Tamil Cinema brings you: Veyil

Veyil

Looking at the posters, title and a few scene photo of this movie, you would dismiss it as a small-budget movie about Veyil (the scorching sun), some young boys and poor village life. In other words, a movie you can give a miss.

Veyil is produced by hit director Shankar who is known for his big budget productions and interesting stories. His Kadhal and Imsai Arasan made money and brought fame to Shankar as producer. Shankar was assisted by Vasantha Balan to direct the movie. Bharath and Pasupathy are the heroes where Bhavana, Malavika and Shreya Reddy plays the female leads in the movie.

That would be a real tragedy as this movie is one of the best to come out of Tamil cinema in recent years. It may bring on a tear of two as it is a story about human emotions, weaknesses and aspirations. The characterization and acting are superb. Veyil, also bring critical acclaim to this director whose Indian still stands as a wonderfully-crafted story.
The story is told through the protagonist Murukesan (Pasupathy) who recalls his childhood in a village near Virudhanagar. His father is a butcher (G.M. Kumar) who works hard to bring up his four children two boys and two girls and has a happy family.

Murukesan dotes on his younger brother Kathir and his weakness, like any other adolescent is love for movies (especially MGR films) that are screened in a local theatre. But one day life changes for him when his father catches him for smoking in a cinema and playing truant Muru is severely punished and he runs away from home after taking money and jewels.

His journey is quiet exciting with its share of happiness and sorrows. After losing all the money and jewellery he had stolen from home, he is taken under the wings of a theatre projectionist in a nearby town and slowly the theatre becomes his home. He falls in love with Thankam (Malavika, a TV actress from Malayalam) a beautiful girl who lives opposite the theatre but their love story does not have a happy ending. Murukesan is dejected after Thankam’s death and the theatre is demolished.

After losing his job and the lovee of life, he decides to return home. Back home, he finds his younger brother, Kathir (Bharath), running a successful advertising business. When Muru finds out that Kathir’s business rival, Bose (Ravi Maria), is planning to harm his brother, Muru steps in to help, finally able to do something for his family after living a “useless” life. The second part of the film is all about Murukesan’s mental turmoil’s as he is caught between the deep love showered by his younger brother Kathir (Bharath) and his guilt of not being a responsible son or elder brother. There is parallel love story between Meenakshi (Bhavana), an innocent girl and Kathir. Then there is Pandi (Shreya Reddy) who is Murukesan childhood sweetheart.

Told in flashbacks, there is much humour and pathos in the story to sustain the audience’s interest for two-and-a-half hours. Like typical Tamil film, there are violent bits at the beginning and the end.

Newcomers Malavika and Shriya Reddy play Muru’s love interest. Former TV drama actor Pasupathy – who shot to prominence in Kamalhaasan’s Virumaandi and Maja – performs splendidly as Muru, a role that seems to be tailor-made for him.

Bharath gets to sing a ballad with pretty Bhavana (of Chitram Pesuthadi fame). Veyil marks the debut of young composer G.V. Prakash Kumar, the 18 year-old nephew of national award-winning music composer A.R. Rahman, who composed several beautiful numbers.