Don Tamil Movie
Kollywood has seen a ton of campus capers in the past! The firm belief behind the genre is its unflinching freshness if delivered with the right package. In other words, it gives a minimum guarantee for a movie's opening. This seems to be the conviction for director Cibi Chakaravarthi who has debuted with "Don". Though the title vibes on a negative note, the intention behind that might be to infuse some positivity and raise some pertinent questions regarding parenting and the choice of career for an individual.
Chakaravarthi alias Don (Sivakarthikeyan) wants to live a life on his terms. He is always on a firm leash by his disciplinarian father (Samuthirakani). In a desperate attempt to seek his true ability, to prove his worth, he gives a shot at filmmaking while pursuing engineering. He is being challenged by Boominathan (SJ Suriya), who is another disciplinarian at the college. There is a parallel romantic episode with Angaiyarkanni (Priyanka Mohan) and other comic episodes that were atypical of a campus caper. Of course, the intent of the makers was to center stage the father-son relationship and the underlying sentiment.
The movie was able to achieve its intention to an extent. Sivakarthikeyan has once again performed well as a variety entertainer, who can blend different emotions and serve them on a platter. That was evident with the family audiences queuing up at the theatres on the first day. This is familiar territory for him, and unsurprisingly he comes out with flying colors.
For Priyanka Mohan, this is yet another similar role. She travels throughout the movie and has got a substantial role. Her school girl portions were a little artificial, but she was fine otherwise. Soori and Sivakarthikeyan combo has been a time-tested success. However, here, they've just managed to rock the boat. Soori's deceiving the school staff as Siva's father was a riot in the theatre.
SJ Suriya's role as the college discipline committee head reminded me of Sathyaraj in "Nanban". He was in his usual elements with all his eccentricities in place. Samuthirakani as the strict father was a great choice. Though he had played the 'appa' role in many shades, this one is much more nuanced. Also, the actor in him has added a different shade to a role that could have been a usual boring father. Also, Thirunvukkarasu as Priyanka's father was a good selection.
Other supporting actors like Sivaangi, Bala Saravana, Kaali Venkat, Muneeshkanth, Radha Ravi, Singam Puli, and so many others added to the entertainment quotient. With such a huge supporting cast, the movie could have managed to churn out more engaging lines and comic plot points, but unfortunately, the screenplay got scattered all over the place. The movie wanted to deliver a message, and at the same time wanted to convey the emotional bond between a father and a son.
The film appeared to be aimless like its protagonist. Though the movie's protagonist finds his purpose in life towards the climax, the film hardly does so. It just drags for a good 30 minutes even after it had a potential closure. There was an unnecessary melodramatic episode towards the climax that greatly affected its overall appeal. Also, the songs, though peppy, were hampering the pace of the proceedings.
"Don" was delivered to be the perfect summer entertainer with a domestic firebrand like Sivakarthikeyan doing the honors. It has achieved what it intended to an extent. It has lured families to the theatres. Whether it was worthy of their ticket's money is something that might leave the house with divided votes.
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