Vathiyar

Vathiyar (English: Teacher) is a 2006 Tamil action film directed by A. Venkatesh starring Arjun and Mallika Kapoor. It was released on November 10, 2006 and was considered as above-average grosser at the Box Office.

Plot

Dorai (Arjun) is a do-gooder don. But a police force led by ACP Easwara Pandian (Prakash Raj) and his sidekick (Sathyan) are after him. However, the poor need him as he is a Good Samaritan running an orphanage. He has help from his friends (Manivannan and Vadivelu).

But Dorai has a problem. His mother (Sujatha) doesn’t approve of his ways. She feels that he is just a loutish goon. There is also Anjali (Mallika Kapoor), a TV journalist, who is in love with Dorai because of his dare devil ways.

Dorai has a past too. He was just an honest-to-goodness school teacher, who ends up as the deathly Dorai after a fire ravages a school and kills several children. The incident forces him to take on the system of venal officials and politics.

Now, Dorai’s biggest task is to nip a dark and dire politician who wants to bomb the city. The rest, as they, is all cinematic clichés.

Cast

• Arjun as Annadurai
• Mallika Kapoor as Anjali
• Prakash Raj as Easwara Pandian
• Vadivelu
• Pradeep Rawat
• Manivannan
• Sujatha
• Devan
• Thalaivasal Vijay
• Venniradai Moorthy
• Mahanadhi Shankar
• Shakeela (Cameo appearance)
• Antara Biswas (Special appearance)
• Suja (Special appearance)

Production

The film was officially launched at AVM Studios on 2006.^[1] Tulip Joshi was originally selected as the heroine but she was thrown out of the film as the crew couldn't control her starry tantrums^[2] and Mallika Kapoor was selected instead. Singer Blaze was selected to make a cameo appearance.^[3] The scene where Arjun defuses a bomb in Vinayaka Chathurthi was shot in Sri Perumbudur and cost twenty lakhs.^[4] Assistant Director Rajkumar has lodged a complaint with the Chennai Police Commissioner stating that his story has been stolen and made as Vathiyar. However, Arjun has denied the accusations that he had walked off with Rajkumar’s script. "I have no reasons to steal someone else’s work and call it mine. Vathiyar is my own creation", Arjun declared.^[5]

Release

The film was originally slated to release on Diwali, but since producer failed to pay the amount to financier,^[6] the movie was delayed for a month and finally released on November 10, 2006.

Reviews

Nowrunning wrote: "Except for the action sequences there is nothing much to write about the movie".^[7] Hindu wrote: "The story is by Arjun and director A. Venkatesh has neatly woven the script to make it enjoyable for the masses".^[8] Indiaglitz wrote: "Vathiyar is Basha meets Gentleman meets countless vigilante justice movies. The story and treatment are on typical lines".^[9]

Music

Song composing and background score was done by D. Imman.

References

External links

• Review of Vathiyar Movie, Indiaglitz