Monday Nov 10 2008, Chennai

‘Durai’: Mindless commercial flick

Directed by - A. Venkatesh

Produced by - A.L.Thenappan (Rajalakshmi Films)

Music by - D. Imman

Casts - Arjun, Kirath, Gajala, Suma, Amith, Vivek, K.Viswanathan, Vincent Asokan, O.K.Sundar, S.N.Lakshmi etc.

Starring - Arjun, Gajala,Suma

Durai opens with an ‘encounter’ scene in which a hand cuffed Arjun stands before a revolver. The cop puts the pistol on his head and pulls the trigger. There is no way Arjun could escape, you think. But the scene is cut and you get to see a different Arjun working in a mess-cum-catering unit headed by Vivek.

The twist in the tale is that Raja (Arjun) has forgotten what happened to him one year back. Raja is amused by the way Kirath chases him. A mishap that involves a convict trying to escape from police custody by threatening to kill a child makes Raja swing into action. This incident reveals his real identity to his detractors and later, when chased by a bunch of goons, Raja realizes that he was Durai, a loyal worker of a political party.

The flashback tells you how Raja was serving the party, which was expected to capture power soon. It also shows a journalist (Kirath) falling for Durai without knowing that he was married.

Raja’s loyalty and integrity make him vulnerable and he was predictably targeted by some elements in the party. His family is ruined and he was made responsible for the death of the party chief. Then he miraculously escapes the encounter threat and becomes Raja.

The rest of the story tells you who are behind the conspiracy and how Durai manages to take revenge on them.

‘Action King’ Arjun has written the story and script, both lacking in novelty. The flashback drama has been repeated 1000 times in Tamil commercial flicks and we just get to see one more ‘Durai’. The script is predictable and so is the climax.

The songs pop up at regular intervals providing mini-breaks for the audiences who walk out comfortably despite some attractive naval show by the shapely Kirath. The action sequences are well choreographed but too much of action dilutes the impact.

Arjun has made his already well maintained physique still better and he scores with his intensity in action sequences. But one wonders why he is content in doing foolish ‘masala’ flicks even after so many years of experience in films.

The comedy track by Vivek fails to kindle any interest, as the comedian has come out with nothing exciting. The girls in this film - Kirath and Gajala are mere decorations. Kirath looks beautiful and flaunts her well toned up body in song sequences.

Imman’s tunes are ok but his remix of Ilayaraja’s “Raja Rajathi Rajan Intha Raja…” is anything but good.

Director A.Venkatesh, known for mindless commercial flicks, has lived up to his reputation with the help of Arjun. While the team might take solace in collecting money in the so called B and C centers, it is saddening to see some directors like Venkatesh strongly depending on mediocrity to stay in the race without bothering about strong criticism and a lot of changes taking place in filmmaking.

Verdict: Disappointing.