'Vidaamuyarchi' and the cost of evolution

Ajith’s latest role could change the way audiences of Tamil cinema look at superstars

Following the release of Ajith’s Vidaamuyarchi, a section of the movie market, upset with the actor, have shown their frustrations, criticising the movie more than it deserved. This outrage reveals our relationship with commercial cinema — how we’ve created an unspoken contract where stars are expected to sacrifice growth for familiarity, and evolution for comfort.

“The fans are angry,” declared industry observers who have no skin in the game beyond reporting their personal likes and dislikes about a movie. The pop-culture discourse in India is at an all-time low. Yet, the vitriol directed at ‘Vidaamuyarchi’ seems to stem from somewhere deeper — from its audacity to challenge what we expect from our stars.

Superstar paradox

A decade ago, the situation looked very different. Ajith’s Vedalam (2015) was a smash hit leaving critics scratching their heads in confusion. The chemistry between a bad movie and box office success is cinema history’s very own three-body problem.

Director Siva’s Vedalam was full of clichés, cardboard villains, and storytelling that made soap operas look sophisticated. Yet, the film’s performance was so strong that many started predicting Ajith as the true successor to Rajinikanth at the Tamil box office.

Now, in 2025, Ajith is being trolled because he did a sensible film. Compared to Ajith’s last few films, Vidaamuyarchi ranked decently in terms of what makes a good film.

If you’re aware of the trends of mainstream Tamil movies, you can see how Vidaamuyarchi was a risky attempt in Ajith’s career. It was a genre movie, devoid of the usual nonsensical elements that hog the majority runtime in big-star movies. There were no separate comedic and romantic tracks running parallel to the main plot, no lip-sync songs shot on grand sets or exotic locations. The movie remained loyal to its chosen genre and didn’t amuse itself with distractions — a big no for a superstar of Ajith’s stature. In refusing these commercial trappings, Ajith was challenging the very grammar of star vehicles in Indian cinema.

Could director Magizh Thirumeni have done a better job adapting the 1997 American thriller ‘Breakdown’? Absolutely! But there’s something about this movie that speaks to a cinephile beyond its shortcomings. It’s Ajith’s defiance of an industry that has turned comfort into formula, familiarity into doctrine.

A cultural shift?

Vidaamuyarchi questions the very foundation of star-fan relationships in Indian cinema. For decades, our films have operated on an unwritten rule about how heroes should react to personal betrayal. Take, for example, Ajith’s character Arjun in the film. He responds to his wife’s infidelity with introspection rather than rage. Ajith is not just playing a role — he’s proposing a new kind of screen masculinity, one that values emotional intelligence over explosive anger. 

Arjun broods over what drove his marriage to this point when his wife asks for a divorce. He doesn’t even break a table lamp over this betrayal. “Where is the heroism in that? Isn’t that blasphemy?” the status quo defenders might cry. In this moment, Ajith isn’t just defying audience expectations, but challenging decades of conditioned responses to emotional trauma in Indian cinema.

Arjun endures countless insults and pain before fighting back — yet even then, he doesn’t kill. Especially at a time when a hero’s body count seems directly proportional to a movie’s box office success. The higher the killings, the bigger the ticket sales. 

Vidaamuyarchi didn’t break records at the box office like Vedalam. Yet, sources close to the production say the stakeholders who invested in this experiment, seem satisfied with its reception. This satisfaction itself is revolutionary in an industry obsessed with breaking box office records, suggesting a possible shift in how success might be measured in the future.

Ajith’s choices are fascinating, they challenge the industry’s resistance to change. With Thalapathy Vijay’s exit from cinema and Ajith’s continued efforts to push the limits of his stardom, we’re witnessing more than just industry upheaval — we’re seeing the early tremors of a cultural shift. The real question isn’t about whether Vidaamuyarchi succeeded or failed commercially, but whether it signals the beginning of a new contract between stars and their audiences — one based on mutual growth rather than comfortable stagnation.