Asuran Movie Review

Nobody understands and reciprocates the cultures, mindsets, nativity, behavior and the struggles of the people across different lands, better than Vetrimaaran. For the fifth time in a row, the writer-director has delivered a terrific film that marries an avant-garde filmmaking style with the commercial sensibilities of an average moviegoer. Asuran is a raw, rustic and gory revenge tale filmed in the filmmaker’s true style, packed with several memorable stretches that warrant your attention. The film once again takes up the tried-and-tested plot line of revenge, but there is more to it than what meets the eye with respect to the setting, the presentation, the characters and the overall aftertaste.

Taking only a half out of Poomani’s Vekkai, Vetrimaaran writes his own version of the story that does not begin with the hammer and tongs going berserk, but slowly introduces us to the characters and their conflicts. He skillfully builds up the first half with intense moments at regular intervals, providing a constantly feeling of fear, tension and goosebumps. The halfway mark is the ultimatum, with Dhanush’s extraordinary transformation sequence sending a chill down your spine. Together with Ken Karunaas and Teejay Arunachalam who turn out to be the pillars, the first half is a spectacular show that leaves us with no major complaints. As we get into the second though, Asuran starts to simplify the proceedings, making it a little too predictable and free from a flair for excitement. The flashback portion is functional, and though the film does gain momentum after that, it does not match up to the level of the first half. The film in entirety is largely violent, bloody and has some shocking visuals too which are not for the faint-hearted.

Say what you want, but Dhanush is in a league of his own now. It is not wrong to call him Tamil cinema’s best actor, as he takes up this delicate role with immense guts and makes the best use of it. 

Playing a 48-year-old father, the power to speak through his eyes and the lovely transformations all through – he is just brilliant handling them. Supporting him superbly are his two onscreen sons in Teejay Arunachalam and Ken Karunaas, who make stupendous debuts. Manju Warrier brings out a neat performance along with Pasupathy, Prakash Raj and Balaji Sakthivel who are all decent fits.

GV Prakash’s background score is on another level, with elevations and emotional tugs both working out right. This is the GVP we need, being a composer who understands the film completely and does his part to the T. There’s also a smartness in how silence is maintained at some important places in the film. Musically and technically, Asuran is solid – Velraj’s camerawork is top notch in the night shots.

Asuran is a film that should have come with an A certificate. From start to finish, the film is dipped in blood and thorns, and does have many scenes that will make the faint-hearted pull up their palms in front of their eyes. Vetrimaaran’s idea of changing the dialogues at the dubbing stage is another blip, as there are quite a few dialogues that lose out on the scope due to poor lip-sync.

Yet, it gets past these hurdles and turns out to be another important film in the careers of both Dhanush and Vetrimaaran, and that’s mainly due to the amazing performances and the superb staging. Though Asuran may not be entirely fulfilling like their other ventures together, the film’s riveting stretches are something worth experiencing on the big screen. Asuran Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas

Asuran Movie Review Rating: 3.5/5

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