Review: Vaathi starts by tracing back to a mysterious person who is unraveled by a group of three students through an old VCD cassette. We get to know that the person is Bala (Dhanush) and that he used to be an assistant Maths teacher who gets caught in the chaos of educational privatization in the 90s. He is left to prove his mettle in an abandoned government school with no support from his parents and administration.

How he survives and transforms the lives of underprivileged students through education despite all challenges forms the core of the story.

 Director Venky Atluri tries his best to present a commercially empowering film. Vaathi is not an extraordinary film due to its larger-than-life moments at times, however, it tries to hold the pulse of the audience with a good setup and payoffs.

Undoubtedly Dhanush's effortless performance and screen presence is the highlight of Vaathi. The sequences in which he comes up with innovative ideas to educate the students are both enjoyable and thoughtful. A few dialogues are powerful enough and create a lasting impact as he speaks on social equality. Samyuktha Menon, who plays Dhanush's pair and a biology teacher, looks refreshing and has done her part decently. Ken Karunas has done an impressive job and other students deserve a mention as well. The chemistry between Samyuktha and Dhanush works. Also, it's great that Venky didn't deviate much from the core plot by incorporating romance in a serious subject like this.

Samuthurakani, though not very menacing, plays a typical villain and has only a few sequences to show his evilness. Technically the film is sound and GV Prakash's music adds value to the film. The acclaimed composer's background score helps to elevate certain emotions and the song 'Adi Aathi' sets up a perfect mood during the initial sequences. In total Vaathi is a film that's mounted on no-nonsense writing.