Vidaamuyarchi Movie Review: A film about the power of faith, not of fists

It’s a joy when films break out of what they are supposed to be as star vehicles. Vidaamuyarchi begins with an extremely sensitive topic, and treats it with such gentleness and without judgment. Arjun (Ajith) is, at heart, a vulnerable softie, incapable of prejudice and hatred. He can’t trust the cops, and yet, he cannot stand by to see them die. His enemies subject him to such humiliation and cruelty, and yet, he gets no pleasure out of hurting them. His wife, well—she wants to move on from him, and yet, he seeks no retribution. Arjun isn’t a hero; he’s a vulnerable man forced into a fight he does not enjoy.

We see this quality many times in the film. In the petrol bunk scene, we see clear evidence that Arjun is an emotionally mature man who isn’t looking to escalate things. “They’re young and are looking for trouble,” he says. Ordinarily, in our cinema, we are trained to expect him to turn into a vengeful demon figure, who makes enemies run for life. Vidaamuyarchi, despite having the structure for it, refuses to turn Arjun into a Vedalam-like fearsome presence. It’s such a brave choice. Towards the end, when someone asks, “Nee enna hero-va?“, Ajith responds with an outraged no, almost begging them to understand. It feels almost like a plea to the world.