Somewhere down the line especially after viewing the Theri trailer, I knew that even though this Vijay film had a very sensible director like Atlee of Raja Rani fame, that Theri would still be a fan pleasing masala affair. However that is not such a bad thing because after the disastrous Puli, Superstar Vijay probably just wanted to be attached to a safe, but prosperous project. Knowing all this beforehand however did not make me have low expectations for Theri, because when a formula film is done right, with some added new content and is presented in a fresh way, then entertainment is 100% guaranteed. Theri in short is popcorn entertainment at its best, but what makes this film above the average is director's Atlee's sensibilities (he added the right amount of family and class thinking scenes), and Vijay's killer performance.
Story wise Vijay is leading a happy life in Kerala with Nivi, who is his daughter that studies in kindergarten, and he is running a bakery with Rajendra his friend.He meets Annie, Nivi's class teacher, and both become good friends. Annie soon finds out about that Joseph is none other than the "late" Vijay Kumar after seeing him beat up some local goons who tried to kill Nivi, but Vijay warns her not to tell Nivi about his past. What is Joseph's past, and who is Vijay Kumar, is what forms the crux of the plot.
Acting wise Vijay is exceptional playing dual characters in Theri. He is at his best playing Joseph, because he underplays the father role perfectly. The scenes with his daughter, and the play on the word,"Baby" melts ones heart. The father daughter chemistry is heartwarming, and the highlight of the film. As police officer Vijay Kumar, Vijay is at home portraying a massy hero, however there is a Jilla hangover to this character at times. But as Vijay his action scenes are first rate, the post interval action scene at the coffee house was awesome. I'd also like to highlight the scene when in the climax Vijay is explaining to the villain that one has to raise to kids properly, and that if one doesn't and they go one wrong path of crime and its then the parents fault for the wrong guidance.That speech was awe inspiring, and it was by the far the films best scene. Mahendran as the villain is menacing to the core, his confrontation scenes with Vijay are great to watch on screen, as they exchange some good dialogue. Samantha and Amy Jackson add good glamor , but do nothing in the acting department. Baby Nainika is adorable on screen, and acts like a pro as Vijay's daughter. Her dialogues on screen will leave a smile on your face.
Like I mentioned before Theri does adhere to a regular revenge drama formula but why the film works is because of director Atlee's sensibilities. He makes sure the film speaks of real world problems plaguing India today, and peppers them perfectly in the film to get a huge impact on the viewer. Rape, corruption, lack of education, poverty are all highlighted in Theri, and the director speaks of improving the system too, which is through proper guidance of India's youth, which starts at home (with the parents), and in the climax speech that is main topic of discussion. Atlee also makes sure that Theri has a great mix of family sentiment in the film, and the scenes between Vijay and his daughter are the films ace, together they are just to cute, on screen. Hats off to director Atlee for encompassing so much in a mass film properly. The films action is another highlight the massy stunts are combined well with a sleek/ stylish look. The films music is bad as the title track is the only good track. The songs production value is also very tacky. In general the production values are just okay. The films pace is great in the 1st half but the second half lags until the climax, the film could have been trimmed by 15 min. I did not like the whole ghost Vijay Kumar track, something more creative needed to be thought for that episode. These mentioned above and the formula story are the minor blemishes in the film.
Overall Theri is a good mass entertainer, that encompasses some good class, and family sensibilities. The film is something that not only Vijay fans will lap but so will the regular going audience. Its a hit guaranteed.
3.5/5* Grade 75% B
Story wise Vijay is leading a happy life in Kerala with Nivi, who is his daughter that studies in kindergarten, and he is running a bakery with Rajendra his friend.He meets Annie, Nivi's class teacher, and both become good friends. Annie soon finds out about that Joseph is none other than the "late" Vijay Kumar after seeing him beat up some local goons who tried to kill Nivi, but Vijay warns her not to tell Nivi about his past. What is Joseph's past, and who is Vijay Kumar, is what forms the crux of the plot.
Acting wise Vijay is exceptional playing dual characters in Theri. He is at his best playing Joseph, because he underplays the father role perfectly. The scenes with his daughter, and the play on the word,"Baby" melts ones heart. The father daughter chemistry is heartwarming, and the highlight of the film. As police officer Vijay Kumar, Vijay is at home portraying a massy hero, however there is a Jilla hangover to this character at times. But as Vijay his action scenes are first rate, the post interval action scene at the coffee house was awesome. I'd also like to highlight the scene when in the climax Vijay is explaining to the villain that one has to raise to kids properly, and that if one doesn't and they go one wrong path of crime and its then the parents fault for the wrong guidance.That speech was awe inspiring, and it was by the far the films best scene. Mahendran as the villain is menacing to the core, his confrontation scenes with Vijay are great to watch on screen, as they exchange some good dialogue. Samantha and Amy Jackson add good glamor , but do nothing in the acting department. Baby Nainika is adorable on screen, and acts like a pro as Vijay's daughter. Her dialogues on screen will leave a smile on your face.
Like I mentioned before Theri does adhere to a regular revenge drama formula but why the film works is because of director Atlee's sensibilities. He makes sure the film speaks of real world problems plaguing India today, and peppers them perfectly in the film to get a huge impact on the viewer. Rape, corruption, lack of education, poverty are all highlighted in Theri, and the director speaks of improving the system too, which is through proper guidance of India's youth, which starts at home (with the parents), and in the climax speech that is main topic of discussion. Atlee also makes sure that Theri has a great mix of family sentiment in the film, and the scenes between Vijay and his daughter are the films ace, together they are just to cute, on screen. Hats off to director Atlee for encompassing so much in a mass film properly. The films action is another highlight the massy stunts are combined well with a sleek/ stylish look. The films music is bad as the title track is the only good track. The songs production value is also very tacky. In general the production values are just okay. The films pace is great in the 1st half but the second half lags until the climax, the film could have been trimmed by 15 min. I did not like the whole ghost Vijay Kumar track, something more creative needed to be thought for that episode. These mentioned above and the formula story are the minor blemishes in the film.
Overall Theri is a good mass entertainer, that encompasses some good class, and family sensibilities. The film is something that not only Vijay fans will lap but so will the regular going audience. Its a hit guaranteed.
3.5/5* Grade 75% B