It has all the traditional elements of a family drama. The movie also stars Rashmika Mandanna, Sarath Kumar, Jayasudha, Srikanth, Shaam, and Prakash Raj in addition to Vijay. It is hardly surprising that southern mainstream filmmakers still use every last drop of the family drama genre. Even though the same tale template has been used countless times over the years, this genre has a fairly high success rate. It makes sense that Vamshi Paidipally, who is collaborating with Vijay for the first time, plays it exceedingly carefully with Varisu. It's your classic family drama with all the expected rhythms, but Vijay, who happens to be there, pulls all the strings and keeps things interesting, mainly saves it.
The tale revolves on a family led by Rajendran (Sarath Kumar), one of India's most powerful merchants. His two sons, Jai and Ajay (Srikanth and Shaam), are in charge of running the family company, and one of them aspires to be the successor. When Rajendran discovers one day that he has advanced-stage pancreatic cancer, he makes the decision to honour his wife's request to celebrate his 65th birthday lavishly. Vijay Rajendran (Vijay), the youngest son of Rajendran, comes home for the birthday celebration after being away for seven years. After a quarrel with his father over working for the family company, he had fled home. What occurs in the family that compels Vijay to remain at home, and why?
Varisu is predictable from the word go but what still works in its favour is the mere presence of Vijay. Having predominantly worked in action films in recent years, it was refreshing to see Vijay have fun in an out-and-out family flick. Here’s a film that taps into Vijay’s comical side in a big way and it works like magic. It’s an effortless performance and one that appeals to even a non-Vijay fan. Every time predictability kicks in, Vijay walks in to distract and entertain with his pitch-perfect performance of a son who becomes the saviour of his family. Apart from Vijay, there isn’t a single factor that makes Varisu what it is. Nevertheless, it’s a film you won’t mind taking your family to this Pongal festival.
The family-related parts, particularly those involving Vijay and Jayasudha (who portrays the mother), work slightly in a generally predictable movie. The struggle between the brothers should have been more intense in order for the family drama aspect to function even better. Delivering precisely what the trailer promised is one thing the movie achieves well. You won't be let down as a spectator if you came in with preconceived notions after seeing the trailer.
