Writer: Siti Munawirah Mustaffa

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Watch this if you liked: "You Believe In Ghost?" & "Karma Reborn"

Perhaps local filmmakers should realise by now that there's no use to point fingers towards fellow Malaysians for their lack of support in the local industry. Sad to say, the factor behind local film flops also lies on the qualities of local films. Before the reviewer goes further into details, it is best to remind those reading this that the next few paragraphs are not going to sound lovely.

As noticed, gangsterism seems like a tempting theme to be used, especially with all the actions and what not. But the problem is, how to make that one film stands out as compared to the rest when many gangster-themed films are queuing up throughout 2012? Yes, "Vajram" is intended to reflect the dark side of the Indian society, known to be one of the minority groups in Malaysia but how does one voice it out in order to reach out and to provide some insights to those who listen? How does one leave an impression when camera angles are over the place and scene arrangements are badly made?

It is understandable that director M. Subash Abdullah intends to produce a commercial type Tamil film, with the hopes of turning it into a breakthrough as well as an eye opener for the Malaysian audience. Let's just say what started as a dream became a little too ambitious, which then ensued it into becoming a huge pile of concrete mess. As noble as the filmmaker's intention night be, "Vajram" is an example of what not to do and what cliches to avoid when making a film. What the film desperately needs right now is a good hard polishing which is a pretty long way to go.

Admittedly, most casts are able to pull off a decent performance (save for Yasmin Khanif, who's better off in a beauty pageant than an actress) but every character seems so forced that it makes "Vajram" more suitable as a teledrama or a stage play. In case filmmakers haven't realised it yet, the greatest turn off for viewers when watching a film (not solely limited to "Vajram" but also a few others, with more emphasis on local work) is how the actors are so self-absorbed in their own tacky characters in every elongated scene, which in turns becomes a complete waste of everyone's time.

Before the production team intends to make a difference in Malaysia with this so-called 1 Malaysian concept film, perhaps they should consider the betterment of their camera handling and video editing because currently the reviewer observes an amateur standard of work.

It's good when a film reflects a fractured society, but not when it reflects the filmmaker's fractured work quality.

Albeit its attempt in creating an impact on those who are strong enough to endure the agonizing one and a half hour of their lives in the cinema hall, "Vajram" falls flat in its execution and ends up as a failed Bollywood imitation.

Cinema Online, 09 October 2012