Star Review -  Decent Drama That Shines Bright Till Midway!

Ashwin Ram

Star is a dramatic flick starring Kavin in the lead role. Pyaar Prema Kadhal fame Elan is the director and Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed the music.

Premise:
Kavin has been passionate about becoming an actor in the film industry since childhood. The hurdles he faces in the process and finally how he achieves his life ambition is the crux of the story. 

Writing/ Direction:
The film gets a beautiful start with a valuable piece of advice from a father and an impactful follow-up by the son, this particular part connects exceptionally well exactly in the interval point and at the very end. The first half is wholesome, not just in terms of engagement but it also has its heart at the right spot. Filled with many memorable sequences like the mass Padayappa moment, helmet fight with a purpose, how quirky a family reacts to a happy news at a death scene, the man who dreamt of becoming a boxer, voice from the faceless granny in the house, etc. Bang-on dialogues by director Elan, in the form of meaningfully motivating scenes and emotionally in-depth situations. Though it feels a bit rushed, the idea for the interval block is brilliant. Sadly like many other movies of late, this one has a cursed second half, mainly by shifting the focus away from the topic it dealt before. If only the major road accident situation was cut-off and the film went on to showcase the difficulties for a common man to achieve big in cinema, the drama would have remained unique in the latter too. Most of the happenings post interval is unexpected in a wrong way, because it keeps throwing bombs with random sequences taking place that were never in the picture. A needless second heroine who is obviously the hero's love interest after a breakup, her portions go on and on, also she gets introduced in the most dramatic way possible. The intent to pull a mountain down in the climax by piling up these elements together is appreciable, but one whole hour of flat screenplay was a little hard to consume. Except for the heartbreaking mirror scene and the brilliantly made single take climax stretch, there is nothing much to relish in the second half.

Performances:
Extraordinary performance by Kavin, he carries himself so confidently as a hero material who can dance, fight, melt and has that charming presence too. Solid debut for Preity Mukhuden, she truly got into the thick of her character. Aaditi Pohankar is unfortunately on the opposite pole, both her role and acting was substandard. Lal is a great asset for the film, he plays the hero's father role and anyone could easily relate to him, he has utilized the scope given to him to the fullest. Geetha Kailasam is so natural on-screen which automatically makes her portions lively.

Technicalities:
Splendid work by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the already good songs sound even better while watching along with the visuals. There is a surprise song placed at a perfect situation and it is sure to take the fans to a trippy space. Topical camera work, the look and feel of the movie is attractive and the angles are truthful to the mood of the scene. Editing is a mixed bag, neat work till halfway but for the path it takes post interval, it definitely demands a lot of trimming. Sound mixing was a bit of an issue at places where the loud music took over the clarity of the dialogues. Meticulous planning and execution by the art department, the story world is believable as the setting feels so original by syncing with the timeline. Good production value and it has transformed visibly in every frame.

Bottomline

Had all the potential to be a cracker of a flick if it had retained the same energy and empathy throughout as done till the halfway mark. Yet a fine flick to give a shot for the performances, music and loads of nice moments it offers in the first hour.

Rating: 2.75/5