DRAGON MOVIE REVIEW
Cast: Pradeep Ranganathan, Anupama Parameswaran, Kayadu Lohar, George Maryan, Indumathy Manikandan, K. S. Ravikumar, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Mysskin, VJ Siddhu, Harshath Khan
Director: Ashwath Marimuthu
Rating: 3.75/5
Only in Kollywood could a film about a top student deliberately failing forty-eight exams to impress a girl become a meditation on second chances and redemption.
Dragon follows Raghavan, a former academic star who transforms himself into the campus bad boy after being rejected for being too straight-laced. What starts as calculated rebellion – complete with carefully staged fights and meticulously planned academic failures – evolves into something more complex when he meets Keerthi (Anupama Parameswaran). Through their relationship, director Ashwath Marimuthu explores how our attempts to reinvent ourselves often lead us further from who we really are.
Pradeep Ranganathan brings a natural charm to Raghavan, making his journey from top student to troublemaker to eventual redemption feel authentic rather than forced. The film shines brightest in its quieter moments, particularly during a masterfully shot night drive sequence that serves as both visual spectacle and character study. The supporting cast, including Kayadu Lohar, adds depth to what could have been a simple coming-of-age tale.
Where the film stumbles is in its rushed final act, where Raghavan’s transformation back to the straight and narrow feels too sudden to be fully convincing. The female characters, while well-performed, deserve more development than the script provides. At 157 minutes, the film occasionally tests patience, especially during the early college sequences that lean too heavily on familiar tropes.
Yet despite these flaws, Dragon is both entertaining and thoughtful, balancing commercial appeal with genuine insight into how we sometimes need to lose our way before finding it again. It’s a solid addition to this year’s lineup that proves you can tell an old story in new ways – even if you don’t quite stick the landing.