Veetla Vishesham - An adorable family drama laced with humour

RJ Balaji, who worked in a radio station, turned into an actor and director to give back to back hits 'LKG' and 'Mookuthi Amman'. His latest film 'Veetla Vishesham' is an official Tamil remake of the Hindi superhit 'Badhaai Ho'. We will see whether the film manages to satisfy the audience.

The story focuses on a normal middle-aged couple, who already have two grown-up sons, finds out that they are going to be parents again. This conflict affects the harmony in the family of five and results in their sons facing humiliation at the workplace and school. The couple is ridiculed by their relatives and society. How the family overcomes the embarrassment and whether the rest of the family members accept the couple forms the rest of the movie.

First of all, Sathyaraj and Urvashi are the show stealers of 'Veetla Vishesham'. Those two have rocked in both the comedy and emotional scenes, a wholesome performance. Urvashi makes us feel with ease like we care for our own mother. On the other hand, RJ Balaji has come out from his chatterbox image and beautifully played a calm and mature youngster who goes through mental struggles because of his family situation. Late actress KPAC Lalitha, Aparna Balamurali and all other secondary characters performed neatly in the space they were provided.

The best thing about Veetla Vishesham is that it allows us to adore the chemistry between the 50 and 60 year olds (Urvashi and Sathyaraj). Unlike the other Tamil films, this movie portrays its female lead as an independent and rational woman who helps the protagonist to understand there is more to life than the social norms. The director duo has tried to present an original film rather than giving a frame to frame remake. The effort in writing makes it better than the original in specific places.

Veetla Vishesham is a faithful remake that lives up to its original. The makers have reprised the character arcs in a loving way. Also, the way they used retro songs in the movie serves as cute nostalgic moments. The biggest strength of Veetla Vishesham is the crispy runtime (130 mins). With all that being said, RJ Balaji's acting in the first half seemed a bit flat which falls on the short side. The music, cinematography and editing added more dimension to the film.

Veetla Vishesham is a lovely comedy-drama that will be perfect for the term 'family entertainer'. A worthy film to watch with one's family. It is a gentle reminder for us to grow as a human and be supportive of our people leaving aside the social conditioning.