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SYNOPSIS
A righteous young man rises from his humble beginnings to champion a crusade against food adulteration and corporate greed.
CAST
CREW
BMS Reviewer
Verdict: An excruciatingly honest and educational eye-opener. Kollywood is making its fair share of social drama themed movies and we are so glad for that. The highly awaited Sivakarthikeyan film that was rumored to have sold its theatrical rights for a whopping 36 crores to 24 AM studios is finally here and this underdog totally deserves []...
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Filmibeat
Arivu hails from a slum area and he is one such responsible youth, who wants to focus on the upliftment of his fellow beings and he works hard for the same. One day, he lands up with a marketing job in a top company but later, he comes to know about the hazardous product that it delivers.
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Behindwoods
Velaikkaran doesnt follow the tried and tested commercial Tamil film template with comedy taking the front seat. Mohan Raja wastes no time to establish what type of film the audience has paid for, driving the proceedings forward with one powerful message after another, in a pretty engaging manner for the majority of the first half.
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The Times of India
When we first see Arivu (Sivakarthikeyan), the protagonist of Velaikkaran, he is pleading with Kasi (Prakash Raj), the gangster in his slum to let him start an FM for the area. Arivu`s intention, we learn later, is to use this FM to push his people towards upliftment, by making them aware of how much Kasi has been exploiting their helplessness.
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Film Companion
The opening credits of Velaikkaran (The Worker) play over images of workers: a tailor, a mechanic, a bus driver. But even earlier, weve had a hint about the films concerns, when a bunch of boys from a slum run past an expensive car and one of them puts a scratch on its side with a sharp instrument. Why? Because hell never be able to afford one. But isnt just poor = good, rich = bad.
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The Indian Express
Velaikkaran has several things that are fresh. The concept of a community radio in a slum, for example. Right from the name (Kuppam FM), the idea is new and also well presented. There is an aha moment when Sivakarthikeyan uses it to report a gang fight live to his community.
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Hindustan Times
A lot is at stake for Sivakarthikeyan in Velaikkaran, which marks his maiden attempt at breaking away from the comedian tag and emerging as a serious performer; as someone who could make audiences sit up and take notice of the actor hidden within. He succeeds in this endeavour and he couldnt have chosen a better project.
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Firstpost
For Sivakarthikeyan, the Mohan Raja-directed Velaikkaran is the crossover film he has been waiting for. It is not a template comedy-laced-with-romance-Sivakarthikeyan-entertainer that caters to B and C single-screen markets. The film is a message-oriented social drama made stylishly like the directors earlier Thani Oruvan about a single man`s struggle and dedication to change the corrupt system.
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India Today
For Sivakarthikeyan, the transition from a comedy hero into a serious one is a risk that weighs in on him. With Mohan Raja`s Velaikkaran, he effortlessly slips into the role of a serious hero and portrays it well.
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Bollywood life
Aruvi is a a righteous, idealistic man who has grown up in the slums. Via a community radio, he hopes to sensitise slum dwellers to a better world out there. But this community radio business leads him to the discovery of a grave problem of food adulteration. Thats when Aruvi realises he has a bigger battle to fight! Does he manage to fight it and emerge triumphant?
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Only Kollywood
Director Mohan Raja`s Velaikkaran is yet another good example of the fact that investing ample time in researching for a script will always pay rich dividends. Raja`s ability to view things from an eagle eye is commendable.
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Cinema Express
Director Mohan Raja really seems to care, and his noble intentions backed with the exhaustive research he seems to have undertaken on the subject really differentiates Velaikkaran from run-of-the-mill big-budget films that piggyback on social issues.
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