Hari is one of those directors who doesn't deviate from his chosen formula and never aims to be versatile. His movies usually take place in a rural setting and always feature a clash between the hero and a powerful bad guy with some romance, comedy and sentiments added for good measure. Venghai finds him once again following the formula rigorously. While the formula ingredients are mixed well enough to keep us engaged, the sense of deja vu is rather strong, making it an average entertainer at best.

Having come to power solely due to the help of Veerapandi(Rajkiran), MLA Rajalingam(Prakashraj) is feeling stifled since he is always under Veerapandi's watchful eyes and is unable to make any money. Veerapandi has packed his son Selvam(Dhanush) off to Tiruchi to protect him and Rajalingam decides that killing Selvam is a surefire way to take Veerapandi's mind off minding Rajalingam. Meanwhile Selvam meets his old classmate Radhika(Tamannah) in Tiruchi but she wants nothing to do with him.

While seeing the familiar Hari formula in Venghai isn't a big surprise, the problem here is that it looks like Hari simply did a cut-and-paste job using scenes and sequences from his past movies - and a movie from another director too. Almost all the aspects of the film like the setting in Dhanush's family with the strict father and the affectionate mother, the way the romance is developed with Dhanush and Tamannah not interacting with each other, Dhanush's reluctant tryst with violence and the fight between Dhanush and Prakashraj, remind us of scenes from Hari's previous movies. And Dhanush's father being a powerful, well-feared man and a couple of the related scenarios take us back to Lingusamy's Sandakkozhi.

While making an old school friendship the foundation of love between Dhanush and Tamannah is old-fashioned - the B&W flashback clips feel even more old-fashioned and corny - the romance itself is developed in a mature fashion. After a couple of familiar sequences as Dhanush pursues Tamannah, his muted reaction to Tamannah's rejection of his advances comes as a pleasant surprise and their deal sounds quite sensible. After that, the happenings that lead to the change in her mind are also acceptable even if cinematic.

Apart from the romance, Tamannah has a little more to do here than is usual for the heroines in masala films. The subplot involving her adds some suspense and tension to the fight between Dhanush and Prakashraj while it lasts. But the way it ends is weak and anticlimactic and makes the entire episode feel completely redundant.

There is some irony in the fact that Rajkiran sends Dhanush away because of his propensity to indulge in violence but it is because of Rajkiran himself that Dhanush is eventually forced to pick up the aruvaal. But all that is pushed aside as the film arrives at its main theme - the clash between Dhanush and Prakashraj. Unfortunately, this fight doesn't get enough time to make an impact. The affair with the counterfeit money is fun as the advantage moves back and forth between the two of them. But nothing of note happens after that. The climactic fight sees Dhanush find some ingenious uses for the aruvaal as he deals with Prakashraj's men and is suitably ferocious as he goes up again Prakashraj.

Dhanush is able to be convincing as an action hero inspite of his lean frame. But its in the quieter moments, like when he talks to Tamannah, that he impresses more. Tamannah seems strangely muted and disinterested most of the time though she is sufficiently energetic in the song sequences. Rajkiran and Prakashraj have been stereotyped in these kind of roles long enough to do them in their sleep. Hari's dismal record with comedy tracks continues here. 'Ganja' Karuppu's segments are both vulgar and unfunny and even the comments from Prakashraj's supporters raise more chuckles. Only Kaalangaarthaala... passes muster among Devisri Prasad's songs.