Dragon Movie Review: Something special about Ashwath Marimuthu’s Dragon is how it never judges anyone in the film, neither when its hero makes wrong decisions, nor when a girl decides to reject a proposal or leave a man she deeply loves. Of course, there is a lot of magic happening in Dragon, just like in the director’s debut Oh My Kadavule, however, the magic here rather stems from the cinematic liberties that Ashwath makes use of. In simpler words, there are just too many coincidences, and Raghavan (Pradeep Ranganathan) keeps finding easy ways to solve all his problems even when he repeatedly makes careless decisions. Although such coincidences test your patience, the emotional connection you feel with the characters and the spin in the roaring second half make the ride enjoyable.
Raghavan is a typical Tamil hero, who rules the college with his rowdy vibes (Hello Gautham from Sillunu Oru Kaadhal!), doesn’t study well, and is ungraduated (we are looking at you, Dhanush from Padikathavan) but besides his stubborn ego and cheating skills, he also happens to live in a world where from his innocent and caring parents and selfless friends to even the college principal or a random stranger — everyone is just too kind and supportive. But what makes this exaggeratedly kind world real is how the characters don’t blindly stand by his side; they advise or chide him before lending a helping hand. And with some tricks up his sleeve, he manages to crack both life and the corporate ladder.
In any other film, all of these would have stuck out like a sore thumb. But Ashwath’s magic wand — his interesting writing choices — make this an intriguing outing. For instance, simple choices like deciding to not show the love story of Raghavan and Keerthi (Anupama Parameswaran) until it reaches the verge of breakup and then taking us through their cute romance through a sad song makes even the usual plot line interesting.
Just like in OMK, Raghavan finds an amazing friend and lover in Keerthi (Anupama Parameswaran), who goes out of her way to keep him happy. But Dragon highlights that sometimes a missed chance is a missed chance. From the rainy nights hinting at a change to second chances and college friendships, both frames and characters remind you of the director’s debut outing, which works organically for his sophomore venture. Even the famous “Idhu ungallukku sonna puriyaadhu sir” dialogue makes a cameo. Apart from these, you also get hat tips to Premam, Simbu, and other films and actors, adding flavour to the comedy sequences. From roping in VJ Siddhu and Harshath Khan to all the interesting meta references, Ashwath has managed to cater to the youth in all possible ways. Speaking about such references, the film’s other big strength is the small but emotionally loaded dialogues — for example, “Oru thappu panitu easy ah kadantharlaam nu nenaikurom, but adhu thoratite iruku la” — that are written with care.
The casting, too, is simply perfect. Pradeep Ranganathan as Raghavan aka Dragon makes you empathise with him even as he repeatedly makes wrong choices. Anupama as Keerthi too is as expressive as always. Behind all the jokes and silliness the film paints the situations with, there is something deeper to look at. Do we regret our decisions? What if we go back to a place we didn’t want to be in the first place? Would we live a changed life? And a lot more questions that make the central plot firm and nuanced. The songs and the way they are woven into the narrative is also a great plus to the film.
If you remember well enough, a lot of coincides, magic, and second chances happen in Oh My Kadavule, too but the actual change happens in the characters’ real life, where every action attracts an equal and opposite reaction. In fact, this angle – where the film wanders into even a dreamy land but doesn’t lose touch with reality – is what made OMK relatable, emotional, and special. Retaining the same essence, Ashwath Marimuthu’s second outing is also a fun, emotional, and fully charged ride.
Written By: Harshini SV
