In director Bala’s unforgettable Sethu, Vikram seldom gets called by his screen name. He’s called Chiyaan for some reason and the name just sticks on throughout, so much that it soon became his sobriquet. In his latest release, he’s just called ‘Sketch’ – perhaps due to his ability to scheme. We learn much later that his name is Jeeva, but for the film’s actors and his fans, ‘Sketch’ it is.
Sketch is an expert in seizing vehicles of those default on their EMIs. He’s a guy who loves his vehicles. When he’s setting off to bash a rival, he’s driving a jeep or bike in style. When he’s saying those punch dialogues that Tamil cinema heroes just have to say, he’s doing so with a keychain of sorts in his hand. Heck, when he’s in love and wants to express it, he does so using a vehicle analogy (“ Romba naal shed la irundha vandi ore kick la start aachuna enna oru sandhosham ”).
- Director: Vijay Chander
- Cast: Vikram, Tamannaah, Soori
- Storyline: A man needs to find out who is behind the murder of his close friends
He’s working for a dealer who specialises in car servicing and lending (yawn, he’s a ‘Seth’) whose life purpose is to ensure the downfall of his arch rival, Royapuram Kumar (someone who can afford many cars but prefers driving a particular cheap car). And in a bid to plot his revenge, he ropes in Sketch, his most trusted aide, and his friends at the car workshop.
Director Vijay Chander’s tale is a predictable revenge drama that pretty much ends up hero-worshipping the protagonist a little too much. Vikram’s enthusiasm on the big screen is largely negated by the lack of originality in the script, which, except for the interesting climax twist, is on expected lines. The actor smokes liberally on screen deeming it to be style – once, he even smokes barely twenty seconds after he’s advising kids not to!
The romance between Sketch and Ammu (Tamannaah, who looks out of place) is nothing to write home about. Their duets – some neat melodies punctured by heavy-auto tuning by composer Thaman – do little to take this star vehicle forward. Sketch brakes too much and accelerates too little.
