Movie: Dharma Durai
Direction: Seenu Ramasamy
Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Tamannaah, Aishwarya Rajesh, Srushti Dange
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Cinematographer: M Sukumar
Editor: Kasi Viswanathan
Genre: Drama
Rating: ∗∗∗½
What is it about: This film is about a young lad Dharmadurai (Vijay Sethupathi) who aspires to service the poor villagers, post his medical graduation. Everything goes as per plan, until his life takes an unfortunate turn. What happens post that, forms the crux of the story directed by Seenu Ramasamy.
Why it’s disappointing: I honestly couldn’t find anything wrong with this film.
What to watch out for: It’s been a while, that we got to see a film of this genre. We have seen dramas, but in recent time something of this stature was missing. The film travels at a relaxed pace with a great attitude which confirms the confidence of the director on his content. Usually a slow paced script doesn’t favour but this one comes out great.
The film had an amazing cast, which added a great value to the story. The casting was at its best. The lead Vijay Sethupathi pulls another solid one. He can perform hands down with no difficulties. VJS does this character with a flair which only he can pull it off. Every shade of it is interesting, and you enjoy VJS in every frame.
Tamannaah is a very good actress but hardly has she been explored in Kollywood. But in this flick, she proved everyone that she is a beauty with brains. Amazing performance by her as Subhashini, she delivered a solid one.
Shrushti Dange may have a small screen space, but she gets registered in the audiences mind with her double dimple cuteness and she gave a good performance.
Aishwarya Rajesh does an extended cameo and once again she gave a commendable performance.
The rest of the supporting cast were a great ensemble who were perfectly decorated to suit the film strongly. Raadhika churns out a great one, which was followed by Aruldas, Ganja Karuppu and Soundararaja.
The cinematography was delectable by Sukumar, his aerial shots were amazing and the village looked great through his lens. The editing by Kasi Viswanathan was perfect which did not tire the film out, kept up with the screenplay.
After a long time, we got to hear Yuvan Shankar Raja churning out melodies and a background score was clean with no noise, which was supported with beautiful lyrics.
Verdict: Seenu Ramasamy, had a great flavour for an emotional drama, which was well balanced without going overboard. That made DD a travel which gives a mellow feel. The film doesn’t preach but brings out the message in a subtle way. Definitely worth a watch, a feel good film in long time. Don’t miss it.