Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 (VIP 2) movie review: Dhanush’s charm and talent holds this weak sequel together

here's our review of dhanush-kajol's vip 2!

The launch of Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 caused much excitement among fans because Dhanush as Raghuavaran was all set to make a comeback. Apart from a brand new plot to look forward to. another highlight was Bollywood actress kajol joining the cast. For the first time, dhanush and Kajol were teaming up for a south movie. Helming this project was Soundarya Rajinikanth! The movie was to release in Tamil and Telugu initially but soon after the makers of VIP decided to release a Hindi version – VIP 2 Lalkar. So was the Hindi version as good as the Tamil? Let’s find out:

What’s it about 
Our favorite, affable Raghuvaran has returned! Unlike the last one, he is happily employed at an engineering firm and married to his long time girlfriend Shalini. Apart from his minor squabbles with his wife, life is fine. Until Vasundhara Parameshwaran comes along. She’s chic,  arrogant and the head honcho of a reputed firm. She offers Raghuvaran a lucrative job. However he point black refuses and in the process offends her. Since then, she decides to create a hell-ish situation for Raghuavaran. But he refuses to give in or give up. There comes a point, he has to resign so that his company doesn’t suffer further because of him. Once again, an unemployed Raghuvaran sets off on a new. Journey. Does he succeed in over throwing her? Does he triumph over her?  Let’s find out:

What’s hot
Dhanush all the way! This act like the first part, will tug on your heart strings. It’s innocent, endearing and sincere. The fact that one can relate with his character is Raghuvaran’s USP. And from the looks of VIP 2, it will always be. No wonder he is a popular character. He is like Dhanush in many ways, confident,  popular, sure of himself, likeable. Is that why we love Raghuvaran or is that why we love Dhanush? Either way, it’s a win-win for all the fans. The story line was weak, diluted towards the end but to be fair, it had its moments. It’s one thing for original to be entertaining and another for its dubbed. In that sense the plot has fared decently. Or is it that we have low expectations from a dubbed version in the first place? We also liked the fact that some elements of Part 1 were retained -Harry Potter the dog, Sundari the cycle. The movie also had a stylish appeal to it. At the end of it all, it was a very good looking film. But sadly, that wasn’t enough.

What’s not

The story started to ‘lose the plot’ towards the second half. Mid-way into the second half, you are wondering why the story is being stretched like a piece of bubble gum. It starts to serve no purpose. Logic is thrown out of the window. The climax scene did not create the impact it should have because it happened so suddenly. (spoilers ahead) one minute they are enemies,  the best minute they are friends? Wait, what? Kajol’s character was a sketchy and lacked depth. If there a movie that under utilised the talent house she is, it is VIP2. She certainly looked the part but didn’t seem into it. All she kept screaming every now and then was ‘what?! ‘ and after a point it started to look comical. Soundarya Rajinikanth as a director exhibited fair amount of talent but at certain junctures, The sharpness, the impact a visual can create was missing. Sometimes, direction can cover up for an ordinary plot but this was not that kind of film. Considering it’s her second film, the lack of skills can be overlooked. To an extent. Some of the jokes seemed forced and the music by Sean Roldan didn’t make a difference. Also, this movie was an example of really bad dubbing. One could hear the emotion in the voice but the face wasn’t expressing the same!

What to do

Go watch it for Dhanush and for the few moments it has. There’s really nothing else to forward to.

Rating:2.5 out of 5