Cast: Srikanth, Vishnu, Poonam Bajwa, Poorna, Pooja
Direction: Sudha
Production: Mano Akkineni
Music: Selvaganesh
Sudha K Prasad might have come from Mani Ratnam’s school of filmmaking, having apprenticed under him in many of his successful movies. But nothing in Drohi suggests a semblance of her dependency of Mani’s filmmaking bible – like the subtlety or the layered themes his movies have. Of course, her Mani connections are not yardsticks to measure her talent as a standalone director but the lessons she learnt there ought to have helped her in her directorial debut.
The story starts off on a gripping note within fraction of minutes followed by a flashback on sluggish notes and pace back in momentum during penultimate sequence.
It all begins with childhood friends Saamy, a handsome Brahmin boy and Gangling chap Karuna studying together in primary level of school at North Chennai. There arrives a cute looking teacher Roja (Pooja), who is ruthlessly murdered by goons. Gotta compare it with Fernando Meirelles’ ‘City of God’ that involves young kids involved in crimes and so are Karuna and Saamy…
The story gathers momentum when Narayanan takes advantage of this feud when his only son is killed under unforeseen circumstances. Violence and gore marks the story. And a blindfolded Karuna tied to the railway tracks keeps you guessing his fate till the end. There are several loose ends and quick jumps in the story. While the audience is offered a glimpse into Karuna's background, very little is known of Samy or his relationship with his parents until we see him as an adult visiting the temple where his father is a priest.
Poorna and Poonam Bajwa set the screen on fire. Pooja deserves a special mention. Thyagarajan is also there. Stunts by Dilip Subbarayan are the highlight of the movie. Due credit should be given to music director Selvaganesh as couple of his songs are hummable. At times, the second half is too predictable. The length is also an eye-sore in the latter part. But these things may not stop you from enjoying ‘Drohi’.
