Several movies with flimsy stories have been rescued by strong screenplays and though there are fewer examples, strong stories have helped movies survive weak screenplays. But when the story is silly and the screenplay is contrived, there's not much else for a movie to fall back on. That's what happens in Vandhaan Vendraan, which is a surprise considering its from director R.Kannan, who managed to find a good balance between the two in his previous films Jayam Kondaan and Kanden Kaadhalai

Arjun(Jiiva) goes to Mumbai hoping for an audience with Ramana(Nandha), a feared gangster. When he actually gets to meet Ramana, Arjun tells him about his romance with Anjana(Taapsee), as aspiring architect. But the request that Arjun has for Ramana at the end of his story is something that the latter is not ready to accept.

The film's setting feels silly as Nandha, a dreaded gangster, listens to Jiiva's love story patiently without once asking him to get to the point (there's even a place where he comes under attack, goes out and kills someone and after returning to his place, summons Jiiva to listen to the rest of the story!). The screenplay is just as big a disaster. Scenes and characters pop out of nowhere and after their job - setting the stage for a future twist - is done, they disappear just as abruptly as they showed up. The scenes with Nandha's son and the scene where Jiiva runs into the crooked cop for the first time are prime examples of this kind of a screenplay construction.

The story Nandha listens to isn't that interesting either. The Jiiva-Taapsee romance is bogged down by the usual problems - a silly "meet cute"(which includes one of those only-in-cinema scenarios of the CEO of a leading company accepting a ridiculous, on-the-fly explanation for an architectural blunder from a complete stranger), an unconvincing love and lack of chemistry. The share a smart and heartfelt conversation where they express their opinions about love and they spend time in a heavenly location but the romance has no depth. So Jiiva's declarations about his feelings feel hollow and as for Taapsee, we're never sure whether she reciprocates his feelings or is just using him.

The cat-and-mouse game between Jiiva and Nandha lacks energy since Jiiva's intentions are ultimately good and Nandha seems like an weak opponent. Jiiva's plans are amateurish and Santhanam's inclusion adds a comical touch which eliminates any real tension. And though Nandha is apparently feared by many, there isn't much evidence of that when Jiiva goes up against him. From their first encounter where Jiiva makes it to his bedside with a gun, he is constantly on the losing side and when Jiiva's weak plans are put into action, he is brought down so easily that it makes us wonder how he became so powerful in the first place.

The film's final twist is a surprise but that's only because it is so ridiculous. The reasoning behind the twist is silly and contrived and the way it is presented, with a nod to Usual Suspects, is really amateurish. The only positive from the twist is that the romance fares better in hindsight since all its aforementioned flaws - the love at first sight scenario, Taapsee's characterization, etc. - can all be explained away by it.

Jiiva is rather subdued most of the time and there are a few times when it feels like he is not seen for large chunks of time. Nandha doesn't have much to do other than look serious all the time and he does that well. Taapsee is pretty in the right hairstyles and has a wonderful smile that lights up her face. Like most heroines, she is fine when she is serious but hams it up when she has be cute or romantic. Santhanam gets regular laughs with his 'fake don' routine mainly because doesn't overdo it. Anjana Anjana... and Kanchanamala... are melodious duets though the picturization doesn't offer much more than eye-catching locales.