Velvet Nagaram Movie Review Rating: 2/5
Cast: Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Ramesh Thilak, Prakash Raghavan, Kasthuri
Director: Manoj Kumar Natarajan
Velvet Nagaram, in my opinion, is a great title. Given the fact that the film talks about (or at least claims to) how forest fires and the deaths associated aren’t mere accidents but are created by people in authority, Velvet which can serve as a symbol of wealth and power is suggestive of how our city is in the hands of wealthy people who misuse power. Great thinking and kudos to Manoj for that. But I only wish the same amount of effort and thought had gone into the screenplay. All is well till the 40th minute of the film and then bam! You’re in the middle of a high-school squabble.
Gauri (Kasthuri Shakar), an actor and social activist based out of Chennai is trying to seek justice for a forest fire that happened in Kodaikanal. She takes the help of reporter Usha (Varalaxmi) who happens to be her schoolmate and colleague too. Gauri ends up being killed while on a phone call with her. Usha comes to Chennai to find the reason behind her death and to seek justice on behalf of Gauri while staying with her friends Priya (Malavika Sundar) and Mugilan (Pradeep Benetto Rayan).Meanwhile, Mugilan gets into a brawl with a small time gangster in a pub, after which a set of goons attack the former, his wife and Usha. As time passes by, Usha gets to know that this incident is connected with the actress’s murder. Who killer her and why she was murdered forms the rest of the story.
The major positive aspect of the film is the realistic performances of all the artistes. An action sequence which begins few minutes before the interval continues almost till the climax. Two action episodes which happen at different places offer tension-inducing moments and involve some gripping fist fights, which are neatly choreographed by Dinesh. But it becomes far-stretched after a point.
Varalaxmi is earnest and delivered her best in scenes that are physically demanding, she is the face of the film. But in the short runtime, we get to see many other characters as well… so somewhere, she loses her prominence. The rest of the actors are just adequate.
Manojkumar Natarajan has tried to narrate a mystery thriller with western sensibilities and it worked to an extent, especially in the action scenes and the crisp runtime. But the small plot gets elongated and the twists are quite easy to guess. The film’s background score composed by Saran Raghavan is pulsating and cinematographer Bhagath Kumar has done a commendable job in the action episodes shot in confined spaces.
Overall, Velvet Nagaram is a decent murder mystery action thriller that has its moments but isn’t a perfect film due to shortcomings like logic loopholes and stretched plot. A watertight writing and more detailing would have given us a smooth flow.
