Vaathi, a 2023 bilingual action drama directed by Venky Atluri, offers a compelling narrative exploring the complexities of the education system. Released simultaneously in Tamil (Vaathi) and Telugu (Sir), the film stars Dhanush in the central role of a school teacher. The period setting adds a layer of historical context to the story, though specifics regarding the time period remain undisclosed in the provided synopsis. Dhanush's portrayal of a teacher suggests a focus on themes likely revolving around educational reform, societal inequalities, or the challenges faced by educators within a potentially corrupt or resistant system. The "action drama" genre classification hints at potential conflict and obstacles the protagonist encounters in his pursuit of his goals. Further details regarding the plot, supporting characters, and the specific conflicts driving the narrative are absent from the initial information. The simultaneous release in two major South Indian languages reflects a growing trend in the regional film industry to broaden reach and appeal to a wider audience. The film's success will likely depend on the strength of its narrative, Dhanush's performance, and the director's ability to effectively address the chosen social commentary within the action genre framework. More detailed critical analysis will be necessary following the film's release and wider public reception.

One of the most significant factors that make Tamil films unique is their willingness to address social issues, even in out-and-out entertainers. The industry has always done this, and Venky Atluri's Vaathi (simultaneously released in Telugu as ‘Sir’) is an addition to this list.

Vaathi is the first Tamil film by director Venky Atluri, whose directorial debut in Telugu, Tholi Prema (2018), was a huge hit. Vaathi has been much anticipated as it also marks actor Dhanush's return to the action genre following two duds (Maaran and Jagame Thandhiram).

However, despite having a stellar (though tried and tested multiple times) plot that could have helped Atluri create something as topical and entertaining as Pa Ranjith's Kaala (2018) or Lokesh Kanagaraj's Master (2021), Vaathi proves that a tight script is, at the end of the day, the only thing that actually works.

Largely set in the late 1990s, Vaathi discusses a topic that is still pertinent 75 years after India won its independence from British colonial rule: the way students from underprivileged social and economic backgrounds are denied the right to an education.

The movie opens in the present, with three young adults who are struggling with their studies coming across a box of vintage video cassettes that formerly belonged to one of their grandfathers. While going through the contents of the cassettes, assuming it’s porn, they find footage of a young man teaching mathematics in a simple manner. They decide to track the teacher down so that they can get tuition. Their search for the teacher takes them to a District Collector who, upon seeing the cassettes, beams with pride and says that he was the teacher's student. As he speaks, the camera pans to a portrait hanging on the wall of his office.

That’s him, the Vaathi, Bala sir!

The movie then cuts to a flashback where Balamurugan (Dhanush), a junior lecturer at Thirupathi Educational Institutions, is introduced. Despite the fact that his introductory scene includes a fight, lacklustre choreography makes it totally unimpressive.

Soon, Balamurugan is appointed as a full-time teacher at a government school in Sozhavaram, a small village on the border of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. This happens after Srinivasa Thirupathi (Samuthirakani), the head of Thirupathi Educational Institutions and president of the private schools' association, offers a ‘helping hand’ to the failing government schools by agreeing to send some teachers from private schools to their state-owned counterparts. Thirupathi, a man who runs educational institutions only for financial gain, makes the move to stop the government from implementing a fee regulation bill and thus sends a bunch of ‘below average’, ‘underqualified’ teachers to government schools. But, for Balamurugan, who is unaware of his boss' strategy, this is an opportunity to prove himself and advance in life.

The movie then transports us to Sozhavaram, where children don't attend school and perform menial tasks to support their families. The film continues further by showing Bala sir’s efforts to educate all children and how he opposes Thirupathi to make sure that his students receive the same high-quality education as the privileged children do.

The movie fails pretty much everywhere because of shoddy writing, despite having a solid plot and a cast of talented actors, including Dhanush, Samuthirakani, Samyuktha, Tanikella Bharani, Aadukalam Naren, Praveena, and Hareesh Peradi. Scenes meant to be thought-provoking and inspirational end up being meh as the dialogues fail the test too.

Even Dhanush, who has demonstrated his acting prowess in movies like Karnan, Asuran, and Maryan, as well as his understanding of how to play characters that draw large crowds, is left there with his arms crossed and unable to salvage a sinking Vaathi. It is only towards the end when he appears looking like Raavanan and Bharathiyar (in different scenes), that the film provides some kind of goosebumps in its entire running time of about 140 minutes.

Though the character Thirupathi, whose credo is “zero fees, zero education; more fees, more education”, has enough evil in him to be a supervillain, Venky Atluri, who also wrote the script, fails to make him hateful and menacing. Not just Thirupathi, most characters in the film appear half-baked.

While the scene right before the interval, which plays a key role in such action-drama entertainers, is dull and insipid, the supposed ‘comedy’ scenes are so uninspiring that the makers had to add a laughter track to elicit titters.

The love angle between Balamurugan and Meenakshi (Samyuktha), a biology teacher at the Sozhavaram school, never lifts off the page. While he falls in love with her at first sight (as is customary), Meenakshi develops feelings for Balamurugan after hearing him give a (completely uninspiring) speech to the villagers about how Dr APJ Abdul Kalam became “The Missile Man", making their bond appear childish.

It is only G V Prakash Kumar’s music that deserves appreciation in the film, but Vaathi squanders away that opportunity by shooting the songs with little imagination.

While the art department manages to successfully recreate a small village in the 90s, the lack of moving scenes renders their efforts useless. The bizarre lip-syncing in several shots simply serves to accentuate the film's sorry state.

In contrast, despite the fact that there are only a few striking scenes in the movie that show the depth of the relationship between Bala sir and his students, it comes across as quite effective, thanks to the performances of the kids in the film. The scene in which Bala Sir teaches his students about caste discrimination as a social ill thus becomes meaningful, even with the tepid dialogues.

It's also commendable how the maker blended virtual education, which gained popularity following the outbreak of Covid, into a story set in a time before the invention of the internet. In these sequences, Atluri also shows a cinema hall transforming into a school, highlighting the power of motion pictures.

In spite of all that, the film can be dubbed as nothing but “old wine in a broken bottle”.

Vaathi movie cast: Dhanush, Samyuktha, Samuthirakani
Vaathi movie director: Venky Atluri
Vaathi movie rating: 1.5 stars