Dragon Movie Review: Pradeep Ranganathan-Ashwath Marimuthu film amplified by fiery moments, but not free of glorifications

3/5

Dragon Movie Plot

D Ragavan (Pradeep Ranganathan) is an obedient and high-performing boy in school. But when a girl rejects him for not being the ‘bad boy’ that he isn’t, Ragavan becomes a notorious college rebel, who refuses to study and clear his 48 arrears. Even as he fakes going to the office to his gullible innocent parents while he wastes time at his friends’ house, the tipping point to achieve something comes after his girlfriend from college Keerthy (Anupama Parameswaran) breaks up with him for his wastrel behaviour.

Dragon Movie Review

When Ashwath Marimuthu, the director of Dragon, sets a premise in college where the principal is Mayilvahanan (Mysskin), who does not restrict girls and boys from mingling, and even says he has no qualms if they fall in love with each other, and proceeds to tell the story of a failed student, Dragon begins on an intriguing note. And slowly and steadily, with its right moments and some missteps, Dragon with Pradeep Ranganathan in the forefront begins to grow on you, unbeknownst of you and in a kinder version, allows you to be sympathetic.

Also read: Ashwath Marimuthu Interview: The moment you see Dragon; you can be assured that I'm a family friendly director | EXCLUSIVE 

When a computer science gold medallist, at the school level, Ragavan is rejected by his crush, just because he is not a ‘bad boy’, it changes his life forever. We don’t know if the schoolgirl grew up and still stuck to her choices, but Ragavan embeds it as he enters college with the notion to be the notorious one. Thus is the story of D Ragavan becoming Dragon. After getting on the wrong foot of Mayilvahanan, getting proposed by his girlfriend Keerthi, and being hailed for his machoism by the entire college, life is not smooth for Ragavan when reality hits him. And sooner into the film, it does when Keerthi understands that life comes with practicality and one needs a Ragavan to be a life partner and not a Dragon. When Keerthi says that she could see him as only a lover and not a partner after six years of relationship, we understand her more than the film wants to, for you know Keerthi’s side of harsh reality is never shown. She was and is right, but less is explored on that.

But let’s come back to Dragon and we know our hero is going to come back stronger after a girl’s rejection. There comes a motivation and Ragavan begins to take a serious route to make it more than just a campus story. When Ragavan moves on with his life, and eventually finds success (in a not-so-authentic way) and love in Pallavi (Kayadu Lohar), there comes the bigger plot that the film comes with. Pradeep Ranganathan, once again charms his way into the audience, with the scenarios that he plays with pitch-perfectness. Even as the first half of the film has middling reasoning and some unwanted glorifications, Dragon becomes the real coming-of-age story with a redemption arc in the second half. When Ragavan says that he did not deserve Keerthi who comes back to his life in a very reasonable way, and makes sure to break all hell lose even if his life is at stake, Dragon picks up in the last 45 minutes, trying to strike back at every point that went against it in the first half.

Also read: Dragon actor Pradeep Ranganathan Interview: The swag in mass entertainers is hard to pull off, and that is harder than doing… | EXCLUSIVE

I particularly had a grouse when Keerthi came back with an apology to Ragavan. Why would you apologise to a man who chose to be a brat for mere image's sake, and more so, why would you apologise for choosing to live a decent life rather than ruin it with a wastrel? But if you are quick to move on, Dragon begins its redemption arc soon and we see Ragavan working towards an aim that seems nearly impossible to achieve.

The film’s major points go to Pradeep’s casting which is indispensable but more so to the presence of YouTube sensations, VJ Siddhu and Harshath Khan who come as Ragavan’s reliable friend and Kutty Dragon, respectively. I was particularly sceptical about the latter’s character, and after a barrage of glorification, the junior is schooled not to do so by his role model. The film takes brownie points for the way it handles the climax. For Tamil cinema that does not want to make its heroes lose, Ashwath knows the right way to make sure the best of both worlds is combined. Did Ragavan really make it successful in life, and eventually settle with the love of his life may form the climax, but the film smartly makes a series of writing decisions that can protect it from the complaints of glorification and hero-worshipping.

Dragon Movie Verdict

Dragon warrants for a theatre watch. There is enough and more for the audience of today’s age to get entertained and schooled at the same time. If you can look beyond certain glorifications and making women say sorry for a man’s wrongdoings, Dragon becomes a film on how redemption works. The high moments exist and so does the laughter riot, it even comes with its own post-credit surprise that you should find out for yourself.

Stay tuned to OTTPlay for the latest updates on everything about films, OTT shows and the world of entertainment.