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| Vada Chennai | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Vetrimaaran |
| Written by | Vetrimaaran |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Velraj |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Santhosh Narayanan |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 164 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹60 crore[1][2][3] |
Vada Chennai (transl. North Chennai) is a 2018 IndianTamil-languagecrime drama film[4] written and directed byVetrimaaran. Produced byLyca Productions,Wunderbar Films andGrass Root Film Company, the film starsDhanush as Anbu, a skilledcarrom player who becomes a reluctant participant in a gang war between two rival gangsters. The cast also includesKishore,Samuthirakani,Daniel Balaji,Pawan,Andrea Jeremiah,Aishwarya Rajesh andAmeer. It is the first instalment in a planned trilogy.
The film had been in the news since late 2009, with an official announcement only made in November 2011 that the filming would commence by March 2012.[5] After being temporarily shelved, the film re-materialized in May 2015 with a new cast; featuring Dhanush as the lead, making his third collaboration with the director afterPolladhavan (2007) andAadukalam (2011). Principal photography for the film, which commenced in June 2016, was wrapped up in February 2018. The cinematography for the film was done byVelraj, editing was handled by G. B. Venkatesh and R. Ramar, and the musical score was composed bySanthosh Narayanan.
Vada Chennai was initially slated to release on 13 September 2018, during theGanesh Chathurthi festival, but was postponed to 17 October 2018, because of the post-production work.[6] The film received critical acclaim, praising its direction, plot, music, action sequences and cast performances, while criticising its dialogues. Post-release, the film drew controversies, about the fishermen community, in which a few scenes from the film were found offensive, after the director decided to remove the scenes from the movie, and added further new scenes.
The film received several awards at the 2018Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, including Best Actor forDhanush, Best Supporting Actor for Ameer and Best Music Director for Santhosh Narayanan. At the8th South Indian International Movie Awards, the film received several nominations, including Best Actor for Dhanush, which was the only win at the ceremony. The film was nominated in three categories at the66th Filmfare Awards South, in which Dhanush won theFilmfare Award for Best Actor. Asequel and aprequel for the film were planned by Vetrimaaran, which will be made into aweb series.
1987: Sentil, Guna & Thambi
Guna, "Jawa" Pazhani, Velu, and Senthil kill a "high profile" crime boss at a restaurant in North Madras (Madras is the former name ofChennai, the capital ofTamil Nadu,India). Senthil requests Guna and Velu to surrender for the murder while he bails them out. A year later, the pair is still in prison, which creates a deep rift between them and Senthil, despite Mani and Thambi, the crime boss's younger brother intervening.
2000: Anbu, Senthil and the Jail
The new warden of theMadras central prison plans to weed out all nefarious activities in the prison, which are being controlled by Senthil from the 7th block. Senthil sells drugs worth millions every month in a very elaborate manner, and never steps out of the 7th block, fearing for his life from Guna's men in the 11th block. Anbu and Velu's brother Siva is brought into the prison for fighting. Anbu saves one of Senthil's henchmen Raju, from being killed by Siva. Anbu is placed in the 11th block under Velu and Mani. During a raid, Anbu gives away a mobile phone belonging to Mani and is almost killed for doing so, before being saved by the warden. He is shown to have saved his right hand from any injury, while being attacked.
1991: Anbu, Carrom, & Padma
Anbu, a 20 year-old skilledcarrom player, whose friend Siva often gets him to play bet matches. On the nightRajiv Gandhi is assassinated, the entire hamlet where Anbu lives loots nearby shops and makes away with various goods. A masked girl steals asewing machine from Anbu, but he lets her go. The next morning, the local cops, along with Thambi, arrive to recover the stolen goods. Despite having his goods returned, the shopkeeper is keen on filing a complaint against Anbu, as he had hit him the previous night under the pretext of not returning the sewing machine. In turn, Anbu goes and accosts the girl Padma, but she refuses to return it. Anbu gets beaten up by the shopkeeper and loses badly in that year's carrom tournament. Anbu and Padma begin a relationship, during the course of which Anbu saves Guna fromcontract killers during a festival. The killers reveal that they are Senthil's men and things only worsen between Guna and Senthil.
2000: Raju helps Anbu shift to the 7th block after he cleverly smuggles incontraband for Raju. Meanwhile, Senthil is still trying to harbour political aspirations through a local politician named Muthu, who is also in prison.
1996: Anbu, Padma, & Pazhani
Pazhani teases Padma after she and Anbu are caught kissing. Pazhani also beats up Padma's brother Kannan. Anbu goes to speak to Pazhani, but is beaten up as well. After no one is willing to help him, Anbu and Kannan go back with weapons belonging to Guna's brother to threaten him, but end up killing Pazhani. Pazhani's men chase the two, but they escapes without being identified.
2000: Anbu requests Senthil to organise a carrom tournament for the prisoners, which will also help Senthil to make peace with the strict prison chief and also promote his political aspirations. The tournament is conducted throughout the prison. Senthil, Siva and Anbu all proceed to the knock-out semi-finals. The final two rounds of the tournament are held in the common prison courtyard, which implies that Senthil must come out. Velu and Mani try to utilise the opportunity to kill Senthil and heavily arm their boys. Senthil is alerted and gets ready to kill his assassins with their own weapons. However, Senthil's right thumb is injured accidentally, and he withdraws from the tournament. Anbu and Siva proceed to the finals and Anbu requests Senthil to be present for the finals to raise morale. Senthil agrees and arrives to watch the final. Seconds after Anbu wins the final, the tournament tent is collapsed and two gangs clash. Senthil is able to aptly defend himself. However, Anbu stabs Senthil in the neck with a wooden shard broken from the carrom board, leaving him heavily injured andparalysed for life. Raju is the only witness, but doesn't talk as Anbu spared his life from Siva earlier. Later, Anbu explains to Raju about his loyalty towards Guna.
1996: Anbu, Guna, & Chandra
After Anbu and Kannan eliminate Pazhani, Thambi arranges for them to be sheltered by Guna. While Guna initially plans to send the two men far away for their safety, his wife Chandra persuades him to instead send his own brother, Shankar, to prison in Anbu’s place arguing that the move would benefit everyone involved. Guna agrees, and Anbu and Kannan are placed on boats and sent into hiding. Within two days, Shankar is murdered in prison by Senthil while engaged in a compromising act with Raju. Devastated and guilt-ridden, Anbu vows his loyalty to Guna for life. Later, as Senthil seeks to secure a party leadership position, he surrenders to the authorities and proposes a truce with Guna. However, Guna soon discovers that Senthil has secretly submitted both his and Velu’s names to the police hit list. Meanwhile, Anbu approaches Padma's family to request her hand in marriage. Her father refuses, but with Kannan’s help, Anbu brings Padma to his home regardless. Simultaneously, Guna summons Anbu and outlines a plan for him to enter prison, gain Senthil’s trust, and ultimately eliminate him.
2000: Anbu is bailed out of prison by Guna, but tells him that he does not want to work for Guna and wants to hone carrom players instead. Anbu then marries Padma.
2003: At a coming-of-age ceremony for Thambi's daughter, a road contractor requests Guna and Senthil to come together to help in evicting people from Anbu's hamlet with the promise of houses and jobs. Anbu's friend Hameed, a bank officer, has petitioned against the project, and Guna requests Anbu's help to talk to Hameed. Later, Anbu then tells everything to Padma, including Rajan's story and how he had fought for the local people.
1987: Anbu, Rajan, and the Hood
Rajan is the biggest smuggler in North Madras and works for Muthu, who is theMLA of that area. Muthu requests Rajan's help with clearing out the hamlets for a road project, which was initiated for thePope's visit. Rajan stands against Muthu and vows to protect his hood and stops his smuggling activities. He also marries Chandra. Seeing that Rajan will not help him, Muthu informs the cops about his smuggling activities. When the cops arrive, Rajan kidnaps theACP and refuses to leave him until the road project is called off. Rajan is hailed as a hero in the hood for stopping the project. When theChief Minister of Tamil NaduMGR dies, Rajan arrives at his funeral.
Meanwhile, Muthu instigates Senthil to smuggle contraband using college students of their area, and then tips the police, leading to the youngster getting arrested. Senthil, Guna, Velu and Pazhani are beaten up and publicly humiliated by Rajan for working against his wishes, and they hence plot Rajan's death. That night, they get Thambi to call Rajan to a hotel where Rajan tells them that he will help them become big. He tells that he has arranged for release of the boys and he bet them just to pacify the families of those boys. They are hesitant to kill him, but when their plot gets revealed, they hack Rajan (the dead man from the opening scene) to death. While dying, Rajan requests Thambi to refrain from doing anything and let things be.
2003: At the meeting with the road contractor, Anbu makes a stand for the people of the hood and refuses to endorse the project. Enraged that Anbu went up against him, Guna lets Senthil's brother-in-law Kumar, a police officer, know that it was Anbu who stabbed Senthil. Chandra then reveals that how she was behind everything that happened. She had sent men to kill Guna during the festival, but Anbu saved him. She decides to marry Guna and to use him to help kill the other three involved in Rajan's death. She added Guna and Velu's names to the hit list and drives a wedge between Guna and Velu. She gets Guna to leave the hood with her and sends Rajan's men to protect Anbu from Kumar. Kumar finds Anbu, but is heavily beaten and warned by him.
Anbu then traps Guna and Chandra as they leave the hood and warns Guna to leave him and hood alone. Chandra secretly gives Rajan's old home to Anbu, who takes up Rajan's cause of fighting for the people.
Vetrimaaran developed the story ofVada Chennai in 2003 when he met an unnamed person in the streets ofNorth Chennai, to narrate a script about bike theft, in which he tried to explore about gangsterism and the rise and fall of mafia gangs in North Chennai.[7] But he later decided to work onPolladhavan (2007), with Dhanush in the lead, and then, onAadukalam (2011).[8] During the production ofAadukalam, Vetrimaaran simultaneously scripted and modified the project. It was announced thatKarthi signed the film, in October 2009.[9][10] In February 2010, it was revealed that the film would see Karthi, play the lead role of a fisherman, who is drawn into amafia gang, unwillingly.[11]Dayanidhi Azhagiri was confirmed to produce the project, underCloud Nine Movies, andAnushka Shetty, was announced as the female lead, who would play aMarwari girl.[12] However, talks with Karthi fell through, after the film went through delays. In July 2010, Vetrimaaran revealed that discussions were being held with three other actors, to replace Karthi in the lead role.[13] The film made news, without an official announcement, over the next year. Following the huge success ofAadukalam, Vetrimaaran began considering other scripts, instead.[14]
In October 2011, the producers announced that the film would re-start soon and featureSilambarasan, as the main lead, in place of Karthi.[15]Rana Daggubati andKishore were cast in other pivotal roles, with Vetrimaaran adding that the story ofVada Chennai was first written in 2003, and that he took notes from the first script, to make his other two films.[16][17] Vetrimaaran's usual team, consisting of cinematographerVelraj, editorKishore T.E., art director Jacki, and music directorG. V. Prakash Kumar, fromPolladhavan andAadukalam, were retained and confirmed to be part of the main crew.[18][19] The director confirmed thatAndrea Jeremiah would also play a pivotal supporting role.[20]Divya Spandana, who previously worked with Vetrimaaran inPolladhavan,[21] was approached for a role in January 2012, but she did not sign the film.[22][23] In a turn of events, Rana Daggubati opted out of the film, in February 2012, citing date issues and the delay of the film.[24] Furthermore, it was alleged that the delay of the film had also irked Silambarasan, with reports suggesting thatJiiva would replace him, if Silambarasan walked out of the project.[25][26] In April 2012, Dayanidhi Azhagiri announced that the project was postponed and announced that Vetrimaaran would move on to make another film for his production house, withDhanush in the lead.[27] Vetrimaaran subsequently contemplated making several different projects with the actor in the lead, before beginning filming forSoodhadhi in March 2014.[28] Months into production, the film was postponed, likeVada Chennai.[29]
In May 2015, Dhanush revealed that he would produce and feature inVada Chennai, and that the venture would restart production, in September 2015.[30][31]Samantha and Andrea Jeremiah were revealed to be among the lead actresses,[32] whileSanthosh Narayanan would be the film's composer, after Dhanush had fallen out with G. V. Prakash Kumar.[33][34][35] Also, G. B. Venkatesh, who assistedKishore Te onVisaranai (2016), was roped in as the film editor, after the latter's unfortunate demise, due to his health problems. The start of the project was postponed until 2016, as Dhanush had to complete his outstanding projects, first.[36] In August 2015, Vetrimaaran announced thatVada Chennai will be made into two-parts,[37] citingAnurag Kashyap's advice to split the film into two, similar to hisGangs of Wasseypur films.[38][39] Dhanush decided to allot more than 200 days for his role, for both the parts.[40][41][42] However, withLyca Productions's inclusion in the project, the film was extended into a trilogy.[43][44] Unlike his previous films which were inspired by other works, including novels and films,Vada Chennai is an original and fictional representation revolving around gangsters inNorth Chennai.[45]
In late 2015, the team held talks with Jiiva andVijay Sethupathi, again, for portraying other pivotal characters in the film, though neither of them signed the project.[46][47]Samuthirakani andDaniel Balaji were subsequently signed on to portray other pivotal roles.[48] Likewise several actors who have previously worked on Vetrimaaran's films such asKishore,Karunas andPawan, joined the cast during June 2016.[49] Before the film's shoot started, Samantha opted out of the film citing schedule conflicts,[50][51] and was replaced byAmala Paul in the lead female role.[52] Vijay Sethupathi also agreed to portray an extended cameo in the film, with Dhanush announcing his inclusion during July 2016.[53] However, owing to a delay in the film's shooting, both Vijay Sethupathi and Amala Paul exited the project,[54][55][56] with the pair being replaced byAmeer andAishwarya Rajesh.[57][58] Before Sethupathi's replacement with Ameer, it was reported that he left the project due to scripting and call-sheet issues, and Vetrimaaran decided to rope inTelugu actor,Ravi Teja, for the role,[59] as he was impressed with the script and role. However, he also could not take up the role, due to his ongoing projects in Telugu films.[60]
In the first meeting with the executive producer, I was asked how much it would cost the build the prison set. I took a wild guess and said around₹10 crore (US$1.2 million) and I wasn’t even asked a question. I was asked to start the work immediately as they wanted the prison set to be completed to start the shoot. When most producers would ask to cut short the budget, Dhanush and his team gave us a lot of creative freedom and time to work. That may have possible because of the relationship Dhanush shares with Vetrimaaran.
Art directorJacki, worked on the film'sproduction design. The set design forVada Chennai began nearly six years ago and before the beginning of the production, Jacki designed huge sets resembling theCentral Jail and had made the team cost₹5 crore (US$590,000).[62][63] The team initially decided to shoot the portions of the film in a real jail set inRajamahendravaram, but as the prison portions may become lengthy during the course of the film, they decided to construct a huge set resembling theMadras Central Prison at theBinny Mills inChennai.[61] He visited the original location and also met a prisoner from Madras Prison to give inputs for the location. The construction initially planned for 43 days, was completed within 40 days.[64][65] Later, the team had erected another set resembling the Nagoorar Thottam and for that design, the team had spent 20 days. Then, as most of the film being set in the slum area, the team did a miniature model of the design which they planned to replicate in real.[61][66] To reflect the timeline change (1970–2000), the team went through an extensive research and collected every minute details of the products, including furnitures, materials, home appliances, posters, cigarettes, advertisements and essentials used, which the team had considered as "the biggest challenge".[64]Amritha Ram worked on the costumes for the film.[67] A report fromSify claimed that the film is the "costliest film ever made in Dhanush's career"[68] as Jacki had stated that the work on the production design escalated the costs in the film.[61]
The film's production began on 22 June 2016, after multiple postponements.[69] The first schedule of the shooting was held at a huge set resembling theMadras Central Prison which was erected atBinny Mills in Chennai.[62][63] The shoot continued throughout mid-2016 in North Chennai for thirty days, with scenes depicting the 1970s shot.[70][71][72] The production was briefly delayed as Vetrimaaran sought to get his previous film,Visaranai, ready for nominations at the89th Academy Awards, which prompted Dhanush to move on to work on his other projects: his directorial debutPa. Pandi,Velaiilla Pattadhari 2 and his international debut film,The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir.[68] The break between schedules also meant that Vetrimaaran beganpre-production work on another film starring G. V. Prakash Kumar, which he would make following the completion of the first part ofVada Chennai.[73] However, it was revealed that Vetrimaaran was not ready to work simultaneously on the three parts of the film and reported that they may take a break in-between the production of the trilogy,[73] where Dhanush and Vetrimaaran planned for three-to-four films in the process.[74]
The second filming schedule began in April 2017 inRoyapuram,Chennai, and progressed for 30 days.[75] However, the shooting further affected as Dhanush had worked onThe Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir.[76] It was revealed that the team had completed 90% of the shooting within late-June 2017, and only 10–15 days of shooting left.[77] But during the film's production, Dhanush also prioritised to work on the long delayedGautham Menon's projectEnai Noki Paayum Thota andMaari 2,[78] which escalated the film's delay.[79] Later, Dhanush decided to work on both the projects simultaneously, in order to complete the shoots of both the films within time.[80][81] The filming was completed within February 2018.[82]
Vada Chennai explores a wide array of themes rooted in the socio-political underbelly of North Chennai. At its core, the film deals with the moral ambiguity of its characters, showing how individuals are often shaped by their environments rather than innate intentions. Dhanush's character, Anbu, is not a traditional hero; instead, he is someone who gets pulled into the world of crime due to circumstance, survival, and personal loss. This aligns with director Vetrimaaran’s long-standing interest in portraying anti-heroes navigating morally grey terrains, as seen in his earlier works likeVisaranai andAadukalam.
The film also reflects themes of power, caste, and political betrayal. The gang wars are not merely personal vendettas but are interwoven with the shifting political landscape of Tamil Nadu during the late 1980s and early 2000s. The influence of real-life politics is unmistakable, with characters modeled loosely on real gangsters and political fixers who operated in Chennai’s slums during that period.[83] Vetrimaaran uses archival footage and references to actual events to ground the narrative in realism, lending historical texture to the crime saga.
Another central theme is identity especially in terms of geography and community. North Chennai is not just a setting but a character in itself. The film immerses viewers into the region's unique slang, culture, and power dynamics. It brings to screen the fishermen community, auto drivers, carrom players, and jail politics, all forming a microcosm of a marginalized but vibrant society. Vetrimaaran himself stated that Vada Chennai is an attempt to narrate a history from the perspective of the people who have never had a voice in mainstream Tamil cinema.[84]
Cinematically, Vada Chennai is heavily influenced by Italian mafia epics such as The Godfather trilogy and American crime dramas likeGoodfellas andCity of God. However, it localizes those influences effectively, adapting them to the Tamil cultural and political landscape. The narrative’s non-linear storytelling, gradual reveal of betrayals, and morally complex characters all mirror the structure of these international classics, but with an unmistakably regional flavor.[85]
Moreover, the film critiques the systemic exploitation of the urban poor through land acquisition and political manipulation. The conflict over the Muthu Bridge symbolizes the larger issue of urban development at the cost of working-class communities a recurring issue in Chennai’s history. This theme is not just visual but structural, as the entire story revolves around who controls land, labor, and narrative. In that sense, Vada Chennai is not just a gangster epic but a social document, reflecting decades of transformation in the urban margins of South India.
The film was initially announced withG. V. Prakash Kumar as the music director. However, following Kumar's fallout with the lead actorDhanush,[35] the team choseSanthosh Narayanan as the film composer, which marked his maiden collaboration withVetrimaaran.[86] Dhanush suggested Santhosh's name when he composed for one of his production, theRajinikanth-starrerKaala (2018), and with his inclusion, he simultaneously worked for both the films; the work on the entire album was completed within June 2018.[87] The album is mostly basedNorth Madras music consisting of a diverse genres –gaana,folk andmelody.[88]Vada Chennai also marked Santhosh's 25th filmas a composer in his career.[89] The album was released on 23 September 2018,[90][91] in entirety through the internet and in streaming platforms such asSaavn,[92]JioMusic[93] andGaana.[94][95][96] The soundtrack received rave reviews from critics and audience,[97] and topped theiTunes charts within three days of its release.[98] It was also streamed above 5,00,000 times on Saavn.[99] An additional song titled "Patta Patti" was released during mid-November 2018, after repeated requests from fans.[100]
Vetrimaaran worked on thepost-production ofVada Chennai, assembling thefinal cut of the film during mid-May 2018.[101] In June 2018, the makers confirmed thatVada Chennai will be released theatrically on the occasion ofGanesh Chathurthi (13 September 2018).[102] Theteaser trailer for the film was unveiled on the occasion of Dhanush's birthday (28 July 2018) and received positive response from fans.[103][104] Furthermore, celebrities such asShah Rukh Khan andAnurag Kashyap praised Dhanush and Vetrimaaran's work in the teaser.[105][106] The makers unveiled a set of posters featuring the lead characters starting from 6 August 2018.[107] In mid-August, Dhanush announced thatVada Chennai, will be released worldwide on 17 October 2018, coinciding theDusshera weekend.[108] The film was premiered at thePingyao International Film Festival inChina before the theatrical release,[109][110] and also premiered at the 23rdInternational Film Festival of Kerala in November 2018.[111] Themerchandise ofVada Chennai, was launched byCover It Up andFully Filmy on 15 October 2018, as a part of the film's promotion.[112][113]
Four days before the theatrical release, the film was sent to theCentral Board of Film Certification (CBFC), where it received anA certificate,[114] due to "raw and gritty violence". Scenes where dialogues mentioning and referring to the former Chief ministersJ. Jayalalithaa,M. G. Ramachandran andM. Karunanidhi, where removed from the film, as it was considered defaming the politicians.[115] Post-release, the film drew criticism for allegedly portraying the residents of North Chennai in a bad light.[116] The film also drew controversies from fisherfolk community, because of a love-making scene between Ameer and Andrea was pictured in a boat, which was considered to be offensive for the community.[117][118] Director Vetrimaaran, in a video statement, apologised to anyone who may have been hurt by the film. Then the director agreed to remove the offensive scenes from the film.[119]
In the first day of theatrical release,Vada Chennai earned₹81 lakh (US$96,000) from theChennai city box-office and₹5.12 crore (US$610,000) in over 300 screens. The film gained $48,840 (₹56 lakh) from the premiere shows screened inUnited States on 16 October, a day before the Indian release.[120] The film further earned₹54 lakh (US$64,000) from the second day at Chennai box-office,[121] and had collected₹4.2 crore (US$500,000) worldwide.[121][122] Within the third day, the film earned₹4.9 crore (US$580,000) at the worldwide box-office, tallying its three-day collection to₹15.6 crore (US$1.8 million).[123] During its theatrical run in the weekends, the film enjoyed good footfalls and had collected₹10.5 crore (US$1.2 million) within two days, adding its worldwide collection to₹28.1 crore (US$3.3 million).[124] The film grossed₹2.5 crore (US$300,000) inKarnataka,₹50 lakh (US$59,000) in rest of India, and₹10 crore (US$1.2 million) at the overseas centres (combined collections in United States,Malaysia,United Arab Emirates and other centres).[124] Within two weeks of its release, the film earned₹50 crore (US$5.9 million) at the worldwide box office, surpassingVelaiilla Pattadhari to emerge the highest-grossing Tamil film of Dhanush's career,[125] until its record was broken byAsuran, another film directed by Vetrimaaran.[126] In addition, the film crossed the₹6 crore-mark at the Chennai box office.[127]
Vada Chennai received critical acclaim, with critics praising its plot, action sequences, technical aspects and cast performances.[128]
Janani K, a critic fromIndia Today gave a rating of 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vada Chennai has everything you look for in a gangster thriller. But Vetri Maaran's display of twists and turns will win you over."[129] Manoj Kumar. R ofThe Indian Express gave 5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vada Chennai is the closest you can get to unforgiving underworld filled with insecurity, revenge, destiny, rage and insatiable urge for bloodshed. It is not the story that stands out in Vada Chennai. It is how beautifully Vetrimaaran has captured the lifestyle of a place, which is so close and yet so far away from the advancement of modern civilization."[130]
Sowmya Rajendran ofThe News Minute wrote "From the colourful curses of the street to each of the characters, the film gives us a very real glimpse of gang wars. Vetrimaaran-Dhanush delivers a brilliant gangster film."[131] Srivatsan S ofThe Hindu wrote "The obvious political overtones that have been built throughout will have its relevance in part two. If anything, Vada Chennai reiterates why Vetri Maaran is a master storyteller."[132] Priyanka Sundar ofHindustan Times stated the film Vada Chennai, the first part of a three-part film, "is complete in itself speaks for director’s Vetrimaaran’s execution style". She further called it as a "bloody brilliant film laced with some bone chilling moments accompanied with ingenious music".[133] Anupama Subramanian ofDeccan Chronicle gave 4 out of 5 stars and wrote:
Vada Chennai, for most parts, keeps it real: The men are full of flaws that are indicative of their backgrounds and upbringing, and the women don't shy away from displaying their anger and greediness. The proceedings tend to drag a bit and the flashbacks could have been reduced. Also, a more careful use of cuss words would have had a greater impact on the scenes. As it stands, the story is a bit slipshod, but the characters and the layered writing will ensure that your attention stands.[134]
M. Suganth ofThe Times of India gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The sprawling nature of the narrative and the various events that impact the lives of the numerous characters make Vada Chennai truly an epic."[135] Sreedhar Pillai ofFirstpost gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vada Chennai is another feather on Vetrimaaran’s cap though not in the same league as his earlier films. The way he has built into the story, the rise of gangsters and thrown in political allegories is brutally honest. It also shows how politicians and the slum lords, in the name of development and welfare of the people, are similar in their opportunistic approach and selfish interests." He gave the film three-and-a-half out of five stars.[136]
Sify gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Vada Chennai takes its time to unfold, and you may enjoy if you muster the patience for it. Give it a chance, watch it for some excellent acting and for its gritty realistic feel."[137]Baradwaj Rangan ofFilm Companion South wrote "Dhanush's ascent to stardom has come alongside his growth as an actor, and there’s not one scene where he makes us doubt his character's actions. The actors are so good (Ameer is a standout) and the film's parts are so much greater than the whole that savouring them becomes its own kind of satisfaction. With his outstanding cinematographer Velraj, Vetrimaaran unleashes one flamboyant scene after another."[138]
DirectorAnurag Kashyap also heaped praise on the direction and screenplay, calling it as "an original gangster film".[149] DirectorsGautham Vasudev Menon andVineeth Sreenivasan too praised the film, the latter called Vetrimaaran as the director "needed to be celebrated".[150][151] Kashyap also had the first cut of the film, along with other Tamil films being preserved in his library.[152] In a May 2021 interview with Indian cricketerRavichandran Ashwin, Vetrimaaran revealed about his voice-over used in the opening narrations, and said that "when the film's release date was nearing, he could not trim the film to the desired duration, so he came up with the idea of voice over only three days before the film's release date".[153] A dialogue from the film "Senthil, Guna, Velu, Thambi ivanga ellarum Anbu vaazhkaiyoda inaikkuradhu Rajan dhan" (transl. Rajan is the only person, who brought Senthil, Guna, Velu and Thambi into Anbu's life), has been used widely ininternet memes.[citation needed]
PostVada Chennai's success, many sources claimed about the sequel of the film, after Dhanush and Vetrimaaran collaborated forAsuran (2019).[154] In July 2019, there were reports being surfaced that the sequel of the film will be shelved,[155] Dhanush clarified that the sequel will progress.[156][157] It was reported that the sequel will be made into a streaming series format instead of a feature film, as Vetrimaaran revealed that "some of the events including the2004 Tsunami and other political incidents, had to be shown and this may overshoot the proposed budget", hence he decided to make the sequel into a digital format.[158][verification needed] Vetrimaaran also revealed that he planned the first film into a streaming series instead of making into a feature.[159]
Rajan Vagaiyaraa (transl. Rise of Rajan) was initially conceived by Vetrimaaran as a prequel toVada Chennai, focusing on the life of Rajan, played by Ameer. Vetrimaaran stated in interviews that he was deeply fascinated by the character and originally intended to develop a standalone web series. Extensive flashback sequences featuring Rajan were shot duringVada Chennai's production. While only some were used in the final cut, the remaining footage, edited into a narrative exceeding two hours, was compiled as a separate film titledRajan Vagaiyaraa. As of 2025, the film remains unreleased. In March 2021, it was reported that the prequel might resume development following Vetrimaaran's other commitments (ViduthalaiPart 1 andPart 2, andVaadivaasal).[160][161][162][163]
In June 2025, Vetrimaaran began production on a film starringSilambarasan tentatively titled STR49 which is set in the same universe asVada Chennai.G. V. Prakash Kumar was initially brought onboard as the film's composer but he was subsequently replaced byAnirudh Ravichander. Andrea Jeremiah, Samuthirakani and Kishore, who were associated with the original film, were cast to reprise their roles, withVijay Sethupathi joining the cast by playing the antagonist in this film.[164][165][166] The film is being co-produced by Silambarasan under his newly formed production company, Atman Cine Arts. The glimpse of the film was released on 16 October 2025, coinciding with Anirudh’s birthday. The film's shooting is set to begin from 08 December 2025.
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