Nakul starrer "Vallinam" has received decent reviews from critics.
Directed by Arivazhagan of "Eeram" fame, "Vallinam" is a sport story set in the backdrop of a college campus. Krishna (Nakul) and Shiva (Kreshna) are basketball players, who are best buddies living in Trichy. During an inter college basketball match, Shiva meets with an accident and passes away.
To forget the death of his friend, Krishna gets transferred to Chennai national college and decides to stay away from playing basketball. He finds out that cricket is being given big advantage in the college curriculum, while basketball gets sidelined. Krishna forms a basketball team to prove the pride of the game. The rest of the story is about how Krishna and his basketball team triumph and prove their mettle.
Besides Nakul, "Vallinam" has Mrudhula Basker, Adhi, Atul Kulkarni, Jagan and Jayaprakash in supporting roles.
Critics have termed "Vallinam" as a decent attempt by the director, who has come out with an entertaining film with a good message. However, they feel that Arivazhagan should have concentrated only on the sport element in the film, which otherwise has routine songs, romantic portions and college comedy.
Critics also feel that the film is too long and should have been cut short to make it crisp. They say that the first half of the film deviates from film's main plot; however, the second half turns out to be gripping.
Here is the review roundup of "Vallinam"
According to Sify, "The trouble with Vallinam is that it goes all over trying to fit in mass commercial elements like fight, songs and unnecessary sentiments. Arivazhagan loses the plot half way through trying to make his hero a super action hero. The songs and the love angle sticks out like a sore thumb. The director should have concentrated only on the sports element it would have been a far better film."
"Still it is an ok film. The camera work of Bhaskar, especially the climax basketball match is well shot. Thaman's music and BGM is good. Nakul does a decent job but it is Jagan as the comedian who steals the show, while new boy Siddharth as the villain is menacing."
According to Rajasekar S of Cinemalead, "Having selected basketball as the film's backdrop, director Arivazhagan must be lauded for showcasing the game with maximum authentication. Vallinam's major strength is that every basketball sequence in the film are interesting and the shots are well focused, everyone including the hero looks convincing as a basketball player and their effort are well witnessed in big screen."
According to Rajiv Menon of Desimartini, "Vallinam is a brave attempt that might appeal to college students and all those who have a passion for sports. It might not be another Chak De India, but it definitely deserves to be watched for some sincere effort by the director as well as the lead cast."
Regarding the performances of the film's cast, Behindwoods Review Board says, "Nakul takes the character personally and brings out a heartfelt performance. His athletic frame and charisma fit the bill right and it appears as if he has worked on his voice too, which sounds much deeper in this movie. The attitude with which he carries himself and the effort he has put in to make his basketball skills look real is commendable."
"Debutante Mridhula Bhaskar plays the standard Tamil cinema heroine, who sizzles in the songs and acts as the driving force behind the hero."
The website has also showered praises on the performances of the supporting cast including Jayaprakash, Atul Kulkarni, Jagan and Siddharth.
