Dragon Review - Wildfire!

Ashwin Ram

Dragon is a coming-of-age drama starring Pradeep Ranganathan in the lead role. Directed by Ashwath Marimuthu of Oh My Kadavule fame, music is done by Leon James and is bankrolled by AGS Entertainment.

Premise:

Pradeep Ranganathan behaves like a college rogue thinking it is something to be proud about. When it hits him that it isn’t the right way of leading life, how he evolves and his path to success form the crux of the story.

Writing/ Direction:

A character driven script and the arc begins at the very first scene, also has a funky justification to the title. The establishments are quick and crisp, yet effective, Anupama’s dragon tattoo for example shows her maturity level and also exhibits how serious their relationship is. However the college portion is a forgettable one with the entire chunk being so hurried. Post which the coming-of-age factor develops well, starting from the hero being in a clueless mindset in life and doesn’t even understand why his girlfriend is breaking up with him. Screenplay is vital in this particular genre of movies as there is no fixed story, thankfully all the necessary elements are presented in an entertaining manner. The film beautifully defines success, though the core conflict takes off while approaching the midpoint, the setup is strong enough to move things forward. Commendable work by director Ashwath Marimuthu, his writing skills peak while he closes the brackets for each and every plot point, he has explored the short-cut paths vividly. The equation between Dragon and Kutty Dragon is cleverly done by showing the difference between influencing and inspiring. The film has theatre moments to cheer for at regular intervals, especially the night-drive in the later half is a blast. Certain aspects are rushed, yes the hero has gotten 96% in 12th standard, but him reaching greater heights at work by still having 48 arrear papers to clear in college is hard to digest, there could have been some unique incorporation to make it convincing like how they showcased the proxy interview sequence. Logic loophole when a couple in a long-distance relationship don’t do video calls for several months and then doubts arise about locations. It is a meaningful flick with a fantabulous character arc of how the hero corrects his mistakes after the breaking points, and the evolution happens steadily in a fruitful manner. The last 15-20 minutes is very sensible and taps the emotional quotient to a great extent. In fact there are tear-jerking scenes and clap worthy moments too that are coherently executed within the subject. There is an exciting cameo at the end, the perfect casting and sure to give that commercial punch at the very end.

Performances:

Gold standard performance by Pradeep Ranganathan, be it the carefree attitude, places where he had to be loud, when he becomes responsible and behaves subtly, the final emotional stretch, he just passes every department with distinction. Both the heroines Anupama Parameswaran and Kayadu Lohar have enough screen space, while the former contributes more to the story and gets solid payoffs. Many valuable additions in the supporting characters too, in which Mysskin and Mariam George outperform the rest as their roles excel. YouTube sensations VJ Siddhu and Harshath Khan have done their best, especially the latter is a splendid choice for the chosen role.

Technicalities:

Lovely work by Leon James, a chartbuster album already, the additional songs in the movie elevate the situations several notches higher. Background score works big time fitting the trend, both the sound-effect bits and musical chords blend in with right sync. Terrific cinematography by Niketh Bommi is all aspects, colourfully presented with earthy palette, neat lighting and some inventive camera angles, especially in the classroom interior shots. ‘Vazhithunaye’ song picturization shot in exotic locations glitters on-screen. Yet again after Love Today, Pradeep E Ragav has found the correct cut points at the edit table, he made sure there are no big dull moments or lags in the flow. Sandy master’s skillful choreography is very much visible in the ‘Matikinaru Orutharu’ song.

Bottomline

Barring a few hiccups here and there. A thoroughly entertaining flick worthy of a community viewing with plenty of crowd-pleasing moments. The soul-stirring stretch plus the educational messaging at the end does wonders and nowhere preachy too.

Rating - 3.5/ 5