Varnam MY
  • Home
  • News
  • Celebrity
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Music
  • Trailers
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Varnam MY
  • Home
  • News
  • Celebrity
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Music
  • Trailers
  • Culture
No Result
View All Result
Varnam MY
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews

Padai Veeran Review: Dhana Sekaran Tackles A Controversial Subject Matter

by Dashran Yohan
February 4, 2018
51
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSend

I had a few options to choose from this week. I could have caught the Vijay Sethupathi movie, Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren. But judging by the trailer, it looked like a sorry excuse for a comedy, one with fart jokes and slapstick comedy so bad, you wish a child trafficker would have kidnapped you as a kid and gauged your eyes out. Then there’s Yemali starring Samuthirakani, and also Padai Veeran.

I chose Padai Veeran because I read that Dhanush (my favourite Indian actor right now, besides Rajnikanth) is a playback singer of one of the songs. I’m telling you all this simply because I’m desperately trying to figure out what to say about the movie.

Padai Veeran is a classic case of an interesting premise with a less than favourable execution. This movie marks Vijay Yesudas’ — the cop that got his ass whooped by Dhanush in Maari — debut as a leading man. Unlike many other young bucks who’re desperately trying to make it as a hero in Indian cinema (i.e. Udhayanidhi Stalin), Vijay Yesudas actually possesses the chops and charisma to carry a small budget masala.

Here, he plays a villager named Munish. The film starts off in entertaining fashion as a romantic dramedy set in a village. In a reverse Maari, we see Munish and his pack of idiotic buddies being a nuisance to everyone. They dance in temples and flirt with the Karnataka dances.

He then falls in love with a neighbourhood girl, played by Amritha. Unlike most actresses in your standard masalas, Amritha is actually given a character to embody. Here, she’s a hothead ruffian with a sharp tongue. She isn’t afraid to get involved in a verbal throwdown with our hero. Amritha isn’t on screen all that much, but when she is, she owns it, bringing a kind of swagger that reminds me of Keerthi Suresh.

To impress the girl (and also for free booze), Munish decides to leave his life of bumming around and become a police officer… or more accurately bribe his way there. But as the film chugged along, I wondered where it was going. Do not mistake my curiousness for intrigue.

ADVERTISEMENT

And then Padai Veeran flips on its head and becomes a completely different film. Debut director Dhana Sekaran takes this lighthearted village dramedy and turns it into a loudspeaker, gushing messages about the caste system. I love the message, I hate the execution.

This isn’t to say a story about the caste system that has plagued rural India for the longest of time cannot take place within a narrative about family and romance. Take Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather, for instance, a film about gangsterism and mobs which heavily focus, not on shootouts and violence (though there are plenty of those too), but on family and romance. There we get thrown into what initially seems like a glamorous world. But as the layers are peeled, we realize that it’s just a life of suffering, even especially for the family members who are innocent.

In Padai Veeran we’re not thrown into a world where caste is regularly brought up. We don’t get to know many of the supporting characters who later have big roles to play. It is a regular romantic comedy that takes a hard left turn out of nowhere. As a result, it feels like a shoved-down-your-throat propaganda piece rather than a tale that unfolds organically.

Considering this is his directorial debut, I have to commend Dhana Sekaran for trying to tackle a controversial subject matter. But there’s a big difference between trying and succeeding. And don’t even get me started on the ending — I get what Dhana Sekaran is going for, but holy shit is it absolutely nonsensical.

Hey you! Yes you, hot stuff. Like my article? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Also, don’t forget to share it with your buds.

And if you’d like to talk to me (or send me hate messages), you can follow me on Twitter here: @dedpewlsays

Share20Tweet13Send

RELATED POST

EXCLUSIVE : Meet Devakshean Devakumaran, A Double Record Holder In Identifying 241 Country Flags

EXCLUSIVE : Meet Devakshean Devakumaran, A Double Record Holder In Identifying 241 Country Flags

by Divia Letchumanan
July 2, 2022

How many of you are familiar with each state's flag in Malaysia? Come on, it's simple, right? Well, how many...

Kalwant Singh, A Malaysian Drug Trafficker Ahead For His Execution In Less Than A Week

Kalwant Singh, A Malaysian Drug Trafficker Ahead For His Execution In Less Than A Week

by Revathi Durai
July 1, 2022

One after one! After spending 9 years behind the bars, the Singaporean rights activist Kirsten Han stated that Kalwant Singh...

Part 1 : Fascinating Bookstores To Visit For Photogenic Pictures

Part 1 : Fascinating Bookstores To Visit For Photogenic Pictures

by Divia Letchumanan
July 1, 2022

As a bookworm, walking and tracking down interesting bookstores is definitely a routine in your free time or on weekends....

Kulfi-Friendly Restaurants To Visit In KL

Kulfi-Friendly Restaurants To Visit In KL

by Shavitra Rai
July 1, 2022

Hey folks! The topic of the day will be kulfi. Wait, though! Some of you may not fully understand what...

Load More

TRENDING TODAY

Tharini Ravindra Secures Royal Scholarship For Cambridge PhD Dissertation

Tharini Ravindra Secures Royal Scholarship For Cambridge PhD Dissertation

June 30, 2022
EXCLUSIVE: Malaysian Mountaineers Outshines By Donning Indian Cultural Outfit At Mount Kinabalu

EXCLUSIVE: Malaysian Mountaineers Outshines By Donning Indian Cultural Outfit At Mount Kinabalu

June 30, 2022
Karel Doshi Elected As The New Head Of HSBC’s Commercial Banking Business

Karel Doshi Elected As The New Head Of HSBC’s Commercial Banking Business

July 1, 2022
Vanmitha Athimoolam & Her Team Have Successfully Launched ‘Hebat Rocket’ At Spaceport America Cup

Vanmitha Athimoolam & Her Team Have Successfully Launched ‘Hebat Rocket’ At Spaceport America Cup

June 28, 2022
Melinder Kaur Is Back On Track To Break Another Record

Melinder Kaur Is Back On Track To Break Another Record

July 1, 2022

VARNAM BYTES

Varnam MY is the Malaysian Indian livewire for the latest Malaysian based community news, local celebrity news, interviews, and all things Indian! Join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or right here at Varnam.MY!

Contact us: newsdesk@varnam.my

  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 Vijandren Ramadass. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Celebrity
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Music
  • Trailers
  • Culture

© 2022 Vijandren Ramadass. All Rights Reserved.

We use cookies to improve your experience. Learn more