Previous ventures helmed by Arjun were always patriotic movies likeJai Hind, Thaayin Manikkodi, etc. Perhaps buoyed by appreciation for his sensitive performance in Rhythm, he has selected a story thatpraises the importance of family and relationships for his latestdirectorial venture. So Vedham does contain an appreciablemessage but the way it has been implemented is not always so appreciable.Too many fights and unnecessary glamor(in the form of Mumtaj) dilute theeffect of the message.

When Vijay(Arjun) saves Sanjay(Vineeth) from some rowdies, he becomes his immediatebest friend and gets invited to stay at his house. Upon reaching the house, hesees that Sanjay and his wife Anita(Divya Unni) have filed for a divorce afterjust six months of marriage and takes it upon himself to unite them. To this end,he regales them with tales of his picture perfect romance and marriage with Seetha(Sakshi).

Arjun, in charge of direction too, employs frequent flashbacks instead of alinear storyline and that raises some interest in the otherwise flimsystoryline. But the two flashbacks that explain the romance and subsequentfallout of Vineeth and Divya Unni are woefully inadequate for us to identifywith their characters. There is only one duet to mark their romance. Theirfight is quite sudden but the escalation from a simple misunderstanding is quiterealistic and both of them have some sharp lines. Arjun does well not pinpointingthe blame on either.

Arjun's own flashbacks are sweet though the romance with Sakshi lacks a strongfoundation. The flashback technique works well in bringing in the right storiesthat suit the occasion. Nice ideas like the mutual respect that a husband and wife must have for each other and the importance of family are well brought out.But the means employed to convey such thoughts don't always work. For instance,Visu's false promise on his wife's head seems wrong and his subsequent long-windedexplanation doesn't explain his action either. It is only his dialogs that makesense. But Arjun seems to go against his own harping on family values with theintroduction of Mumtaj. It is a completely unnecessary role and obviously thrustin considering her current, unexplainable popularity.

The strain of taking on so many aspects of the film doesn't show on Arjun andhe gives a good performance(though the role is not really demanding). Vineeth and Divya Unni look sad and pensive at the right places and are suitablyangry during the fight. Sakshi looks very pretty but thats about all she has to do.Mumtaj, who seems to have evolved into this generation's 'Silk' Smitha with herminor roles and one-song appearances, looks fat and the fact is painfully obvious because of her skimpy clothes. The few expressions on her face make it obvious that acting is not one of her strong points. Koundamani raises his voice a lot as always but doesnt get as many chances to raise laughs.

In other aspects the movie scores some points with well-choregraphed fights, nicesongs and unobtrusive photography. Vidyasagar, who always churns out his best forArjun, stands him in good stead here too. Meenalochani... is the best ofthe lot and is catchy. Oh Anbe... has some nice beats that go well with thesong's unique picturisation. Arjun runs(and even gets to fight) throughout the song.Malai Kaatru... is melodious and soft. Arjun lives upto his 'Action King' sobriquet with several fights. Though well choreographed, the fights are definitelytoo many and most are awkwardly inserted into the story.