The “persistence” conveyed in Vidaamuyarchi’s title doesn’t just indicate its lead Ajith Kumar’s athletic or mental prowess. The Tamil film is the story of a man who is determined to save his fraying marriage with his wife of 12 years.
Magizh Thirumeni liberally slathers this interesting emotional layer onto his remake of Jonathan Mostow’s Breakdown (1997). But in the effort to Indianise a no-nonsense popcorn American actioner that relies on a fast tempo and tense atmospherics, Vidaamuyarchi often loses its way.
Arjun (Ajith Kumar) and Kayal (Trisha) are a Tamil-speaking couple living in the Azerbaijani capital Baku. On the brink of a separation – the details are thankfully not specified – they set out on one last road trip. When their car breaks down and Kayal disappears, Arjun unleashes his inner beast.
It’s easy to see why Thirumeni cast Ajith, a car enthusiast and real-life racer, in the lead role. Much of Breakdown takes place in a new, swanky Jeep (which gets the couple into the mess in the first place).
In Vidaamuyarchi, a high-end Lexus replaces the red Jeep. Despite stylish vehicular stunts by Ajith Kumar, the deviations from the original film are largely colourless, making it difficult for us to persist.
Vidaamuyarchi wantonly stretches a 90-minute film into a rather painful 150-minute saga, with the glitches particularly apparent in the second half. There are one too many characters who come with plodding backstories.
Although Arjun and Regina Cassandra play important roles, they eventually end up overstaying their welcome. The same is the case with other characters, especially the caricatured Azerbaijanis.
Why are the Azerbaijanis helping Tamil crooks? Why is an old Azeri lady in a wheelchair loading up her rifle? These questions go unanswered.
The excesses of the first half – in which the romance between a de-aged Ajith and Trisha develops sluggishly – seem negligible when compared to the flashbacks that crawl at a snail’s pace in the post-interval section.
Thirumeni struggles to recreate Breakdown’s tension and tautness. Anirudh’s score, despite being snazzy, barely fits a movie that required silences to depict helplessness.
