Gangers movie review: Sundar C and Vadivelu's heist comedy is a somewhat funny and partly engaging timepass

Hindustan Times

24-04-2025

Ever since the combination of actor-director Sundar C and comedian Vadivelu was announced last year, there has been a lot of buzz. After 14 years, the two actors came back together on screen in the Sundar C-directed Gangers that released on Thursday. Nagaram Marupakkam was the 2010 film they last worked together in, which was also directed by Sundar C. There were rumours of a rift between the two actors but all is well now given that they have collaborated on Gangers, a heist comedy written by Sundar C and Venkat Raghavan.
The film opens in a small town where we find a young schoolgirl, one among numerous in recent days, has gone missing and teacher Sujitha (Catherine Tresa) is helping the girl's family find the missing child. She enlists the help of a police officer who comes to the town undercover but meanwhile, gets into a tangle with the local don-cum-school chairman (Mime Gopi) and his brothers. It is PT master Singaram (Vadivelu) who supports her - obviously - because he desperately wants to marry her and pesters her grandfather (Santhanabharathi) to convince her.
However, a spanner is thrown in his works when Saravanan (Sundar C), a new PT teacher, suddenly joins the school. The competition between Singaram and Saravanan results in situational comedy and Singaram trying to outdo Saravanan lands him in trouble rather than victory. And the movie also shifts slowly from trying to trace the school girl to a ₹100 crore heist and what happens in the end.
Director Sundar C has always made massy films that feature fair, pretty heroines; a high dose of comedy; a village festival; ensemble cast and family-friendly. There's a blend of action, comedy, romance, and drama and Gangers follows this Sundar C template as well. In the case of Gangers, the first half looks like a vigilante film with comedy thrown in as the director sets up the plot to uncover what happens post interval and how all the dots are connected. Unfortunately, there are few laughs in the first half and the set-up is slightly tedious too.
The second half of the film moves at a much quicker pace with the interaction between the numerous characters, including the various bad guys, turning chaotic and comical as well. The ₹100 crore heist could have been much more gripping rather than flat but it's Vadivelu and his antics that keep us engaged through this.
Vadivelu has always been known for his amazing witty one-liners and we see a few of those in gangers but a lot of the comedy is outdated and that's unfortunate. As a comedy force, there's no one beat to Vadivelu as we see in his old films where he was in top form. Sundar C puts his stamp on the comedy in this film like the Madha Gadha Raja episode which is a delight but sadly, some of his signature comic style is missing in this film. But the director has kept the film light-hearted and entertaining with glam elements that appeal especially to the rural markets.
On the whole, director Sundar C and Vadivelu's Gangers is heist comedy that's somewhat funny and partly engaging timepass.