GOAT Review: Vijay plays a dark role in jaded plot, Dhoni moments electrifying

Direction: Venkat Prabhu

Rating: 2/5 stars

After essaying the role of an ex-gangster in ‘Leo’, Tamil superstar returns in a dark role who is set to bomb a CSK-Mumbai match in Chennai. Of course, he has donned dual roles in this action adventure but the jaded plot of son turning against his upright father has been done-to-death in south movies. Vijay impresses in the first half as a lovable husband who hides about his work (anti-terrorist squad member). His light-hearted moments with his team-Prabhu Deva, Prashanth and Jayaram- are quite engaging. His life turns upside down when his 5-year-old son dies in a car accident while being kidnapped in Bangkok and it causes separation between wife and husband. Now, he has a grown up daughter. He keeps dropping her in college but stays in a separate house.

He reluctantly takes up a mission in Moscow and is on cloud nine when he sees his son (young Vijay) among the rioters group. The family is reunited and they are leading a happy life in Chennai. But murder of his colleague Jayaram, gives a new mission to his life- to find the killer. He loses the daughter of his other colleague (Prashanth) and he turns serious to find the killer.

In the climax, iconic CSK player Dhoni is cheered as he steps out to take on Mumbai Indians. His shots are celebrated and trigger electrifying moments in the stadium. But trying to over-impose Dhoni’s appreciation by commentators on Vijay who is fighting a battle to save the people in the stadium goes overboard. Since Vijay is himself is a superstar and his action episodes have their own energy and goosebump moments. Film also offers a tribute to legendary Vijayakanth in the hero introduction episode and it is captivating. However, CG work on a younger looking Vijay could have been much better although their scenes together are ok. Even the hairstyle of the two heroes are a bit awful.

The film starts in Kenya when Vijay and his team chase down a train to recover uranium in the train but they also find terrorist Ajay Menon(Mohan). Vijay retrieves the uranium and his friends blast the train. Back in India, Vijay is having issues with his wife Sneha who suspects him of having an affair and also they are expecting their second baby. He takes his family to vacation in Bangkok but he is attacked and his son is kidnapped from hospital. By the time she delivers a baby girl, Vijay has just returned after seeing the charred body of his 5-year-old son. There is a crack in his family and he is shattered?

Vijay has taken the biggest challenge of his life by portraying a negative role in his latest. He goes overboard yet times to behave and look menacing. The conflict of an upright father and unlawful son has been tested in many films and few succeeded too. However, both Vijay’s dance well and keep the audience engaged but they fall short in performances at quite a few places. Actress Sneha, Jayaram, Prabhu Deva, Malavika Sharma and Premji are ok.

Interestingly, 1980s famed lover boy Mohan who was seen in films like ‘Mouna Ragam’, ‘Payanangal Mudivathilay’ and ‘Rettai Vaal Kuruvi’ plays a baddie in this film. However, his stale expressions don't give much fillip to his hard-earned image.

Music director Yuvan Shankar Raja fails to impress since he just belted out uninspiring tunes like ‘Whistle Podu’ and ‘Chinna Chinna Kangal’ but no match to Anirudh’s racy compositions in films like ‘Leo’ or ‘Beast’ and don’t have recall value.

Director Venkat Prabhu takes a lot of cinematic liberties to deliver a mass masala movie loaded with human emotions and few flip flops too. Probably, he didn’t want to irk fans of other stars and tactfully superimposed the ‘G.O.A.T’ (Greatest Of All Time) title on Dhoni and of course on Vijay in the last portions to justify the enviable title.