Rating:3.25/5
Story:
Raghavan (played by Pradeep Ranganathan) is a bright student who’s focused on his studies and dreams of a stable future after graduation. However, everything changes when a girl turns down his proposal, claiming she prefers to love a bad boy. This rejection leads him to adopt a new persona throughout college, ultimately dropping out before finishing his degree. The film revolves around Raghavan's journey following his girlfriend's dismissal of him as a failure and not suitable for a life partner. It explores his actions and their effects on his life and those around him.
Performances:
Pradeep Ranganathan is perfect for the titular role. His portrayal of anger and emotional turmoil is particularly strong, especially in a couple of standout scenes in the last thirty minutes—one during a final exam and another shortly after. Pradeep convincingly delivers the emotional weight of the story. Anupama Parameswaran and Kayadu Lohar have limited but neat moments, along with the pretty portrayal in songs.
Director Mysskin takes on a solid role as the college principal, performing well within his limited screen time, while George Maryan also makes an impact despite having even less scope. Indumathi Manikandan shines as the mother. Gautam Vasudev Menon and KS Ravikumar feel a bit underused but still contribute adequately. The rest of the cast does a decent job.
What worked for the film:
Ashwath Marimuthu, known for Ori Devuda, directs Return Of The Dragon, which is a coming-of-age story set against a backdrop. The film resembles two other Tamil films; one is Sivakarthikeyan's Don, and the director's earlier work, Ori Devuda. It’s all about second chances and accepting the past mistakes and coming out clean. The film starts on a regular but entertaining mode, and after a small jerk, the director takes his time to set the stage, introducing us to Raghavan’s world, including his family, love life, friends, job, and eventually, his marriage. Just when the first half feels a bit dragged, the main plot arrives at the interval, where Raghavan finds himself with everything on the line.
After the interval, that’s where the real excitement, drama, and emotions kick in. The story really takes off, and it keeps one engaged with a steady flow and some clever twists along the way. These twists aren’t just clever lines but rather the situations that unfold. The narrative builds up nicely to the climax of the film, focusing on the effort and dedication needed to achieve one’s goals. The message works well with the right emotions by the end. The pre-climax and climax resonate because they tap into relatable feelings without getting preachy. The way the hero realizes his mistakes is shown perfectly, and his conversations with the principal and his father strike the chord.
What did not work for the film:
As said above, the film takes its time to settle in the first half. The routine tropes of a college backdrop movie appear here as well. The repetitiveness at a few places looks unnecessary. The predictability factor, along with convenient taking, disturbs the narration in the second half for a while.
Return of the Dragon Review and Verdict:
Return of the Dragon is an engaging entertainer, though it has some minor flaws. Despite its simple writing, the screenplay continues to unfold an interesting story filled with perfectly put twists.
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