Plot
As the title suggests, Dhanush plays the role of Raghuvaran, a jobless graduate (engineer). He starts losing respect from his parents (Samuthirakani and Saranya Ponvannan) and they force him to go to any job that comes his way, while Raghuvaran is passionate only about being a civil engineer. Shalini (Amala Paul) becomes Raghuvaran’s neighbour and predictably, they both fall in love. However, after a tragic incident, Dhanush’s life takes a U-turn and he lands up in a job. But, he gets bogged down by rivals there. Will he overcome the hurdles?
Performances
For a script like this, which heavily relies on the protagonist’s timing sense, body language and expressions, it is very difficult to look beyond Dhanush. He is a live wire throughout the first half. The way he encounters every insult thrown at him keeps the audience entertained throughout. Needless to say, he is brilliant in dance sequences too, especially in the two mass numbers in the first half. In the second half, Dhanush might remind you of Superstar Rajinikanth, in his majestic walk, in the way he smokes, and in the dialogue ‘Raghuvaran eh idhu varaikum villain eh dhana pathurpa, inimel hero va paapa’.
Amala Paul has a very composed role and she pulls off her role with aplomb. Saranya Ponvannan is at her brilliant self, while Samuthirakani is good in his subtle role of a strict, yet caring father. Amitesh as the villain is no real challenge for Dhanush, and he is in fact an ‘Amul’ baby, like Dhanush calls him.
Technicalities
Anirudh continues his splendid form in this film too. ‘What a karvad’ and ‘Udhungada sangu’ are for the masses, while his melodious ‘Amma Amma’ is moving. The background score in second half is overwhelming, especially in the scenes the protagonist faces off with the villain. Verlaj’s cinematography has produced neat visuals, while editing by MV Rajesh Kumar’s editing is crisp. With a running time of 2 hours and 13 minutes, the movie does not test your patience even for a minute.
Direction – Velraj
Velraj scores from the very first scene by taking up a subject, which is very relatable. For every engineer, who is passionate about his degree, this film is a little tribute, which is evident from the frequent applauses given by the younger section of the audience. The team aptly dedicates the movie to the engineers and VIPs (Velai Illa Pattatharis) at the end. Apart from a brief period after the tragic incident, there is absolutely no melodrama at all.
On the flip side, the twist towards the intermission is pretty clichéd and could be anyone’s guess. Also, the villain is very weak, to an extent that Dhanush himself points out to him ‘Unna patha villaingra feeling eh varla’. The climax fight looks stretched, which could have been included to showcase Dhanush’s abs. Overlooking these flaws, the movie works for the most part of its running time, thanks to one man – Dhanush.
