18 Vayasu review

2.5 / 5

We have had many movies in Tamil where the lead protagonist has some mental ailment. Starting from Sivappu Rojakkal down to some of Dhanush’s recent movies, there have been good films that have taken some psychiatric disorder and explored the same. Now we have 18 Vayasu, yet another movie talking about a mentally challenged youngster.

Here Karthik (Johnny) is a guy who has a unique disorder wherein he starts imbibing an animal’s characteristics whenever he notices one, under stress. A haunting incident during his childhood and physical abuse from his negligent mother are the reasons for this unique behavior.

He encounters Gayathri (Gayathri) and she is like a breath of fresh air in Karthik’s life. Mutual liking slowing blossoms between the two until Karthik’s disorder catches up with him and now he is forced to run for cover from the police. We also have a team of doctors who are ready to help him.

Another eccentric elder man named Jackie also joins him on the run while Gayathri is also inevitably lured into this chase. What happens to Karthik, whether Gayathri understands him and whether he is cured? Watch 18 Vayasu to find out.

The director Panneerselvam must be patted for handling this subject in a very mature manner. He hasn’t resorted to violence, gore or skin show inspite of the scope for including such elements. The scenes when Johnny imbibes those animal instincts must have been a tight rope walk for the director and he has come out clean. The bull fight towards the end is a rocker.

Johnny is perfectly suited for such unconventional roles. In the entire movie he doesn’t remove his head-gear even once. The scenes in the first half when he slowly develops feelings for Gayathri are really well done by the young actor. The scenes with the old neighbor also make an impact. He has imbibed the characteristics of a dog, cat, bat, snake, bull and even a small insect. Must have been quite an effort!

Gayathri is a good find and she looks cute, has a good voice and emotes well too. Among the other characters, the desperate girl who tries to woo Karthik in the start is a real irritant. None of the guys would fall for such a girl, leave alone a recluse like Karthik.

Rohini is earnest as the doctor who is ever-willing to help Karthik. The guy who acts as Jackie is a revelation though he goes overboard at times in his eccentric act. His constant dialog ‘Kaadhal Vaazhga’ strikes a chord. His funny encounters with the police are also enjoyable.

The ego conflicts that a policeman experiences have been portrayed well and we actually start loathing the police officer. Credit to the characterization!

Cinematographer Shakthi has done a great job particularly in those animal instinct scenes as he has literally moved along with Johnny to capture the movements intricately.

The BGM score is another huge plus. The movie really gets a fillip thanks to this score. All the songs by Charles Bosco and Dinesh Kanagaratnam are good in their own way, though they are one too many. As a result, though the songs have been shot and choreographed well, monotony sets in.

Another minus of the movie is its length and the absence of detailing about Karthik’s disorder. The audience might also lose interest with the movie as monotony might set in, given the presence of eccentric characters who repeat their characteristics often.

On the whole, it’s a worthy attempt that has been shot well and performed capably. The director has tried to make the movie as mainstream as possible though the subject is about a psychotic disorder.

VERDICT: Good performances and fine film making make this worth a shot.