Plot Summary – Raghuvaran, an educated yet unemployed engineer, is unwilling to accept jobs that are unrelated to his area of expertise. Soon, his mother’s tragic death brings him a job as well as grave challenges.

Language – Tamil

Where to watch –

With English subtitles, Telugu dub – Disney+ Hotstar (available as Raghuvaran BTech)

Without English subtitles, original Tamil audio (for Native Tamil speakers) – SunNXT

★★★★★ 

Watched on 11 May 2021

It took me about two and a half hours to find subtitles for this movie because I was hell-bent on watching it in the original language. Even then, the subtitles were really bad and lagged a lot. I almost gave up many times but the quality of the film is what kept me going and made me struggle and understand. I rewatched the last 30 minutes in Telugu with proper subtitles because I was just so impressed that I wanted to re-experience it properly. I’m glad I went through the effort though because the film I watched as a result was so so worth it. This is one of my favourites now and there are so many factors for that which I’ll try to explain. Firstly, if ever there was a film that follows a three-act structure, it’s this one. Almost framed as three different films, with a mid-point so effective that Syd Field would blush. The script is nearly perfect. Every line is so brilliantly crafted and it’s such a witty film. The fact that it can make you laugh out loud at some moments and had me on the verge of tears in some shows how effective it was. Dhanush is one of the most talented human beings in the film industry anywhere in the country and yet again he shows his chops in this absolutely nuanced and rich performance that he gives. The character could have been very unlikeable, especially in the first half but Dhanush’s ability makes him sympathetic and relatable. Samuthirakani, Vivek and Amala Paul were also all brilliant in their performances and brought real depth to their characters. That’s something I appreciate so much about this film, every character is three dimensional and that makes it such a rewarding watch. While in most films, the mass scene, in the end, feels like it’s out of place, here, it feels earned. Instead of Chekov’s gun, we have Chekov’s fist and when Dhanush throws his first punch, it feels so exhilarating. The soundtrack is yet another highlight of the film, with every song you feel immersed in the story and the experience. Not a single second of VIP is boring and the reason is because of how well it’s made and paced. I really think this is one of the best Indian films made in the last decade and it’s certainly very high up my list of favourites. Dhanush never fails to impress me and I can’t wait to watch more of his work. Please check out Velaiyilla Pattathari!