Vada Chennai (2018) User Reviews

This film is a massive, beautiful complexity!!!

[deepakgnair · 9/10 · 20 October 2018]

I'm really sleepy now but could not imagine going to sleep without writing a very brief review about "Vada Chennai" (North Chennai). The fourth film directed by Vetrimaaran. This year has been great for Tamil Cinema. Kolamaavu kokila, Chekka chivandha vaanam (okay type), '96, pariyerum perumaal, raatchasan and Vada Chennai.

When I watched Prem Kumar's debut film '96 two weeks ago, I felt that it would definitely play the role of a "reference film" for future directors planning on making a romantic film. For future/budding directors planning to make a gangster film this MUST be your reference. We've seen various gangster films in Tamil, but Vada Chennai is a class apart. This is a pure EPIC. Such a complex script and screenplay but at the same time understandable. If you're planning to watch this film (which I highly recommend), I suggest that you first watch the previous works of Vetrimaaran. This movie has the essence of "POLLADHAVAN" - an innocent lower-middle class young adult fighting gangsters who stole his bike, "AADUKALAM" - politics/war with a game as the base (carrom board in this one and cock-fight in the former), "VISAARANAI" - prison scenes. The film has such strong female characters who are not the typical female leads you see in a South Indian cinema. (Sorry feminists)

Songs were so apt and perfectly placed. Although Dhanush is an amazing dancer I was surprised that he did not dance in this film which he did in both the previous films of Vetrimaran. Dhanush really deserves appreciation for not wanting to add so much weight to the story (but of course that's what the script demanded). This movie's making has demanded a detailed research on the lives of people living in Northern Madras. Their culture, dialect ("Fowder" for powder, "flayer" for player, "ports" for sports, "tation" for station etc) etc captured on-screen so perfectly. Incidents such as the death of Rajiv Gandhi, death of MGR etc simply flows with the story. The last North Madras based film I enjoyed was "MADRAS" which was a great attempt as well. Don't think even a film maker with a North Madras Origin could make a movie as good as "Vada Chennai".

A particular scene reminded me of "Pudhupettai" as well which is one of my favorite Tamil gangster films. Some vintage scenes reminded me of "Kammattipaadam" with people in funny hairstyles and bell bottoms riding Yezdis. In this film Dhanush plays only ONE OF THE major parts. Samuthrakani, Ameer, Kishore, Andrea, Aishwarya Rajesh and Dhanush help Vetrimaaran hold this 2.45 hrs long film so brilliantly.

The reason I was looking forward to this one is the Vetrimaaran-Dhanush combo. I wouldn't be surprised if Dhanush or for that matter any of the actors win a National award once again for a Vetrimaaran's film (the previous one being Dhanush winning National award for the best actor for Aadukalam).

The film is rated "A" and of course I noticed that the families (husband, wife and teenage kids) dint enjoy as much as the bachelors. Who knows!!!

Eagerly waiting for the sequel which should be out in 2019. In the end I kept wondering "how daring Vetrimaaran is to even think of making a film as massive as Vada Chennai. Another Vetrimaaran brilliance!!!! Dude only gets better and better every time.

"Life is simple, it gets complicated when love becomes a part of it."

[lalithm-74640 · 8/10 · 24 October 2018]

As the title reads, the characters in the movie also are complicated because of love. Love for the power, love for the people, love for status and love for money. And as the lead character name itself is Anbu(meaning love) how can his life be simpler. Part 1 is mainly focused on how 'Anbu' is dragged into the world of darkness. The Staging of scenes are done very realistically, which even more boost up the intensity of the film. Director does his best job by portraying the actual rawness of the place.Talking about the camera work for the first few minutes, the camera movement was very visible but later as film goes on, the camera movement becomes static which gives a essence of looking through the eye of the characters in the movie. The Beauty of the film is the action sequence, it is precisely choreographed. And talking about the background music, it just blends with visual. On whole the film is engaging with all the aspects of life, the love sequences of the film doesn't disturb the engaging narration, instead it makes it even more better, this is the best part of the film. More than a film about gangster, it is film about life. The cast of the film did their best work. The one reason which holds the film back is the 'A rated' certificate which keeps away many people from going to the theatre.

One of the best tamil movies of the year.

[Azanspy · 8/10 · 1 December 2018]

This is a season of good Tamil movies. Vada Chennai also makes the list thanks to it's outstanding script and film making. All cast has done a very good job. Waiting for the next part.

Indian Godfather

[Shashiishere · 10/10 · 19 October 2018]

This movie has been in the making for a decade or more and its totally worth it and understandable! Every character, scene, dialogue means something and its so well etched that you have to accept it sets a benchmark for regional cinema. It is comparable to all the great gangster dramas that world has produced like the untouchables, godfather, and our own nayagan, satya and gangs of wasseypur. Amusing that directors find their best work in describing crime from its origin to effect.

Yes, this movie describes a reluctant young man's journey through the slums surrounded by crooks eventually into a leader and ganglord and is inspired by all those movies listed above. What stood out were few things among many, how the director has given attention to detail right from cinematography to dialogue to time period it feels as if the tale is unscripted, the superb acting from all the cast led by Dhanush, the editing which deserves multiple awards for carrying out non linear story telling with aplomb, the music which is not jarring and giea with the flow and above all the direction which is a cut above the rest taking the best out if his crew Vetri maaran gives his best work here.

Enjoy the intensity, political satire (for eg when a character asks if rajiv gandhi succeeded mgr as prime minister) the lawlessness, the dilemma of who or what is right and wrong, is it all by design or free will and many other uncomfortable questions.

You will definitely root for the lead character and have many moments with tears in your eyes and lump in your throat!

Positive

[uvaraj-79946 · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

movie is very interesting and very detailed

Movie of the decade

[maheshboyka · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

Please don't wounder if this movie becomes a cult classic in next 10 years. The story has been crafted with attention to detail. Movies like this keeps the young generation directors motivated. Actors appearing in each and every frame has done their job with perfection. The craftsmanship of vettri maran has taken the movie to the next level. Please do watch the movie in theaters.

#VadaChennai At Its Best

[rahulcj · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

Vetrimaaran And Dhanush Are best Combo. saNa BGM osm same fire as Kaala. Everyone has done their acting well. My Fav Us Anbu The Anchor

VADACHENNAI

[bmgun · 10/10 · 18 October 2018]

The story starts with a murder without revealing the victim.The huge plus of the movie was it's screenplay.Top notch performance by every character in the film.Dhanush had lived the character of Anbu.All the changes in Anbu were so real.This story makes you a part of it in which you have to decide your side.All actors in the movie had given their best of their career.This movie gives you a feel like "why did it end".

#TheBest #vadachennai #Localboy #Anbu vera level mass.

[vijaykumarultimate · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

Dhanush acting is awesome, everyone is done superb, fight scene, Mass bgm each and every seconds. Waiting for #vadachennai2

Movie with good screenplay

[maruthuk-82307 · 7/10 · 8 December 2019]

Although screenplay of the movie was good, felt bored at times. Acting of Dhanush & Ameer was too good. Movie is not definitely watchable with kids, as there are lots of bad words in dialogues and violence was also very high.

Gangster film done right!!

[abetobin94 · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

Being a sucker for gangster flicks I couldn't contain my excitement to watch this film but I was afraid I wouldn't enjoy it because of my high expectations due to all the hype and the extremely positive reviews (one of the reasons why I didn't enjoy films like Kammatipadam and Angamaly Diaries the way everyone did) but fortunately, Vada Chennai was everything I wanted it to be.

Right from the "Tarantinoesque" opening scene to the non-linear storytelling and the crisp screenplay and camerawork, one could easily say that this has every possibility to be India's answer to Goodfellas and a cult classic in the years to come if the upcoming sequels are just as good as this one or even better, which I'm pretty affirmative they would be. Vetrimaaran has successfully been able to engage the viewers right from the start with the classic story of the rise of a young prodigy into the vicious life of a mobster. The layered and intricate writing boosted by the incredible cinematography, especially the long takes make it a visual treat for the genre lovers. The casting was perfect. Even the supporting actors did a great job. Dhanush, as always, stole the show with his brutally realistic portrayal of his character "Anbu". Certain scenes, which I won't reveal here were phenomenal and made me gaze at the screen with awe.

Unfortunately, the only other film of Vetrimaaran that I've seen is Visaranai, which is a modern masterpiece and from the looks of this first installment to a trilogy, Vada Chennai is right up there along with it. A film not to be missed if you enjoy Gangster-Crime films. A powerful start to what is going to be a triumphant trilogy.

Not so interesting Gansta!

[saru2020 · 6/10 · 17 October 2018]

I didn't understand the movie completely due to the huge set of characters, different storylines in multiple asynchronous threads, which basically doesn't gets me submerged into the plot especially in the first half of the film, but second blindly unfolds the Andrea's characterisation which was already guessable makes the film only slightly touched. Several bad mouthing dialogues, North madras slang, real jail life are the ones that keeps the audinece somewhat engaged to the movie. First half almost felt like they've taken us inside the Jail/prison life. Although second half linked most of the movie plot, it was not so gripping or surprising to keep the audience glued, it felt like it only/simply touched and went off. It also feels a bit like watching the korean based gangster flick. There's nothing special in the firt part itself, i surely don't know what to expect in the next part.

Dubbing Disaster: Hindi Version of Vada Chennai

[pawanpunjabithewriter · 2/10 · 4 August 2023]

Enthralled by its grandiose Hindi title, "Chennai Central," and the ratings, I eagerly added this movie to my watchlist. I have South Indian friends who suggest me some best South Indian movies to watch and I love those, however, this was an exception. Watching it with my friends and relatives, I was the one who sat till the end.

Right from the beginning, it appeared awful, leaving us devoid of any expectations. Despite watching it till the end, the experience proved joyless although the script made sense.

The movie's worst aspect was its Hindi dubbing, which proved to be extremely poor and grating to the ears. There was narration in the background throughout the film which was painful and disgusting.

Deeply disillusioned, I decided to watch the trailer, hoping to find redemption in its impressive ratings. To my astonishment, the trailer showcased seamless narration, devoid of the vexing background noise that plagued the actual film. The hindi-dubbed movie failed to live up to its trailer's promise.

Vada Chenna - Dhanush The Performer

[dinmech-32145 · 10/10 · 18 October 2018]

The movie is high in reality. each and every character has it own importance. Left theater in heavy heart. Vetrimaaran has a writer and director rocks at every scene and background voice. No body could done Dhanush role better than him.

This is the first Raw and Hard Story Gansgter movie in Kollywood

[freakinnguy · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

This is the first Raw and Hard Story Gansgter movie in Kollywood

Benchmark in Indian cinema

[radhakrishnan-11343 · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

One and only best gangster Film of the Indian cinema.... Character specialisation is extraordinary.... Actor Dhanush performance is main part of the success...

Routine story line with a grippy awesome screenplay

[manitejayadav · 9/10 · 17 December 2018]

A perfect film is the one that can involve the audiences into the story.Vada chennai is one such blended masterpiece.Every scene will have reality in it.Every scene teaches something to the audience, eg:the lives of prisoners .With non linear screenplay,we try to connect the scenes to have clarity which makes us not to get bored and suspense remains throughout the film.Since i am a non tamilians,i couldn't get the feel of dialogues.No need of review the performance of actors.They did as if they were made for that.The director didn't even try to elevate the hero as in normal movies but the story itself elevated the hero.I got stunned by watching Andrea in that role.Music and bgm by Santhosh Narayan makes the movie more emotional.

Another classic from Vetri Maran

[amitavadutta-16089 · 9/10 · 7 December 2018]

After Gangs of wasseypur I have watched such a gangster movie with Well executed characters and interwoven plot.One can not get all of it by watching for the first time if you want to dive deep into the characters it requires a multiple watching and here lies the brilliance of directors. Want to see some kore known actors in the sequel.

Raw and Rusty epic that will be a cult classic

[naveensankaran18 · 9/10 · 23 October 2018]

There has been several movies about fishermen community, the slum area and the people whose lives dwell within them, the ganster and the associated politics. But what makes this movie so special is the writing - the grey shades of each and every character is highlighted at the right moment, their low and high points, intertwining plots which affects each other's lives, especially the lead character - Anbu. This qualifies the basic requirement to be an epic. VadaChennai is no less than an epic in making. While each and every person played their part well, it is quiet hard to single out one. But, to have a conclusion, the script is the king, the queen, the everything. No one outplayed their role and this gave the other characters the much needed space, in order to let their character root well into the plot. The screenplay make you feel like a salad stuffed inside a sandwich, but has enough spices that makes the outcome urging us to get one more. Santhosh Narayanan's background score, kept the mood of the film throughout the runtime. The long take shots, aerial view glide and the flight sequences were choreographed well and was captured excellently by Velraj. This epic will surely turn out to be a cult classic, just like Pudupettai and Thevar Magan. Vetrimaaran - Black pearl of Thamizh Cinema!

Tamil version of English movie "A prayer before Dawn"

[kolliprasad · 6/10 · 20 October 2018]

Vada Chennai is inspired by acclaimed English movie "A prayer before Dawn" (2017), which is based on a real story Billy Moore in Thailand prison. In this Tamil movie, Thai Kick boxer is replaced by Carrom player. Something new attempt for Kollywood. Background score and cinematography is good. Oh yes, Family melodrama, romance and revenge is not from the original movie.

The Indian Mafia saga to it's best.

[magadalwarmayur · 10/10 · 9 December 2019]

The best thing about this movie is it is three hours movie and you don't want to blink for second because you don't want to miss something because their is always something happening. The movie it's perfect for gangster filmlover

An imposing and gripping gangwar tale with local flavour is declined by mediocre direction.

[SAMTHEBESTEST · 6/10 · 6 May 2021]

Vada Chennai (2018) : Brief Review -

An imposing and gripping gangwar tale with local flavour is declined by mediocre direction. Vada Chennai has everything needed for a gangster film and it has routine twists as well. The 3 most needed things for any crime/gangster are solid storyline that can either derive characters through multiple dimension or establish them at once, impressive performances from every single cast member and excellent direction. Vada Chennai has got first two things in enough amount if not fully but it couldn't battle out the mediocre techniques of its own director. The film is about a young carrom player in north Chennai who becomes a reluctant participant in a war between two warring gangsters. As expected it has good twists which are hinted in the beginning if you notice it, i mean smart movie buffs not mass audience. The problem appears in the director's execution which doesn't seem to be trying to be unique anywhere and all the things like characterisation, their behavior, their dialogue delivery, their appearance and their attitude everything is filled with mediocrity. It wasn't like anything on quality level, it was just as good as i see in any common action film of South. The directorial genius is missing here. The writing has couple of flaws too. In the ending portion i don't understand how all of sudden a man who couldn't fight a single man in past becomes a macho fighter? I mean what's the secret behind it? Was there any training or something like that he took in jail or somewhere else, if yes then at least show us a glimpse so that we can understand why his character changed. Anyways, Vada Chennai is a Watchable flick for Dhanush's performances and few twists here and there, rest it is nothing special. Let's see if the sequel gets any quality or not.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest.

It was an average film..

[hsaravanan29 · 4/10 · 19 October 2018]

What I think after I saw the movie that it was overrated..first of all there were too many characters..1st half especially was not quite interesting.2nd half was better but the ending could've been better..It was such a confusion how a person like Anbu(dhanush) who is a carrom board player who wishes to be a normal person lead a normal life with his family and suddenly he doesn't care about his family and decides to become a gangster and immediately becomes powerful which is impossible in reality..maybe some people who actually live in these conditions or in North Chennai might find it familiar and like it.for others not quite..

waiting for Part 2

[muthuvairavl · 10/10 · 18 October 2018]

Best Gangster movie with speaks about politics.. waiting for part 2

Osm movie ever

[mdaiyanali-43825 · 10/10 · 17 October 2018]

Vada Chennai is fantastic movie ever I have seen this movie is fabulous vada Chennai vada Chennai vada Chennai vada Chennai