Vada Chennai review: Here is what critics say about Dhanush's film

Vetrimaaran's Vada Chennai is a gangster thriller set in North Chennai. It is a gritty underworld movie that has commendable storytelling, characterizations and performances.

The movie tells the story of a carrom player, Anbu (Dhanush) who becomes a pawn in a turf war between two powerful gangsters – Guna (Samuthirakani) and Kishore (Senthil). He accidentally kills a person after which he is forced to take shelter with one of the two gangsters before he decides to take on both the dons for the sake of his people.

Vada Chennai is a realistic movie that is inspired by true incidents. Detailing is the hallmark of Vetrimaaran's writing and people can relate to the situations. The screenplay is tight although the proceedings are slow in general.

Dhanush, in different shades, shines in all the time periods and comes out with an electrifying performance. Aishwarya Rajesh is also equally good. Samuthirakani, Ameer, Andrea and all others contribute their bit to enhance the overall quality of the movie.

The film has won positive reviews with the critics giving an average rating of three out of five. Here, we bring you select-few reviews of Vada Chennai:

TOI: This sprawling nature of the narrative and the various events that impact the lives of the numerous characters make Vada Chennai truly an epic (Santhosh Narayanan understands this and comes up with a score that is grand). Vetri Maaran's rich detailing, be it the life in the prison or outside of it, helps us become a part of the story. Read complete review...

Behindwoods: The spine of Vada Chennai: Like the multiple disks that form the spine of the body, there are multiple aspects that form the spine of Vada Chennai. This starts from the brain behind the film, writer and director Vetri Maaran. His clarity, knowledge, screenplay writing skill and man management is impeccable. He orchestrates this story and brings it on screen like champion. Secondly, art director Jacki. Read complete review...

Galata: Director Vetri Maaran strikes gold as every nook and corner of his script has his audience riveted. He has smartly materialized this exceptionally long story into three different parts. The structure is extremely refreshing as many stereotypes are broken and surprise elements hit us like a bolt of lightning at frequent intervals. Read complete review...