BOTTOM LINE
Impactful But Drags

RATING
2.5/5

CENSOR
U/A, 2h 42m

What Is the Film About?

Set in Medicharla village during the jathara time, the story of Veera Dheera Sooran happens over the night. The SP Arunagiri (SJ Suryah) is fed up with Ravi (Prudhvi Raj) and his son Kannan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) and wants to encounter them. Ravi sensing the SP’ plan, asks Kaali’s (Vikram) help to save his son.

Who is Kaali? What’s his background, and how does he help Ravi? The movie’s basic plot is what happens to these characters over the course of the night.

Performances

Vikram is in his element, playing a role that suits his age and has no external burdens to showcase him in a wildly different manner.

It is a simple yet intense act, and Vikram does it with ease all the way. There is drama and action in equal doses, along with a small mix of fun, too. The actor delivers, as usual, besides getting a few moments to show his versatile acting skills. Some of the scenes in the second half are testimony to these. Nothing is done over the top, and everything is well under control here.

Dushara Vijayan plays the wife character. She, too, gets decent footage in the male-dominated set-up, apart from sharing the emotional anchor with Vikram. Whenever she is given a chance, she delivers even if it feels like going slightly overboard at times.

Analysis

SU Arun Kumar of Chithha fame directs Veera Dheera Sooran. It is a rural action thriller interlaced with drama. The whole narrative taking place overnight gives it a unique touch.

The movie opens on a confusing note initially. It takes time to settle down, as multiple things seem to happen simultaneously. They are grippingly executed, though, which makes one curious as to what is happening instead of scratching head for the same reason.

The pacing is slow, yet the narrative feels cacophonous initially. It is when the proper motives are revealed and stakes are set that we finally get comfortable with the happenings.

The core point is simple, and once the main track starts, things heat up pretty quickly. The drama escalates within the given duration, and we are engaged in the proceedings despite the pacing issues. The minor exchanges involving the major characters are crucial here.

For example, when Vikram and SJ Suryah meet each other for the first time, the way the whole sequence is handled leaves one with thrill and joy, simultaneously. It is not the case throughout the duration, though. Scenes like this come from time to time, and that helps a lot in the overall scheme of things.

When we get into the flashback mode after almost an hour and a half, a massive sense of drag is felt, but the director brings the interval in the most unexpected and quirky way possible. It makes one look forward to the rest.

As things are paused right in the middle, everything is resumed as it is post-intermission. The entire Dileep block is neatly executed and helps us understand some of the actions in the first half. However, things stagnate post this neat portion. It feels as if the moments are happening in a loop, missing a smooth flow.

The scenes are lengthy, and they end with a punch. If the desired effect is achieved, the entire sequence feels fine, but when it doesn’t, the whole stretch looks like a drag. We have this issue majorly in the second half.

By the time we reach pre-climax, it feels like an eternity. And it is far from over as the climax is yet to arrive. However, the good thing with the ending is that the punch is delivered. It gives that little positivity that helps one overlook the lengthy stuff that happened before it.

More than anything, the major issue is uneven tone as the director tries too many things despite the whole thing looking simple. He wants the movie to be realistic, yet incorporates typical mass moments. There are sappy emotions and traces of black comedy.

Despite the length, inconsistent narration and drag, the major reason for one to hook into the proceedings is the characterisation of major players. The way these characters interact with one another holds attention despite the issues, in general.

Overall, Veera Dheera Sooran offers a fresh packaging of a routine premise seen usually in rural, semi-rural backdrop fares. It works well in parts, also there is a lot of lag, making it an average fare, in the end. Vikram holds it together, and if you like him, give it a try.

Performances by Others Actors

Apart from Vikram, we have SJ Suryah, Suraj Venjaramoodu and Prudhvi Raj playing key roles. SJ Suryah, who is the form of his life, delivers yet again. The good thing, additionally, here is that he doesn’t go over the top much. They are present, but spaced out with normal, intense acting taking the front for a change.

Suraj Venjaramoodu and Prudhvi Raj, playing the father and son duo, are good. The former is reliable, whereas the latter surprises. The Telugu audience is used to seeing Prudhvi in comic roles. To see him do such a serious part without any comic undertones is an eye-opener. The rest of the casting, which involves small bits and pieces parts is also fine.

Music and Other Departments?

GV Prakash Kumar provides the music and background score for the movie. There are few songs, to begin with, and the ones they have give a pleasant vibe. The background score is better, and it elevates the proceedings whenever necessary. The cinematography is good, capturing the rural festival atmosphere and the natural, dark mood. The editing is okay. The writing is also fine, despite actually standing out.

Highlights?

Direction

Performances

Casting

Drawbacks?

Uneven Narrative

Drags At Time

Length

Did I Enjoy It?

Yes, In Parts

Will You Recommend It?

Yes, but have expectations in check, especially considering the run time and tone.

Veera Dheera Sooran Movie Review by M9

Writer and director Alex Garland maintains his impressive record of checking critics’ boxes following the reception of his hard-hitting movie Warfare, which at the time of writing has reached 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. Based on the real-life experiences of former U.S. Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza, who co-wrote and co-directed the film, Warfare follows in real time a Navy SEAL platoon venturing through insurgent territory and the relentless, nerve-shredding operation that unfolds there. Boasting a star-studded cast that includes Cosmo Jarvis (Shōgun), Will Poulter (The Bear), Joseph Quinn (Fantastic Four), and Noah Centineo (The Recruit), the film has been praised for its immense realism and relentless depiction of soldiers in battle, following on from his already hard-hitting drama, Civil War.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, “Garland is working in peak form and with dazzling technical command in what’s arguably his best film since his debut, Ex Machina.” The Times says, “This is a movie that’s as difficult to watch as it is to forget. It’s a sensory blitz, a percussive nightmare, and a relentless assault on the soul.” Meanwhile, MovieWeb says, “Warfare is a nuts-and-bolts account of ferocious combat, bloody, brutal, and terrifying. It is a visceral cinematic experience that will absolutely floor you.”

Movie Review

Tom Michell does not want to be here.

From the moment Michell arrives in Buenos Aires, Argentina—right at the outset of a military coup in the late 1970s–he makes this clear to anyone that will listen.

Hired to teach English at a male boarding school through a tenuous connection to the current headmaster, Michell spends more time with newspaper crosswords than teaching comma rules to his class.

After a few days, the military dictatorship claims control of the city, forcing the boys home. With their impromptu holiday, Michell and the school’s physics teacher travel to Uruguay looking for, in Michell’s words, a chance to “dance, drink, and meet a couple of nice ladies.”

Michell finds just what he was looking for. An evening of flirtation and dancing turns to a nice morning walk on the beach with a woman. But that lovely walk is marred when, in the sunrise, they encounter an oil slick covering the beach. And in that slick are the penguins. Dead, oil-soaked penguins.  

Only one penguin seems to have survived the catastrophe, and it’s barely alive, wiggling its beak and wings in the grime of the oil spill.

Michell’s curmudgeonly reply is to leave the penguin to die. “There’s nothing we can do…You can’t interfere with nature.”

But the woman’s not so inclined to walk on by. She demands they do something, and Tom (who is certainly interested in the woman, if not the penguin) finally agrees. They pick up the oiled penguin and sneak him into their hotel to clean him up.

But romance and oily penguins don’t mix well. Tom’s attempt at seduction quickly fails and the woman leaves him alone with the penguin.

Michell and the penguin stare at each other. They both seem to know he has a choice: One, Michell could try to dump the penguin back on the beach in Uruguay, leaving the bird to its fate. Or two, the teacher could somehow smuggle his new penguin friend through customs back to Argentina and onto campus and evade the strict “no pets” policy at the school.

For fans of animal-centered dramedies, it is not hard to guess what happens next.

But Michell and his penguin (whom he later affectionately names Juan Salvador), are both about to learn how much you really can change when nature interferes with you.