Vizhithiru (Eng: Stay awake) is a 2017 Tamil action thriller film written and directed by Meera Kathiravan, who debuted with Aval Peyar Thamizharasi. The film which began production in 2012 after numerous delays released in 2017.
Right from the beginning, Vizhithiru gives us a feel that we are going to watch something we have already seen — thanks to the hint given by the filmmaker that the story unfolds overnight, where various characters at different places encounter diverse crises. We have seen many such films in the recent past in Kollywood, so the curiousness was all about how engaging the situations and characters would be.
There’s Muthukumar (Krishna), a cab driver, who is all set to board a train to his native to meet his mother and sister; Chandrababu (Vidharth) and Saroja (Sai Dhanshika) are petty thieves; Vikram (Rahul Bhaskaran) is a spoiled brat who falls head over heels with Christina (Erica Fernandes) at very first sight; and visually-impaired Dileepan (Venkat Prabhu) is happy leading a life with his daughter (Baby Sara).
A turn of unexpected events forces Muthukumar to take up a driving assignment before he can catch his train. He drops Saravanan (SP Charan), a news reporter at a posh bungalow and waits for some time. Saravanan, who has come to investigate a sensitive issue involving some big shots in the city, faces an unexpected circumstance. As a result, Muthukumar, too, faces the heat, and has to run for his life. Abhinaya (Abhinaya), a radio jockey, tries to help him.
Meanwhile, Chandrababu and Saroja, who manage to amass a good sum from an old man’s house deal, face a crisis as they decide to divide the amount among themselves. Vikram, who is on his way to Chennai from Pondicherry along with Christina, is trying his best to woo her. Dileepan is having a tough time consoling his daughter as the latter feels gloomy over her missing pet dog.
Almost half-an-hour before its interval point, Vizhithiru begins to remind one of Maanagaram, though the situations, characters and the issues dealt with are quite different. But what worked in the latter was the flawless sketching of characters, intriguing sequences with ample thrills and the convincing way with which all of them were connected.
Here, the lead actors put up neat performances, but the film works only in parts. The making falls flat in many instances, which makes the scenes less thrilling even though there is potential for that in many scenes. The chase and stunt scenes are developed interestingly, though. A not-so-bad message towards the end and the writing in some sequences make the film a tolerable watch.
Directed by Meera Kathiravan
Produced by Meera Kathiravan
Written by Meera Kathiravan
Starring Krishna, Vidharth, Venkat Prabhu, Dhansika
Music by Sathyan Mahalingam
Cinematography Vijay Milton & R.V.Saran
Edited by Praveen K. L. & N. B. Srikanth
Release date 3 November 2017
Country India
Language Tamil
