Vambuchanda Tamil Movie Review

Cast: Sathyaraj, Uday Kiran, Riyaz Khan, Diya, Raj Kapoor

Direction: Raj Kapoor

Music: D. Imman

Production: Jai Mataji Cine Combines

Five songs, an equal number of fights, throw in a little romance, a little glamour, a little sentiment, some slapstick and something that resembles a plot and there you have it- - a perfect formula movie. The ingredients remain constant but the only question to ask of Vambuchanda is if the script and the execution do enough to hold your attention through the movie. The makers haven’t tried hiding their obvious intentions at attempting a tried and tested mix for the nth time.
Vambuchanda begins as a love story, takes a detour about halfway through, and turns into a political tussle between two men that ends in tragedy, (with the eventual face off and payback). For fairly formulaic fare, Vambuchanda at times isn’t as predictable in spite of the regular irking clichés. Uday Kiran and Diya are in love and it is just like any other routine screen romance with generously distributed song and dance numbers. You settle into another run of the mill parents vs. lovers story but surprisingly their love finds acceptance. That’s when the story really takes off. Uday Kiran discovers that Livingston (who plays his dad) is really not his dad (twist #1) and that’s when Sathyaraj (at long last) enters as a mentally deranged old man. Flashback- to Sathyaraj’s days as a strict election officer whose tiff with a political kingpin played by Fefsi Vijayan ends with both of them losing their sanity. Now, do they regain sanity and go for each other’s throats or do their sons (Uday Kiran and Riyaz Khan) settle scores for their fathers? This is narrated to us through many distinctly melodramatic (sometimes passable, sometimes amusing and sometimes irritating) moments.
Sathyaraj’s role as the lunatic old man is as stereotyped as a mental patient’s character can be. The director tries to evoke a few funny moments at the expense of Sathyaraj through some contrived situations but most of them fall flat while some appear downright ridiculous. Uday Kiran has nothing much to do and consequently doesn’t grab much attention. Raj Kapoor as the brother of heroine Diya is an assistant commissioner and also doubles up as the director of the film. Diya flits in and out of songs and scenes making no qualms about the fact that she is there only for the glamour, a job that she has done boldly. But if anyone from the cast has left a mark it is Riyaz Khan. The actor hasn’t been getting roles worth his talent of late but he impresses here, especially with his fury and emotion. Technically, Vambuchanda rises above what a mediocre masala movie generally delivers. Bulk of the credit for this should go to V.T.Vijayan’s editing, with the camera not doing too badly either. Music doesn’t offer much except for one number, Thaal Thiravai by Jyothsna and Naresh Iyer that stands out. Directorially, Raj
Kapoor’s effort lacks in vision and attention to detail. There are certain glaring errors that appear a bit amateurish and should not be seen in a movie of this budget. Also care should have been taken to avoid meaningless clichés like the costumes worn by women at the Ayurvedic resort in Kerala where the final part of the movie takes place.As in any such movie the ending to is highly melodramatic to the point of being testing. But we have seen similar stuff before, haven’t we? On the business front, Vambuchanda is a movie clearly aimed at the smaller centers and its fate will be judged only once it percolates down to the B and C screens

Sourse: behindwood