bring about a change through his teaching methods and produce results. However, he’s faced with the challenge of dealing with students from the lowest economic background as most of them support their parents in running the family. After a lot of struggles, when Bala finally manages to convince the parents as well as the students to return to school, he’s faced with a different set of challenges. Does Bala succeed in his endeavor in reforming the students and producing the desired results?

Vaathi works to a large extent because of its relatability factor. From the story to characters and to its presentation, there’s so much to relate and agree with. If you’re someone from a middle-class family and have parents, who struggled to arrange funds to pay school as well as tuition fees, Vaathi will resonate strongly and leave a lasting impact. The film does commercialise quite a lot of things in a way to appeal to the masses, but the point it tries to drive home, which is about making good education accessible to everyone, connects on an emotional level. In the second half, the film does suffer from a Super 30 hangover, but the similarity doesn’t make Vaathi less effective. The film’s finale is smart writing as the story takes a very familiar trope and turns it on its head to send audiences home on a high.

Dhanush continues to shine in roles that highlight the sufferings of the middle class and people below them. It’s a brave film to pick and foray into an entirely new market as Dhanush makes his Telugu debut with the project which is titled SIR. He’s earnest as a dutiful teacher who desperately wants to bring about a change. The film does allow Dhanush to play to the gallery in a few instances but the story never glorifies his character. Samyuktha plays her part well and manages to score in the limited screen time she gets. The movie definitely needed a better written antagonist character as someone even as versatile as Samuthirakani couldn’t make the role interesting.

Film: Vaathi

Director: Venky Atluri

Cast: Dhanush, Samuthirakani, Samyuktha and Sai Kumar

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• 'Vaathi' box office collection day 11: Dhanush's film breaks records in Telugu states

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Vaathi Movie Review (2023)

• 17 Feb 2023

Venky Atluri's 'Vaathi', starring Dhanush, is a half-decent, not-bad masala movie that could have been much better

Vaathi Movie Cast & Crew

It's the 1990s. Thanks to liberalisation and privatisation, education has become a booming business. There's a statue of Saraswathi in the premises of the local government school, but note the name of the local theatre: Lakshmi. The school with zero attendance and the theatre with housefull shows – education and money, Saraswathi and Lakshmi – become intertwined in Venky Atluri's halfway-decent Vaathi (or Sir in Telugu), which stars Dhanush as Bala, an idealistic teacher who believes that education should be free for those who cannot afford it. The children who return to the government school after Bala is appointed as a teacher are the children of cobblers and tailors and so on. What if they can change their destinies? What if their stories could resemble that of APJ Abdul Kalam, the son of a boatman who became a scientist? (As of this time period, he is not yet President.)

This material could have resulted in an unbearably "noble" message-movie, but Venky Atluri pulls off a small miracle. (The film could have been a bigger miracle, but more about that later.) The director is also the writer, and he demonstrates a great instinct for masala -movie writing. One of the film's most goosefleshy touches is in the way it merges cinema and education. At one point, the hero is celebrated with bits of paper thrown at the screen because what he's doing is a true act of heroism – and not just because he is this film's "hero". Through his conviction and his acts, Bala has earned this fandom. There is another wonderfully earnest scene involving a hand pump. It is a moment right out of myth, where a student will do anything for his teacher. (Recall, for instance, the story about Karna bearing great pain without moving because his guru Parasurama was resting on his lap. This is in that same zone.)

Where there is a hero, there is a heroine, there is a villain. But both characters are (thankfully) understated. The love angle with Samyuktha Menon is kept mercifully short. And Samuthirakani plays the bad guy without too much fuss. The ending has him winning without actually winning. It is an inspired bit of writing that stresses how being practical is sometimes more important than being emotional. Even in the dialogues, there are little touches that stand out, like how Bala speaks in phrases of three. (An example: "Okay sir. Thank you sir. Take care sir".) GV Prakash delivers a rousing, old-fashioned score that matches the pitch of the storytelling perfectly. As for Dhanush, it is not exactly a challenging part, but he sells his character with ease. We believe in this do-gooder without getting annoyed by him, and that's no small feat.

Then why isn't this movie better? Why is it just a… "small miracle"? Because the director doesn't trust his material to the extent that he should. Vaathi/Sir takes a while to take off. The framing device is unnecessary because the point with the videos would have worked much better had it appeared out of the blue, instead of being hinted at earlier. The comedy is bad. And there is no "stay" in the masala touches, which always work best when they are built up to. Instead of spending more time in, say, showing an expelled Bala finding a way to reenter the village to be with his students (this would also make the Bharathiyar get-up at the end more convincing), we waste a lot of time in "mass" action stretches, full slo-mo and all. Bala's first fight sequence is a waste of some five minutes that could have gone towards building the film's masala world better. A lot of this world-building, now, seems to happen at 2x speed. But given everything, I was just happy that this was not a generic, preachy movie. It's not perfect, but it holds on to its metre, its pitch, its sensibility. And that's a… small miracle.

Bakasuran Movie Review

Rekha movie review.

• 10 Feb 2023
• About The Author
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Baradwaj Rangan

National Award-winning film critic Baradwaj Rangan, former deputy editor of The Hindu and senior editor of Film Companion, has carved a niche for himself over the years as a powerful voice in cinema, especially the Tamil film industry, with his reviews of films. While he was pursuing his chemical engineering degree, he was fascinated with the writing and analysis of world cinema by American critics. Baradwaj completed his Master’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations through scholarship. His first review was for the Hindi film Dum, published on January 30, 2003, in the Madras Plus supplement of The Economic Times. He then started critiquing Tamil films in 2014 and did a review on the film Subramaniapuram, while also debuting as a writer in the unreleased rom-com Kadhal 2 Kalyanam. Furthermore, Baradwaj has authored two books - Conversations with Mani Ratnam, 2012, and A Journey Through Indian Cinema, 2014. In 2017, he joined Film Companion South and continued to show his prowess in critiquing for the next five years garnering a wide viewership and a fan following of his own before announcing to be a part of Galatta Media in March 2022.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Indian action drama about accessible education has violence.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Quality education should be free and accessible to

A teacher fights for the education of underprivile

While most of the characters are Hindus, it is mad

Multiple scenes of gratuitous violent clashes incl

Blurred out image of a topless woman on a DVD. Som

Some name calling such as "fleabag," "idiot," "ras

Characters drink and smoke. A character who has dr

Parents need to know that Vaathi is an Indian action drama that portrays the struggle of underprivileged students losing opportunities due to privatization of education. Dhanush stars as a teacher who makes it his mission to fight for these students, quite literally in some scenes. He gets into a number of…

Positive Messages

Quality education should be free and accessible to all students. Privatization of education for profit harms students from lower-income families, leaving them behind.

Positive Role Models

A teacher fights for the education of underprivileged students against all odds. Despite facing violence repeatedly at the hands of corrupt authorities, ruthless businessmen, and politicians, the teacher finds ways to educate students via recorded lectures despite being expelled from the village. The teacher also strives to bridge the caste divide among students.

Diverse Representations

While most of the characters are Hindus, it is made clear that more than half the students are Dalits by caste. The main character's mentor is a Muslim and eventually becomes the namesake for a free school for underprivileged children. The mentor is portrayed in a very positive light. However, the film fails to address gender dynamics and brushes off any nuance when a woman is being pursued by her male colleagues to the point of harassment.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Multiple scenes of gratuitous violent clashes including punches, kicks, headbutts, and characters being hit with poles and sticks. Disturbing scenes of police brutality toward the main character, including being beaten with clubs in a police station. In one extended sequence, they are seen limping and bleeding. Students riot outside a police station, smashing property. They are also beaten up various goons. Some slaps are exchanged between characters, in one case by a husband toward his wife in front of their child. A father also hits his daughter. An effigy has gasoline poured on it before being set alight.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Blurred out image of a topless woman on a DVD. Some references to porn movies/adult films. Two male teachers try to "woo" a female teacher despite her repeated refusals. When a woman turns up at her boyfriend's house, his mother mistakenly assumes she is pregnant and declares the same to her neighbors.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Some name calling such as "fleabag," "idiot," "rascal," and "shut up." "Oh my God" used as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters drink and smoke. A character who has dropped out of high school is shown to have an alcohol use disorder. They subsequently quit drinking and prepare to retake their exams.

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Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Vaathi is an Indian action drama that portrays the struggle of underprivileged students losing opportunities due to privatization of education. Dhanush stars as a teacher who makes it his mission to fight for these students, quite literally in some scenes. He gets into a number of fights with various goons, which include punches, kicks, headbutts, and the use of poles/sticks as weapons. The students are also on the receiving end of some violence. In one scene, the teacher is taken to a police station and beaten with sticks, leading to a brief riot outside the building. The movie also talks about caste but does not explain casteism or tackle the subject with nuance. But the portrayal is positive, if superficial. No sexually explicit content or nudity are seen but there is some discussion about a theater showing "dirty" movies and a blurred out image on a DVD appears to be of a topless woman. Language is mild with some name calling such as "rascal" and "fleabag." Some characters are seen smoking and drinking, with one character shown to have an alcohol disorder, of which he gets control of. The movie is in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi with English subtitles available. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In VAATHI, a teacher ( Dhanush ) posted in a government college in a rural area of India, battles politicians, goons, and profit hungry businessmen to ensure a bright future for underprivileged students.

Is It Any Good?

This Indian action drama, that pans across several decades, starts out with big ideas; corruption, the brutality of competition, the lack of quality teachers, the caste divides inside classrooms. However, Vaathi tends to lose itself in gratuitous violence and hero worship instead of chalking out practical and replicable paths to empowerment. Songs meant to evoke sympathy for the central character -- a teacher intent on making education accessible to all -- only end up glorifying him, not his message. Ultimately the film proves to be boring, preachy, obsessed with proving lead actor Dhanush's machismo, and lacking in nuance when it comes to caste or gender dynamics.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in Vaathi . How did it make you feel? Was it necessary? Do some types of media violence have different impact than others?

What was the film trying to say about the dangers of privatizing education? Do you think good education should be available for all? Why, or why not?

How was smoking and drinking portrayed in the movie? Were they glamorized? When is it OK for my kid to watch shows that have alcohol, drugs, and smoking in them?

How was the mental health of the students affected by the intense competition of entrance exams? Have you ever felt stressed by your schoolwork?

What do you know about the Indian caste system portrayed in this film? What problems could it cause?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 17, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : March 17, 2023
• Cast : Dhanush , Samyukhta Menon , Samuthirakani
• Director : Venky Atluri
• Inclusion Information : Indian/South Asian writers
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : High School
• Run time : 139 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : January 16, 2024

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Vaathi Movie Review: A wonderful Dhanush anchors a promising tale bogged down by cliches and deja vu

Rating: ( 2.5 / 5).

Even if everything goes downhill in a Dhanush film, one can rest assured his films will always have a poignant father-son scene. Right from the times of Thiruda Thirudi and Sullan to Polladhavan and VIP to even Thanga Magan and Asuran, a Dhanush film is elevated by the scenes featuring a father and a son. In Venky Atluri’s Vaathi ( Sir in Telugu), Balamurugan (Dhanush) asks his father (Aadukalam Naren), why he is making a big fuss out of not having the money to make his son an engineer. The father says, “Pasanga kaekkara vishayam kedaikkalena avangalukku oru naal dhaan varutham, aana kaettadhu vaangi thara mudiyalena, pethavangalukku adhu eppavume varutham (Children are sad for a day if they don’t get what they ask for, but the parents are sad for days together for not being able to fulfill their children’s wishes).”

What follows and precedes this poignant moment in Vaathi is a bunch of cliche-ridden scenes that have a tremendous sense of deja vu. In fact, sandwiching a sentimental moment between template scenes is a trademark of this film. However, there is a reason why cliches exist in the first place… they work, and in Vaathi , they almost do. 

Director: Venky Atluri

Cast: Dhanush, Samyuktha, Samuthirakani, Sai Kumar  

The film begins in 2022, and soon enough, through the wondrous world of VHS tapes, we are transported back to the late 90s and jump right into the crux of Vaathi — privatisation of education. On one end, there is dwindling attendance at government schools, and on the other end, there are burgeoning admissions in private schools. Of course, even if the system is a villain, you need a face for it, and that’s where Thirupathi (Samuthirakani) comes into the picture. He is the corporate villain archetype who treats education as a commodity.

Of course, his materialistic world is challenged by the idealistic and rather simplistic world of Balamurugan, or as he is fondly called Bala sir. In fact, it is fun to see Samuthirakani ham like there’s no tomorrow, especially when one realises that he is the Bala sir in Saattai , and his Dhayalan has shifted to the dark side in Vaathi . Nevertheless, Bala’s utopian worldview can be labelled as impractical, but it is nice to see a protagonist having a want and a lot of heart.  It is this heart that is seen in Vaathi , even in the most mundane of scenes. Read Also :  Maaveeran's first single Scene Ah Scene Ah to drop on this date

But where Vaathi really surprises us is in the sudden burst of ingenuity. Take, for instance, the first time we see Rajendran in the film. He is Bhoopathy, a videographer who moonlights as a theatre owner who runs soft porn films. When his place gains respect among his own people, there is a nice wrap to that arc. The way Venky decided to sketch this character speaks a lot about his intent. 

This heart and intent hold him in good stead as Venky blows hot and cold with the writing, which is burdened by a Super 30 hangover, in addition to a cocktail mix of films, including Saattai, 3 Idiots, Nammavar , and a bunch of other films. If coaching centres were the bane of quality education in Super 30 , it is private schools in Vaathi . There are a lot of similar beats in both films, especially the camaraderie between the students and the teacher. Honestly, these portions in Vaathi were quite enjoyable, and the lengthy sequence where the students defy the odds and rally for their teacher is a mass masala moment that finds its way to the top in a film that managed to stay rooted till then. It is a nice touch that when being exalted as a god, Bala is not really in his senses. This is the perfect amount of masala in a film that wants to be rooted.

However, sensationalism soon finds its way to the fore pushing realism behind, which leads to some uncharacteristic narratives, and unintended humour. Also, the ‘love at first sight’ and the ‘fighting for the girl’ tropes have no place in Vaathi, even if the film is set in the glorious 90s that always had a soft corner for such scenes. The forced humour does more good than harm and has a very bitter aftertaste too.

Also, can’t help but detect points from the makers for naming the film, Vaathi , and not having the students use it as a term of endearment and respect. Having a superstar like Dhanush at the centre of things also pushes Venky and Co to give us more than the required number of stunt sequences. They work because of the actor’s charisma, but they poke large holes in the narrative.  

Undoubtedly, Vaathi is all about Dhanush and his students, and it is impressive to see an unwavering focus on this equation. The biggest strength of Dhanush's performance is his understanding of when to take the back seat, and in more than a few scenes, he doesn’t shy away from letting the children take the wheel. The kids rise up to the occasion too, and most of them get their moment under the limelight, and they use it to the fullest. 

Another smart idea in Vaathi is the setting of the film, which allows the inhabitants of the town of Sholavaram to speak a smattering of Telugu. However, the idea isn’t fully developed, and it is also the case with the film being set in the 90s era. Apart from a PCO booth, and a beautiful scene involving hall tickets and a newspaper, Vaathi doesn’t really explore the time period, and we are left with the feeling of watching a rather trendy story unfold in a period setting.

Also, Samyuktha is wasted in a role that starts off quite well but doesn’t offer her anything, There is a nice aside where they refer to each other as 'sir' and 'madam' even when they are romantically inclined towards each other, but this arc is largely disappointing, especially since the writer even finds a way to conveniently pack her away during the second act where things don’t always go in favour of Vaathi . The same holds good for the supporting cast, who are spectacularly one-note and offer nothing new. 

Bolstered by a mostly loud and moderately effective background score by GV Prakash, whose songs are used smartly by Venky, Vaathi is a triumphant tale of an underdog who fights against a system that is heavily stacked against him. With the power of retrospection, Venky and the team talk in detail about the education system in the country.

As the credits roll, and we move past the induced mass moments and the warm relationship Bala shared with his Super 46, Vaathi becomes the latest film to strike warring bells against the increasingly expensive field of education. Impressively, Vaathi presents the problems without offering any solutions. Despite using a 140-minute runtime to teach us a bunch of subjects, including the importance of education, respect in society, caste discrimination, women empowerment, and financial independence, the biggest two lessons that Vaathi teaches us are...

1) Films don't have to be preachy to drive home a point

2) Dhanush can make anything look easy