Director H Vinoth’s Valimai, starring Ajith, follows the story of an intelligent cop who traces the mastermind behind a series of crimes. The action-thriller is a predictable story laced with brilliant action sequences, says our Valimai Movie Review.

After two long years, Ajith Kumar is back on screen. He was an actor who dissolved his fan clubs. Whenever his fans go overboard, he issues statements asking them to respect others. But, he is an actor who wants to keep his fans happy through his films. And his latest outing, Valimai, is just that. It’s an action thriller, with cliches, but is still a major crowd-puller.

A series of chain-snatching incidents result in grievous injuries. Masked men on bikes selling drugs. A drug mafia with a syndicate head (Kartikeya Gummakonda). And Tamil Nadu Police brings in super cop Arjun (Ajith) from Madurai to crack the case and trace the mastermind. Throw in some mother, brother sentiment and some high-octane stunt sequences, you have Valimai.

Valimai has an interesting premise for a slick action thriller. Like director H Vinoth’s Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru, Valimai talks about the system and how it doesn’t help common people. However, Valimai isn’t as effective as Theeran. Courtesy: Valimai’s predictable screenplay. The cat-and-mouse game between Ajith and Kartikeya should ideally excite you and make you look forward to the proceedings. But, it only works in parts for Valimai.

Movie Review

It is safe to say that Valimai is probably H Vinoth’s weakest script so far. Every conflict is resolved in a matter of seconds. Every solution is just a stone’s throw away. This brings down the excitement considerably.

There were some juicy ideas in Valimai. However, these portions are too few and get bogged down by the rest of the film. For example, the bike-and-police-van chase sequence in the second half is tastefully done and has a lot of quirks. And the entire stretch was very exhilarating for the audience.

That said, it is great to see Ajith Kumar back on the big screen. Seeing him perform and dance his heart out is something that his fans would totally enjoy. Valimai is a crowd-pleaser in that sense. Ajith, as Arjun, mouths punchlines, shares ‘messages’ about family values, talks about being honest and whatnot. Every now and then, Ajith makes you get up from the seats and clap for him.

Apart from Ajith, Kartikeya Gummakonda delivers a neat performance, making him the dreaded villain. Huma Qureshi as Sofia is a supporting role. Though she gets a fight sequence, her character is boring. Ajith has to spell out what she has to do in an enquiry, despite her being a top officer. GM Sundar’s performance stands out among the lot.

The second half of Valimai is laced with family sentiments. Before the characters appear on screen, we are given a heads-up, thanks to Ghibran’s background music. It’s a cue for the audience to get sentimental.

The cinematography by Nirav Shah is excellent, especially the bike chase sequences. So are Dhilip Subbarayan’s action choreography and Vijay Velukutty’s editing. Naanga Vera Maari song by Yuvan Shankar Raja, enhances the theatrical experience for the audience.

Movie Trailer

Valimai isn’t a bad film. But, the screenplay is stale. If H Vinoth had incorporated some engaging elements, it would have created a solid impact.

3 out of 5 stars for Valimai.