1 year of 'Master': 5 flaws of the Vijay-VJS starrer
What's the story
Master was one of the first movies to be released in theaters after the pandemic lockdown last year.
Given that and also the fact that two biggies— Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi (VJS)— were having a face-off, for the first time, intensified the buzz all the more.
Upon release, it mostly received positive feedback but there were some flaws, too.
Let's discuss the top five.
Number 1
Characterization of VJS was not justified
Even before the film's release, VJS gave us hints about his role in Master.
With all the hype, we were anticipating a never-seen-before villain in Kollywood.
But disappointingly, we ended up empathizing more with Bhavani (Sethupathi) than JD (Vijay).
His back story was unbelievably lengthy. At some point, we even wanted him to win as we have seen what he has gone through.
Number 2
JD's cause for alcoholism was rather weak
JD is introduced as an alcoholic. There are several witty scenes and funny moments around this arc.
But we didn't have any justification as to why he became one. JD simply said during several occasions that there's a reason behind his alcoholism.
When he finally reveals the 'why,' it falls flat, so much so that you would feel the cause should have remained unknown.
Number 3
The protagonist had a deficiency. But what was it?
Ruthless attitude of Bhavani makes a lot of sense.
But when it comes to JD, arguably, he is also pretty sociopathic.
He reacts and acts as though there is a motive behind whatever he does.
Also, for a teacher, he has an unreasonable attraction toward violence. After all, he feels satisfied after thrashing someone, but why?
The reason still remains unanswered.
Number 4
The other actors had no scope to display their skills
Acclaimed actors like Arjun Das, Shanthanu Bhakyaraj and Andrea Jeremiah had only little roles to play in the film. And, it's not something that we can forgo.
Why even bring such big names on board if there is no justification for their roles?
Das at least had a longer screen presence when compared to the other two but Jeremiah's presence was utterly disappointing.
Number 5
Malavika Mohanan was unnecessarily made a damsel in distress
From the beginning, viewers had huge expectations from Malavika Mohanan though Master was her first Tamil film.
But she did not get a good portion as well. Rather, she was only there to preach good things to JD.
She was unnecessarily made a damsel in distress. Picture this: She also needed the help of little Poovaiyar (a juvenile inmate) to save herself from goons!