Asuran: A revenge-drama that is neither commercial nor art-house

The film opens up with a shot which looks like a still of the full moon. That’s just one of the few shots in the film which is tranquil and soothing. Every other shot/scene in the movie has tension building up. Even when there’s a romance track in the second half, we have this premonition that something bad is going to happen soon. Welcome to the world of Vetrimaran!

What the story offers us is a revenge-drama flick layered with powerhouse performances from the likes of Dhanush, Manju Warrier, Pasupathy and almost every other character artiste in the movie. These are people who force you to cry when they wail their hearts out and laugh along with them at their sly attempts at countryside humor.

After a point of time when we know the story, it is very interesting to see how the director takes this all-too-familiar story forward. Vetrimaran is known to have been someone whose stories are very unique. In his films, the storyline is almost revealed in the interval block. His genius is making us sit on the edge of the seat for the second half and witness a marvel being unfolded right in front of our eyes.

Asuran is based on the famous novel, 'Vekkai’ (Heat), which was written by Poomani, a famous Tamil novelist. As expected, this movie talks about the heat which these villagers have which makes their blood boil at prejudice and disrespect.

The plot is very simple and doesn’t have the twists which are an extension of the director’s previous films. A lower caste family owns a small parcel of land in the outskirts of the village tending crops. A baron in the village wants that parcel of land. Will the baron be successful in taking over that land or will the lower caste family put up a tough fight makes the rest of the story. Any further elaboration will lead to a spoiler. I recommend you watch it and experience a gudbud of emotions, first hand.

The visuals aren’t very colourful and no one complained. They are actually made in such a manner that nothing overshadows the performance of the actors and the raw emotions one undergoes while watching the film aren’t diluted.

In one of the scenes, Sivasaami (Dhanush) is humiliated in front of the village and he calmly walks away and reaches home to get slapped by his wife for not standing up for himself. He’s exhausted and collapses when his wife slaps him. A million clichés are shattered right there. When a movie is titled Asuran (Demon) and stars Dhanush, it is natural for us to expect action-filled scenes throughout the course of the film. While we get a fight featuring Dhanush only in the interval block, we get to see his off-springs engage in bloody fights. Maybe it was just the right amount of foreshadowing to remind us of Sivasaami’s abilities.

The interval block is one of the best ones in recent times. G.V. Prakash’s background score just elevates you and amplifies the slow-motion shots. From the title credits to the end credits, the music just enervates the scene and transforms the scene completely. Cinematography by Velraj makes you feel like you’re in the midst of the men fighting each other. Almost everyone in the theatre was happy to see Sivasaami fight the goons to protect his son. The overtly apologetic man has transformed into a raging bull which can’t be tamed easily.

In the second half, we get a flashback on Sivasaami’s past. The lower caste people are reprimanded and thrashed for wearing slippers. Sivasaami, in his 20s, displays his fury at this very moment when his fiancé is humiliated by his friend. We get to see the ability of this young man who can go to any extent to keep his loved ones free of any kind of trouble. As the story unfolds, Sivasaami is a 50-year old who is doing nothing but the same for his wife and children.

None of the characters feel fully formed as the timelines feel very rushed. The flashback sequence also looked like it was filmed in haste leaving many uncovered holes. I wasn’t very impressed with the character arcs as I entered the theatre with huge expectations as it is a Dhanush-Vetrimaran film (Kollywood’s Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese).

Even though I’d classify this as a commercial film there’s no denying the power of this material. The beauty of this story is it’s universal. You can rewrite the story in the USA with the African-Americans playing the Sivasaami family as the oppressed. The commercial tone of the movie should have been toned down as we’re neither able to enjoy the mass scenes nor consume the film’s message completely. Anyway, people who enjoy the right amount of commercial elements in a movie will come out of the theatre satisfied.

Asuran definitely isn’t in the league of Vetrimaran’s previous films but nonetheless it’s a rare entity in Tamil cinema. I’m really not sure if it’s a character-driven action film or an action-filled character drama.

-Nitin Murali.