Dhoni is the second directorial venture of veteran Prakash Raj, but the first in Tamizh. As with the case of his first film, this time too he has made a movie based on a story of another director, that is Mahesh Manjrekar which was made into a Marathi film titled "Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho". The movie evoked curiosity once Ilaiyaraaja was confirmed as the music director. The music album garnered acclaim for the live-recording method used by Raja sir after so many years. Considering that Prakash Raj is a no-nonsense actor and who promotes good movies through his production units Duet Movies and Silent Movies, Dhoni is expected to be a movie with good and decent quality.
Though the movie was promoted as tackling issues of father-son relationship, the whole movie is centered on Prakash Raj. He is the soul of the movie and he has delivered and honest and heartwarming performance. Being a veteran, he knows where to deliver all the subtle and sensitive emotions and he has pulled of the role of the caring middle-class father, Subbu very, very well. It is a good diversion for Prakash Raj who's usually called in to do the lame antagonist roles. He stands out in most of the scenes but the television show and breaking the bat episodes are the stand outs. Akash Puri, who is debuting through this film, carries out his role quite decently, though it was obvious he's not too comfortable with the language as the dubbing artiste's voice was not in sync with his dialogue delivery in a number of scenes. Radhika Apte leaves a mark with her sweet personality. A host of experienced artistes features in this film and all of them delivered natural performances. Be it Nasser, Brahmanandam, Chaams, Tejasri, 'Thalaivasal' Vijay, Thanikala Barani, Singamuthu, Murali Sharma, Balaji, and etc. Brahmanandam was a scream in his small role and as usual fantastic with his facial expressions. Kudos to the cast.
Technically the film carries quality output. First of all Isaignani Ilaiyaraja's music was a treat to all fans of his music. The songs were a throwback to his heydays and all of them were picturized in montage sequences. Special mention must be given for the "Vaangum Panathukkum" number which had a special cameo appearance of Prabhu Deva throughout the song and cutely choreographed by Dinesh. Raja sir's re-recording was subtle and was underplayed. Art direction by K.Kathirr was commendable, especially the registrar office sets and the house of the protagonist. Kishore T.E's editing was flawless and S.S Vasu's costumes were natural. KV Guhan's cinematography captured the ambiance of middle class life very well and helps the viewers to relate to the emotions of the characters, especially when the camera moves along with the characters.
Mahesh Manjrekar's story is not something revolutionary as the issue of education has been tackled few times in Indian cinema with "Taare Zameen Par", "3 Idiots" and it's recent remake "Nanban" all highlighted the issue of education being a burden, rather than a joy for kids, nowadays. Screenplay by Prakash Raj and T.J Gnanavel was OK but certain sequences could have been avoided as it was a little cinematic and over-the-top. But it is only a minor issue, as overall the script was well written with subtle humors, emotional turbulence and the trappings of middle-class life were all wonderfully presented which is the USP of the script, as it is something every audience can relate and empathize with. Besides that, another major strength of the film is the dialogues by T.J Gnanavel. They are emotional and soft in nature, yet sharp with in reality. Job very well done by T.J Gnanavel. Prakash Raj has balanced his work as the director and protagonist very well, with good selection of artistes and extracting good work from all of them and at the same time, delivering a fantastic performance.
Hope Prakash Raj continues this wonderful journey as a director and churn out more meaningful cinema like this. Dhoni is a well made film, with a soft-natured screenplay yet manages to deliver a thumping message to all.
Ratings: 3/5 STARS
BY:TAMIL
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