Dragon - Friendly Fire!

Dragon

Tamil / Comedy / Drama
157 mins
Netflix

It is fair to assume that a movie named Dragon would belong to the “Superhero” or “Crime” genre, so I wasn’t particularly enthused. However, after the film released to favorable reviews, I discovered that it was written and directed by Ashwath Marimuthu, whose previous work was the highly enjoyable Oh My Kadavule.

The lead actor, Pradeep Ranganathan, had previously written and directed Comali and Love Today (his debut as a lead, which turned out to be a success). It was remade in Hindi as Loveyapa, a film that was trolled due to its lead actors, Junaid Khan and Khushi Kapoor. Those who actually watched it seemed to appreciate the premise.

D. Raghavan (Pradeep) scores 96% in his 12th-grade exams and joins a reputed engineering college on merit. Believing that he has earned his place as a “good boy”, he politely confesses his feelings to a girl, only to be rejected because she prefers “bad boys". Disheartened, Raghavan becomes Dragon, a cult figure in his college, notorious for having just 2% attendance and 48 subjects in arrears. He even has a steady girlfriend, Keerthi (Anupama Parameswaran), so all seems well!

After “graduating”, he convinces his parents that he has secured a job in an IT firm while, in reality, he spends his days lounging at the home of his friends, who work hard and earn respectably. One evening, Keerthi breaks up with Dragon, stating that while she loved him for being a “bad boy” in college, she cannot imagine him as a life partner, despite trying. Heartbroken once again, Dragon is now determined to find a job that pays well—immediately.

Through a chance encounter and some good fortune, Dragon lands the job he desires. For the first time in his life, as Raghavan, he works hard and builds a stable life for himself and his family. He even becomes engaged to Pallavi (Kayadu Lohar). However, his past catches up with and Raghavan desperately struggles to hold on to the things he now values most.

The storyline follows the familiar VIP / Thiruchitrambalam trope of a “young wastrel who turns his life around”. However, Ashwath Marimuthu's screenplay and dialogues keep us hooked. The key characters are well-developed, and certain sequences—such as Raghavan’s transformation into Dragon and his subsequent hard work to become a successful version of himself—are well depicted.

Pradeep Ranganathan bears a strong resemblance to Dhanush, not just in physical stature but also in his mannerisms and body language. His energetic performance and confident delivery of Ashwath’s dialogues make him quite likeable that by the time his redemption arc unfolds, you find yourself rooting for him.

Leon James’ music is good, with a couple of songs that are quite hummable. The leading ladies are nice, while the supporting cast—particularly Mysskin as the college dean and George Maryan as Raghavan’s father—stand out. Gautham Vasudev Menon, playing Raghavan’s boss, is decent, though his monotone delivery makes it difficult to differentiate from his previous cop roles.

One aspect that should be toned down is the smoking and excessive drinking on screen (a trend that recent Malayalam films are also guilty of). Thankfully, the film includes a few deliberate nods toward being more responsible.

Overall, Dragon is a zippy and entertaining watch, managing to be fun while treading the thin line between being overly preachy or glorifying "being cool".