Vedalam (2015) User Reviews

Sure It's Cliché, But It's Still Great

[jkavi2804 · 7/10 · 13 November 2015]

Sorry if I'm straying of topic, but in this day and time, originality is a rarity. I mean, it's not like you could make an original story in an hour, right? So, we should give this film a break and judge it for what it is, and not compare it to classics like 'Baasha'.

This film is a masala film, which is to say it is an entertainer that it uses most of the popular genres in films (action, comedy, romance, family etc.) to cater to a vast audience. Hence, we should not blame it if it is lacking in one of them.

Sure, Soori's comedy makes you wince more than it makes you laugh and Shruthi Hassan's role in this movie is less than a love interest but more of a reason to listen to a flashback from the hero and of course there are those gaping plot holes. In fact, most of the events in this movie purely occur due to coincidences.

BUT, if you are willing to overlook those errors and set your expectations low, you will enjoy this masala flick.

'Thala' Ajith does justice to his role as a loving brother and as a baddie don in this movie. Even if you hate the plot and other characters, you can count on him to make it worthwhile to watch this movie.

Lakshmi Menon portrays the character of Ajith's sister very well. Just the right amount of kindness and lovingness to make her likable and not too much until she becomes annoying.

Anirudh strikes gold with this album. Songs are top notch, especially 'Veera Vinayaka' and 'Aaluma Doluma', a number that will make you want to get up and dance away. The background music during the fight scenes are great as it gives that feeling that you are about to be blown away.

Thambi Ramaiyah should be given an honorable mention for only he could have pulled off his character's caring and worried state at the right time. This movie also has some scenes that are quite emotional but might come of as melodramatic to some (it really depends on what type of person you are).

Director Siva should focus more on the script as well as the commercial elements in his next movie. If only the script was better, this movie would have become a blockbuster as well as a critical hit and would have stayed in the audience's mind long after they have left the cinema.

However, if you are looking to be fairly entertained for about 2 hours, I suggest you to go for it and judge for yourself.

Bang superb movie ! FOR Family audience too !

[jeyanth · 7/10 · 13 December 2015]

Vedalam (English: Phantom) is a 2015 Indian Tamil action-masala film written and directed by Siva, and produced by S. Aishwarya. Ajith Kumar and Shruti Haasan play the lead roles, with Lakshmi Menon, Ashwin Kakumanu, and Kabir Duhan Singh among others, appearing in supporting roles. Anirudh Ravichander composed the film's music and background score, while Vetri and Ruben were the film's cinematographer and editor respectively.

Films positive + Ajith - screen presence semma ! Anirudh - Songs OK but BGM semma ! Lakshmi Menon - Semma acting ! Looked like real sibling. Screenplay - Movie was like Singam ! Perfect !

Films negative - Sruthi Hassan - Felt like why she was acting in the film. Soori - Some worked but most didn't.

Vedalam is strictly for Ajith fans

[kumarankulam · 5/10 · 6 February 2021]

After Veeram, Ajith and Siva are working together in Vedalam which is a film that is tailor-made for Ajith. Vedalam depends only on Ajith. We don't have much stronger supporting actors nor antagonist to equally match Ajith's screen presence. He is the only one who makes us cry, laugh, and engage throughout the film. He has two different shades in this film which he does with perfection. His look in the flashback is a very big treat for the fans. The flashback portion is a perfect tribute to his larger than life image. It's the place where Ajith shines like a star. We have seen so many revenge films in Tamil and Vedalam is again one among them. It's a simple revenge action drama that has shades of Suresh Krishna's Baashha and several action potboilers. Siva added strong sister sentiments which work only a few places and leave us with the feeling of a Déjà vu. The lack of originality seems to hit the film really hard because there's nothing interesting to get out from this film except Ajith's brilliant performance. The only factor that lifts the film is the fan moments specially made for Ajith fans. Other than that, Vedalam has nothing else to offer to the audience. Anirudh's adrenaline rushing background score and the famous "Aaluma Doluma" song works at the needed places and even adds the celebratory feel to the film. Overall, Vedalam is strictly for Ajith fans.

Another flash back Don movie

[123kal123 · 10 November 2015]

Ajith has always excelled at playing characters with shades of Grey and until now it worked wonders. Ever since that Rajini movie came out every other Tamil hero has tried to do something similar and failed to meet expectations. Ajith himself did this in Jana. Still, this may be the closest a star may have come to replicate Basha. Though the plot is different the themes are the same. The one major difference is that in that movie Rajini stays away from trouble in this one Ajith goes looking for it. Being a Vijay fan I did struggle a lot to sit through the terrible comedy and numerous hero worship scenes in the movie. But if you remove all that you end up with a Masala movie that can be watched once. I wanted to give this 5 but the message about women empowerment gets an extra star. Go for it if you need a Masala movie to forget the real world for a few hours.

A typical mass entertainer, which has Ajith in amazing form.

[jmoneyjohal · 6/10 · 11 November 2015]

Diwali is not only a time were you eat tons of sweet, light candles, blow fireworks, and pray to god, it also a time when the biggest films release in India to cash in on the festive season. This Diwali marked the release of Superstar Ajith's Vedalam. After the commercial and critical success of Yennai Arindhaal, Ajith is back with Vedalam which is pure mass entertainer, and the makers make no qualms about it. The film can be termed as a routine/typical mass entertainer, its a done to death type of revenge saga, Vedalam offers nothing new, but that was excepted,its a film Ajith fans will relish. Ajith is the films biggest asset, he is the film, his acting, his antic are just superb. Ajith in the 2nd half in his mass avatar is the best acting I have seen from him in awhile. The whistles and claps will be galore for all Thala fans. Were the film falters however is in the story and screenplay aspect. You see making a a proper mass entertainer is not an easy job, presenting the routine story in a fresh appealing way is a art too, but here the typical revenge saga is not believable at all, but more on that later.

Story wise,Ganesh arrives in Kolkata with his sister who is every thing to him. He starts to lead a new life here as a Taxi Driver. On the other side, the City Police Department which is in search of International Smuggling Racket Distributes Some Details to all Taxi Drivers for Information. Ganesh Helps the Police and hence gets Kidnapped by the baddies. Who is Ganesh and why he is here forms the rest.

Acting wise Ajith is in complete form, his fans will relish his performance especially in the 2nd half when he comes into his mass element,as Vedalam he acts like a villainous hero to perfection. Shruti Hassan adds glamor and looks very beautiful.Lakshmi Menon is the real heroine of the film,she is playing Ajith's sister, and she is very graceful.Soori adds a nice comic act. Rahul Dev and Kabir Dhuan are playing typical villains.

Vedalam works for two main reason first being the brother sister sentiment scenes which are the films highlight, those scenes tug on the viewers heart strings.The second reason is Ajith's acting, and the pure mass second half. Ajith historic's as Vedalam give you a reason to whistle in the theater, the interval action scene is a great example of this. The film's action scenes are the film's highlight, they are top notch. Ajith's and Soori's comic scenes are also very enjoyable and evokes laughter. But where the film falters is in the story and screenplay aspect. The whole taking revenge for a "step sister", when you were hardcore villain (the whole time) is not very believable. How can one just change there identity in one scene. I mean even for a mass entertainer were logic takes a back seat, this was a little too much. Story wise the audience is taken for granted. Also the films scale at times looks a little small(the Kolkata scenes) for a Ajith film. The film needs to be tighter too, with the length almost touching 3hrs, and nothing happens in the first hour of the film. But all these are minor blemishes if your a Ajith fan.

Overall if you are Ajith fan or a fan of the mass entertainer genre then Vedalam is a film you will enjoy watching. Just make sure you don't go into the theaters excepting a film with logic or an amazing story. For the most part I enjoyed the film, and I really enjoyed the heartfelt brother sister scenes, and Ajith's acting.

3.25/5* or 6.5/10

Vedhalam

[shmnadeer · 10/10 · 10 November 2015]

Vedhalam is an action-packed and emotional entertainer having ample quantity of all the required ingredients of a good movie. Its storyline revolves around two siblings and their sentiments for each other. Shruti Haasan has paired up with Ajith as his love interest for the first time. It also stars Rahul Dev and Kabir Singh Duhan, but as antagonists.

Anirudh Ravichander has composed the music for this Tamil venture. Vetri and Ruben has lent their abilities and skills as a cinematographer and editor to produce quite a good entertainer. This time, the makers played a new trick which looks like have set at the right spot with increasing in the curiosity levels. Ajith will be seen in many avatars and each one of them will entertain the audience using powerful written dialogues and direction.

Not as bad as people say it is!

[sraavan-narayanan · 6/10 · 29 November 2015]

Let me tell you in the beginning itself I am not a thala fan. This review is from a general audience and not from a fan. Let me begin with Ajith. Acting yes. Many said it was amateur but I am sure no one would have felt that irritating while watching it for the first time.I believe everyone knows the story by now. Screen play was a bit fast and racy. Which adds up to the pluses of the movie. Shruthi hassan made an excellent debut in 7am arivu which was indeed her best. But here I believe she herself did not feel the necessity of her character that she even did not dub for her in the second half. I mean every one can notice that. I have no clue why the team did that in the second half. But as everyone said its very cliché. I think people should stop making movies for the actor's fans. Please. Make movie for general audience. People are changing. Even the movies need to change. Make some thing new. In fact Ajith can definitely try something new. He has everything of a Hollywood actor. But I have no clue why he does the same monotonous movies. I hope he does movie for general audience and not targeting the fans alone. I hope even thalapathy also does that. Because he also needs to change his style of movies..

Strictly for Ajith Fans

[crazyraju · 4/10 · 10 November 2015]

'Vedhalam' is a run-of-the-mill mass masala film which follows the 'Baashaa' template. But here the director had concentrated more on sister sentiment quotient.

The plot goes as below : Ganesh (Ajith Kumar), with his lovely sister (Lakshmi Menon) leads a simple life in Kolkotta. But Ganesh happens to target underworld dons with intention. What is the motive behind it and how he kills those scumbags follows the rest of the film.

Being a commercial genre film, the film provides few entertainment and mass moments throughout the film. Ajith Kumar's screen presence would be a treat for his fans. Lakshmi Menon has some space to perform in the film and she had justified her role.

Other than that, the film contains many negatives and logical loopholes. Surprisingly, Anirudh had failed to score good both in songs and background score.

Overall, this movie has been targeted for Ajith fans and the film had failed to impress the general audience.

Rating : 2/5

Ajith and his best

[gdkrishnakg · 8/10 · 11 November 2015]

Initially I had a bad hunch about this movie after its teaser and songs but this movie actually shattered all my previous expectations. The movie is really awesome. The best part to note here is Ajith's acting which is adorable. Other positives are Lakshmi Menon and the choice of dialogs which is critical for a mass movie .Action sequence are very good. The only negative I felt was the heroine and comedian who actually has no big part in the movie. But apart from this BGM is very good but songs would have been better.A big congrats to Shiva who actually designed a right movie for Ajith. The dispute selection for Ajith is the best. Think after this movie he will became one of the Ajith's favorites. In a nut shell complete satisfaction guaranteed. A complete family entertainer which can be watched with the whole family. No bad scenes.I actually enjoyed it and hope everyone will do the same. satisfaction guaranteed.

Ajith- The Desi HULK - shines in Run of the Mill Action Masala Movie

[Punter_Hunter · 6/10 · 12 January 2017]

The Movie follows Revenge Masala Movie template used in numerous Tamil movies where an innocent looking common man is shown to be living dichotomous life. Heroine falls in love impressed with the good side of hero but then she discovers the other side and we are told in flashback the reason behind his merciless killing of villains. So in terms of Story it has nothing new to say and there is no novelty in terms of presentation or story telling either.

Best part of movie is Ajith himself who is just flawless in his portrayal of a simpleton with an honest and innocent smile. The way his expression transforms from that of a gullible innocent chap to rowdy cunningly street smart man is the highlight of his performance. In flashback scenes as Rowdy emotionless goon also he is very good. This is my first movie of Ajith and I am mighty impressed with his acting skills.

Shruthi Hassan has not much role to play except being a buffoon to bring in comic relief. Along with her is comedian Soori whose scenes mostly fall flat. Lakshmi Menon as Ajith's sister is good. Rest of the actors as in most of the Tamil movies are overacting most of the times. Rahul Dev and other villains are decent to good in their roles of being mighty villains for others but when faced with almighty hero they appear too small to even challenge him.

Movie is fast paced but the action scenes are way over the top. There are some good comic scenes and then there are jokes that fall flat. There are scenes where the director is able to create tension or thrill like the scene where Lakshmi Menon helps Rahul Dev in tracking killer of his brother – Ajith and the climax. Background music is good at places and at some places it gets too loud.

If you are in mood of watching a typical Indian potboiler or are a die hard Ajith fan this is good watch else avoidable

film entertaining thala fans only

[ganeshreturns · 1/10 · 24 June 2017]

One time watchable movie. Unrealistic stunts makes the film boring. Shruthi Hasan irritates much in this movie. Comedy was also boring. Usual story but this movie have good dialogues and also in few places spoke about women empowerment. Actor Ajith, thambhi ramaiah, lalshmi menon's acting was good. This is a movie for thala fans and others won't preferably enjoy.

Best Entertainment for thala fans

[mahesnan · 9/10 · 18 November 2015]

It is really a mass entertainment.Those who are saying there is no story,yes it'true but u will never disappoint by watching the movie.The film gives you a visual treat.Theme music rocks and it perfectly suit for thala. No human being cannot change their character by watching storyline in a movie,if it is true Kathi story depends on farmers but even now every farmer dies each n every month why can't the (hero can save a single farmer in real life).The movie is not a fantasy movie and also it is not a movie to give you a strong social message.It is just a movie to sit and watch and get relax for 2 and half hours.The Bgm really rocks.

worst movie ever

[prathiveeram · 6/10 · 11 November 2015]

First of all this movie is only for ajith fans. This movie remodel from superstar rajnikanth movie like basha,and some actor like vijay velayudham movie don't go with expectation this movie not above the expectations. And I can't believe ajith film story is only this much I wondered and can't see for at least 20 minutes. I come before the movie got over. Don't go with expectation it will feel happy. Ajith sir previous movie like yennai arindhal and veeram is awesome. And vedalam many common people are disappointed. I request the Tamil cinema stop making film like this. I know making a good film is not so easy. If you can't you can make average film also. But don't repeat the story another film

Vedalam (2015)

[santhosh-10290 · 1/10 · 22 March 2018]

The movie was good. Ajith Kumar acted very stylish in the movie. Songs and BGM were awesome in the movie. But there is no story line in the movie. Some scenes are very boring.

Perfectly made for thala fans

[kraaja · 6/10 · 23 November 2016]

Its a full entertaining film with action, comedy, sentiment and some twist. Positive vibration throughout the film. Entertainment guarantied till the end. But nothing new. Flashback scenes are like refreshing the mind. Anirudh music made the frame in fire. Perfectly made for Ajith fans. The way Thambi Ramaiah handled his character was awesome. Good break for Lakshmi Menon. Shruti Haasan and Soori character is just for time pass. And of course its commercial one, so some illogical elements are there. But it satisfied the audiences they targeted. Now its proved Siva is one of the best commercial film director in Tamil film industry. And I can say its a big blockbuster film in the year.

Thala-Vera level mass

[ranjithmanmicro · 9/10 · 11 November 2015]

Awesome one liners. Thala Kanna Ascella visual sat ham paraquatu. Thala fans K mat tum la 150 Rs. Kuduthu theater K pad-am parka Vera ellathukum treat by director Siva. There are heroes who could self- boast for their political support, and there is THALA to make a film like Vedalam to show people what is acting. Hats off to Director SIVA for pin-pointing the threat to women among us. Stunts resemble a far- cry sequence. BGM was so apt and synced with screenplay. Anirudh gas done really well.Shruthi hassan song was good. Soori's originality is fantastic. Laxmi me-non's role has a major stronghold in the story.

Verdict:😇 You know what the name Thala means. So, just go watch the film, if you like it enjoy the movie, if not.....👇👇👇👇

People who say that this is a normal story line and there is nothing more than a bluff are prescribed to go for re-habitation facility as they might be retards

Good one time watch movie

[rohitreviews · 6/10 · 16 January 2019]

Story is nice. Ajit acting and fight scenes are awesome. There are instances of fight scene from movie such as "The Equalizer" and "Taken" but it's ok to take inspiration. Need better films from Ajith starer. He is actually amazing actor, need good script.

usual nonsense tamil masala movie

[godofwaraghul · 1/10 · 10 December 2015]

vedhalam is clearly a movie that degrades the knowledge of audiences with usual masala elements such as punch dialogues,physics defying stunts, overacting performances especially by shruti haasan and ajith kumar in some scenes... however the cinematography is a positive in this movie.. cinematography is extremely good at many places such as in the intermission blog and in the song sequences.. 2 of the songs in the movie is good with splendid cinematography... but the film fails when it comes to delivering a good plot and the movie runtime is very long for which the editor is to be blamed... overall this is completely a kind of telugu packaged masala movie wherein the hero is shown as a demigod with 5 fight sequences punch dialogues 4 songs that breaks the continuity of the movie

Vedalam real meaning of theri

[nanelavu · 10/10 · 17 April 2016]

Thala ajith kumar proved again that his king of multiple role in acting. The movie will split to 3 characters of ajith has a innocent a villain and a north Indian don.....Ajith has carry the whole movie in his shoulder with his mass action and class acting...

Specially the transformation in the boat fight,the earth shattering interval block and the villain sketch thala and ajith will come to his place... Just he shows his evil smile and make fear the villain and us all without any fight that we expected...this scenes keep us to watch over and over again in theater

Lakshi menon has done her role perfectly that she shows the sister character is more than the other regular sister characters in Tamil movies..thambi ramayya has proved his a talented actor than a comedian. All three villains try to Mach their evil characters with one ajith evil smile

Anirudh BGM was therrific with the theme and aluma doluma song that makes us dance...

Vedalam will sure entertain all round audience with a perfect treat.....

One of the worst Tamil movies in recent times! Loud, noisy, wasted talent! Just Terrible!

[subbuparam · 1/10 · 13 November 2015]

Vedalam has to absolutely be in the top 5 Worst Tamil movies in the last 5 years. After acting in good movies like Mankatha, Veeram, Arrambam and Yenai Arindhaal, Ajith has absolutely let his fans down. The only reaction my family and myself had watching this movie was, "Can you give me that balm for the headache". Sruthi Hassan has become the new Samantha of Tamil movies. A heroine for the heck of it. Here are some of the reasons why I rated this movie as awful The villains are too noisy, Unnecessary shooting and shouting scenes Wasted Talent: Thambi Ramaiah is such a fabulous actor. His role was totally wasted. Ashwin has great talent, again wasted. Sruthi Hassan - wasted, Kovai Sarala-wasted Weak Storyline: The story is absolutely trash Terrible Songs, bad background score, poor direction.

The only saving grace is kind of okay, natural acting of Lakshmi Menon Stay away even if you are an Ajith fan!

An iconic legend of Kollywood cinema.

[Almultimavenger · 10/10 · 8 March 2023]

I feel like people absolutely do not know a good story when they see one, it makes me wonder what they see and think while watching. Anyway, Vedalam is a 2015 Kollywood epic gangster action drama created by Siva Jayakumar and boy what an emotional ride it was. Every aspect of this film is perfection, one may dismiss it as a generic masala but it's much more than that. Everything from the writing, pacing, characterizations, performances, technical aspects, action sequences, overall storyline, everything is taken to an eleven. This is up there with Kaithi and the Enthiran films.

The plot focuses on Ganesh, a seemingly ordinary civilian known for his excessive optimism and happy demeanor which earns the respect of even dangerous rowdies among other residents of Calcutta, where he moves to to enroll his sister Tamizh in an art college. They both eventually meet siblings Arjun and Swetha, who fall for them, and there are some comedic moments with Ganesh's boss Laxmidas, whom he works as cab driver under. None of these characters are flat, they all have a unique aesthetic and hilarious personalities that suit their actor performances well. The plot progresses we get to see more of the villainous characters, the siblings Rahul, Abhiney, and Aniket, who lead the French-Indo Cartel crime syndicate responsible for mass smuggling and trafficking. The characters too have unique aesthetics and vibes, and are all unapologetically ruthless, selfish, cunning, and remorseless. Rahul's reputation as a strategic crime boss is established in the hooking introduction, and we eventually see Ganesh get on their bad side and having been kidnapped by Aniket, where shockingly we see that he's capable of combat and brutallly kills him and his men. The emotional weight of the film is seen when we see his relationship with Tamizh, where the film details that he used to be a powerful gangster but reformed upon seeing the kindness of Tamizh's family, who were killed by the brothers, causing Ganesh to spend a year tracking them. Tamizh loses her memory in the attack, so another interesting subplot is seeing Ganesh carrying out his hits without his adopted sister finding out about his violent nature.

Every aspect of the film from soundtrack, cinematography, and editing all the way to writing, characterization, pacing, and emotional weight is perfect. The film constantly gets you excited and thrilled, and attached to the characters and their struggles. The scenes aren't wasted and even the songs usually convey importance about the plot, all in all it's one of the best films of 2015 and worth watching.

Normal don film tried to copy Basha

[arambam · 1/10 · 10 November 2015]

Its a normal film with lot of logic mistakes. Ajith the hero escapes from gun shooting by nearly 100 persons. He also breaks the window glass in a building by bare hand(it is mass with good BGM). The comedy is worthless it makes me feel annoyed. I recommend that Ajith should choose any other different scripts. And act good .He should work more to look young.

Aniruth should consider more in songs that is awful in this movie only Aaluma Doluma is good. Laksmi Menon did a wonderful job looked good and saved the film single handed. I hope he will do good in next film. The camera man done a great job.

Good entertainment movie

[robinmichaelbe-835-831944 · 10/10 · 10 November 2015]

Vedhalam is an action-packed and emotional entertainer having ample quantity of all the required ingredients of a good movie. Its storyline revolves around two siblings and their sentiments for each other. Shruti Haasan has paired up with Ajith as hit. Ajith will be seen in many avatars and each one of them will entertain the audience using powerful written dialogs and direction. Easily Ajith's best one after Mankatha. Thala Ajith is playing Mafia don role in this movie. The story relates to his flash back. All the Gangster role was shot in Kalkutta. Ashwin and Shruti Haasan were appeared in brother and sister roles for this movie. Kabir Duan Singh has played the negative role in this movie. As per the story Ajith is an auto driver. According to twists and turns he will become a gangster. Lakshmi Menon gave her best in Ajith's sister character.

Disappointing...

[Sal1991 · 3/10 · 11 November 2015]

Let us be honest with, we are not here for an art movie or an independent cinema. As we clearly see the teaser (They didn't released the trailer)and previous Ajith movies that anyone can understand that we are here for an entertainment of a commercial masala. But the only question is how far we get entertained?

Story line: The story is pretty simple of a basic commercial lines. This movie resembles with the Brother-Sister relationship who are new to Kolkata and their dark side flashback in Chennai.

Ajith portrayed his character as soft spoken brother with the gray shades of devilish character as Don which he hides it from his sister and well-wishers. Though the transformation from a Normal man to Don looks amateur but makes it interesting for the fans to rejoice it for the rest of the movie. Lakshmi Menon was subtle and well balanced in her character as a sister. Rest of them were just casted to increase the time span.

What worked:

1. Ajith's screen presence.

2. Brother-sister portrayal and their family flashback to an extent.

3. Though editing was poor but it was fast paced to watch it at a stretch.

4. Couple of songs.

What not worked:

1. Sruthi Hassan(Not needed)

2. Soori's comedy(Never make us laugh)

3. Cliché'd villains(boring to watch)

4. Bgm(Too loud and noisy)

5. Screenplay(Very well-known screenplay. Many of them were watching like they have already watched this film couple of times)

6. Too much action (heavy dose) and absolutely illogical bullet scenes

7. Little lengthy to finish the line.

On the whole, Vedhalam failed to entertain the live in audience.

peaky entertainer

[rapradeep · 10/10 · 11 November 2015]

Ajith has never before looked so menacing and so admirable in the same movie. His charismatic smile and Iver cool acting can put that instant smile on the audience and the beast mode he unveils in the stunts, especially the boat sequence where the transformation is witnessed for the first time – a killer combination indeed. With a couple of well-tailored commercial fast paced songs and a pleasing pathos number in his armorer, Anirudh outdoes himself with the background scores that multiply the effect that the stunts and montages have on the movie experience. 'Aaluma Doluma…' is one for the masses – repeat mode for fans, made more special with some groovy moves as well!