‘Veera Dheera Sooran’ review: Poor plot plagues Vikram-starrer, gifted cast saves the day
Despite not being a formula-based action drama, SU Arun Kumar's film boasts of powerful performances, stunning cinematography and a solid background score
Filmmaker SU Arun Kumar, who won accolades with his last release Chithha, is back with action-drama Veera Dheera Sooran: Part 2, featuring Vikram in the lead. While Vikram has been experimenting with his looks and the choice of roles, his fans were longing for gallery-pleasing mass entertainer like Dhill and Dhool. Although Veera Dheera Sooran, an out-and-out action film, has a few hiccups in the screenplay, it manages to give the heroic elevation to Vikram, not just once, but multiple times.
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The plot
Ravi (Prudhvi Raj) senses that the Superintendent of Police, Arunagiri (SJ Suryah), is planning to kill him and his son Kannan (Suraj Venjaramoodu) as they have an unsettled score in the past. Now, Ravi seeks the help of his ex-henchman Kaali, played by Vikram to finish off Arunagiri.
The Kaali of today is a changed man: he has a doting wife Kalaivani (Dushara Vijayan) and two children and the family runs a small grocery shop. Even though Kaali turns down Ravi’s offer, he understands that his former boss is here, not to plead, but to subtly threaten him by locating his family. With no option left, Kaali agrees to the hit job.
Later, we also know that Kaali also knows Arunagiri, and their past is interlinked with Ravi and Kannan. Now, Arunagiri wants Kaali to help him find Ravi and Kannan. How Kaali survives the dangerous battle between the revenge-seeking cop and a cold-blooded father and son forms the rest of the film.
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Not a formula film
As said earlier, Veera Dheera Sooran is a grounded action film. It doesn't have the routine formulaic elements like the hero's introductory song, punch dialogues etc., However, Arun Kumar has brilliantly written Kaali’s character: the film has solid four to five heroic moments including a throwback to a blockbuster film of Vikram.
Veera Dheera Sooran is also not an easily-accessible film for many. The leisurely paced drama and tension build-up among the characters would work with movie buffs and critics, but will the masses lap it up?
The film’s biggest highlight is the way Arun has sketched the main characters and the performances of seasoned actors like Vikram, SJ Suryah, Prudhviraj, and the talented Dushara.
Perfect cast, stunning cinematography
As usual, Vikram has effortlessly slid under the skin of Kaali. Roles like these are a cakewalk for him and he has brilliantly pulled it off. One could see his strenuous physical effort in the action sequences and his immaculate performance in the intense scenes where the major drama unfolds.
With his grey-shaded character, whenever SJ Suryah, playing SP Arunagiri appears, tension builds up. Interestingly, Suryah who is known for his over-the-top performance has kept it subtle this time.
Vikram with SJ Suryah who plays the character of SP Arunagiri in the film.
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As said earlier, Suraj, Dushara, and Prudhvi have enhanced the film with their powerful performances. Technically, the film stands tall with Theni Eeswar’s stunning cinematography. The lengthy night sequence in the second half is a standing testimony to his visual brilliance. GV Prakash has amplified the film with his solid background score. The action choreographer also deserves applause for the realistic yet intense stunt sequences.
Wafer-thin plot
On the downside, all these technical marvels and phenomenal performances are only for a wafer-thin plot. The leisurely paced screenplay is another drawback of the film. Arun seems to have borrowed the execution pattern of Kamal Haasan’s realistic action films like Kurudhi Punal and Virumandi.
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On the whole, despite a few hiccups, this film has enough scenes to satisfy the appetite of action lovers.
