Vilayath Buddha review: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s action thriller is flawed but entertaining

When most Indians hear the word sandalwood smuggler, the name of notorious forest dweller Veerappan comes to their mind. These days, some might claim that this place has also been taken by Allu Arjun’s fictional character Pushpa Raj. Meanwhile, Prithviraj Sukumaran comes in as double Mohanan in ‘Vilayatha Buddha’ who carries Pushpa’s swag and is known as “Junior Veerappan” in his town.

Based on GR Indugopan’s novel ‘Vilayatha Buddha’, debutant director Jayan Nambiar stars Prithviraj Sukumaran as a hero with gray shades. He is a sandalwood smuggler who takes on influential personalities, beats up goons, and delivers hard-hitting dialogues with complete swag. But do all these elements make ‘Vilaith Buddha’ and its nearly three-hour runtime worth watching in theatres? Let’s find out!

Mohanan (Prithviraj Sukumaran), also known as Double Mohanan, Sandal Mohanan and Junior Veerappan, is a timber merchant by day and sandalwood smuggler by night in Marayoor, Kerala. His biggest dream is to build a road through the hills where his home – and the homes of the rest of his tribe – are isolated from the world.

T Bhaskaran (Shammi Thilakan), a former panchayat president, shares a strange and tragic past with the village. During his tenure, he once falls into a turd tank while trying to peek into the house of Chempakam (Rajashri) and her daughter (Priyamvada Krishnan), whom Mohanan is in love with. The incident became a local joke, fueled by the opposition party, and soon Bhaskaran was being mocked as “theta (turd) Bhaskaran”. Humiliated beyond repair, he now wants his cremation to be performed on a sandalwood pyre using a tree growing in his own backyard – hoping that as he burns, the aroma will force the villagers to confront the filth in their lives.

One day, Mohanan looks at Bhaskaran’s tree and realizes that it is of the rarest, most premium quality: Vilayath. Bhaskaran, who once taught Mohanan in school, immediately becomes wary of him. Already battling depression and clinging to the tree as his last symbol of dignity, Bhaskaran becomes increasingly protective, even obsessive. What follows is a tense power struggle filled with entertaining confrontations, shifting loyalties and emotional chaos.

After all, who will lay claim to Vilayatha Buddha? Will Mohanan fulfill his old dream? Can Bhaskaran save his precious tree from Junior Veerappan? And is there more to their conflict than meets the surface? The answers to these questions – mixed with commercial masala flavour, lots of backstory and Malayalam cinematic sensibilities – form the plot of the film.

More than the story, screenplay and direction, the credit for this film’s participation goes to the acting. Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shammi Thilakan and Priyamvada Krishnan shine in this film. The swag of Prithvi, the narrator of the story, is very impressive throughout the film. Be it an emotionally charged, dialogue-heavy scene or a massive commercial action sequence, the swag and performances are at their peak.

Shammi Thilakan has given a subtle performance as Bhaskaran. Although it starts off a bit awkward, the actor conveys his inner turmoil in a harsh manner, and the range he shows in expressing it is amazing. Priyamvada Krishnan, who plays the lover suffering from Stockholm Syndrome – whose name will not be mentioned here as it has an exclusive reveal in the film – also plays an important role. She effectively portrays the ride-or-die toxic girlfriend who never lets Mohanan back down.

Other cast members of the film include Suraj Venjaramoodu in a small, forgettable role, Anu Mohan as Bhaskaran’s son Ani, Rajasree as Chempakam, and Teejay Arunasalam as Mohanan’s young trafficking competitor Maari, who is beaten up for no reason. All of them have done justice to their roles in the film.

Director Jayan Nambiar is off to a pretty solid start, especially in how he presents the characters, their dynamics and the motivations that drive every major decision in the second half. The writing gives each character a clear emotional foundation, and this world-building keeps the film engaging even when other distractions arise. However, the same areas where the film shines are also its biggest issues.

Just when the narrative becomes entertaining and takes root in the world set up by Jayan, the screenplay suddenly turns into a strongly commercial template, echoing the familiar tunes of Telugu mass entertainers – some scenes even feel like direct nods to ‘Pushpa’. These tonal shifts emerge disruptively, breaking the immersion. The subtle homage is admirable, as the creators seem self-aware of the similarities, yet the treatment could have been better.

This adds up to a runtime of almost three hours: while adapting a dense novel is no easy task, the first half goes on too long and is devoted almost entirely to setup, with the main conflict only emerging in the second half. Until then, despite a promising teacher-student emotional angle, the payoff doesn’t feel fully earned. The conflict is well established, but the climax turns unexpectedly Shakespearean – ambitious, yet not entirely convincing.

The film is mostly spot on in the technical department, although it does have its shortcomings. Starting with the demerits, the editing is as flawed as the screenplay; With tighter sequencing, the narrative could have been much clearer, and the three-hour runtime certainly feels unnecessary. The quality of VFX and CGI also drops during certain stretches, momentarily taking the audience straight from Mahishmathi into a digitally rendered world.

The good thing is that Arvind S Kashyap’s cinematography and Jake Bejoy’s music keep the film captivating. Aravind’s frames range from sleek and commercial to earthy and raw, and his experience shooting in jungle terrain – particularly in ‘Kantara’ – clearly strengthens the visual texture of this film. Jakes’s music, though not as extravagant as some of his previous works and sometimes reminiscent of his high-energy tracks in ‘Saripoda Sanivaaram’, still remains impressive and blends easily into the world of ‘Vilaith Buddha’.

In the end, ‘Vilaith Buddha’ is a film that shines brightest when it focuses on its own strengths – a solid central performance, strong technical craft and a narrative that has all the ingredients of an engaging action thriller. But its inconsistencies, long runtime and troubling commercial twists keep it from being the knockout it could have been. Despite all its ups and downs, it remains an enjoyable adaptation that leaves you wishing it were a little more crisp and precise.