Vetri Selvan

Baradwaj Rangan from The Hindu wrote, "A filmmaker sees something horrible. It gnaws at his soul. After nights spent writhing in torment, he decides that he needs to exorcise those feelings — and what better way than to create a work of art, with each scene, every line of dialogue a stinging whiplash on the aspect of society that reduced him to this state? And then he discovers it doesn’t quite work that way. There’s an audience out there, and they don’t give a rat’s behind about his suffering. They want entertainment — songs, action, comedy, romance. There are films that manage this balancing act well. Vetri Selvan isn’t one of them.".^[12] The Times of India gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Even if we set aside the question of whether movies should really have a message, the sincerity in wanting to spread a message doesn't reflect in the inelegant filmmaking. The fault lies in the formulaic storytelling. The director chooses the tried and tested trope of a lighter first half with a mystery around the protagonist and a serious latter half where secrets are revealed and a point is made. But the problem here is that the initial set-up is very much non-existent".^[13]

The New Indian Express wrote, "An insipid screenplay, lacklustre narration and some uninspiring performances make sure that Vetriselvan leaves no impact".^[14] Sify wrote, "The intentions of director Rudharan is honourable but the way he has executed the film is shoddy and boring. The story and treatment is a long yawn. The director has tried to fit in as many commercial items and in the process the film loses its steam. Nothing much to recommend in the film which is a wasted and futile effort, though the message it tries to convey is topical".^[15] Behindwoods.com gave it 1.25 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Rudran has genuinely attempted to pack the first half with comedy and finish the movie off on a sentimental note, however the lack of quality humour and an overdose of drama backstabs the engaging factor of the movie. Vetri Selvan comes out with a genuine social cause, but fails to impress", calling it "An interesting concept that isn’t presented appropriately".^[16] Indiaglitz.com wrote, "the noble intentions have not been executed well and the end product awfully falls flat. The film ends up as a case study of how not to convey a good message".^[17]

• Vetri Selvan at IMDb