In Velaiilla Pattadhari, we see Dhanush being criticized by his father for being jobless, doted on by his mother, pitied by the heroine and underrated by the villain. In essence, he is playing a role that he has played many times in his 25-films-old career. The plot, too, is a mixture of the relationship drama in his brother Selvaraghavan's films and our regular masala films, in which the David-like hero takes on the Goliath-like villain and brings him down to his knees. And, yet, the film feels fresh and Velraj (the cinematographer making his directorial debut) superbly manages to strike a bal...