When we talk about Ashwath Marimuthu’s Dragon, it’s not fair to say it’s just a film with an emotional redemptive arc, its a full redemption circle– of each and every character and scene.
In Dragon, the hero, Pradeep Ranganathan plays a typical anti-hero of a humble middle class family.
We all know that redemption is the biggest weapon of storytelling. With the right kind of redemption, you feel that justice has been delivered; the characters have been served what they rightfully deserve. In Dragon, the hero, Pradeep Ranganathan plays a typical anti-hero of a humble middle class family. He has 48 backlogs, he lies at every stage in his life; to his loving parents; to his fiance; to his boss. He smokes with as much swagger as the last hero who had used the cigarette as a stylistic device, our own Super Star Rajinikanth. So, is that what our Dragon, Pradeep Ranganath, is going to be for Tamil engineers slash youth?
Old wine is the best wine
The comparison with Ranijikanth doesn’t stop at cigarettes and their style. Do you remember Rajini’s Padayappa (Narasimha in Telugu)? It is an old school melodramatic story of riches to rags and rags to riches with many betrayals from many characters. However, at the end, you are glued and rooting for the characters. You start loving some characters and hating a few.
Here in Dragon, which also has the similar ‘rags to riches and riches to rags’ arc, you love and hate the one and only guy. Its our obvious bad boy hero, D Raghavan. Ashwath’s conviction in fusing the so-called preachiness into a very lovable character is a testament to the fact that the old wines are the best wines to savour.
There is a very cool story about how Raghavan became ‘Dragon’. Once you realise how the name D Raghavan became the Dragon, you’ll be like, “Huh? That’s it?” But, that is the beauty of Ashwath’s brilliant writing. He writes very simple scenes but packages them in a way that you roll with the scenes before you even realise, because his writing is so engaging and entertaining.
Deep redemptive arcs in Dragon
After Mysskin’s intro of Dragon in his monologue speech, one of the audience asks, “what is he doing now?” That’s where the story begins. We see Raghavan getting ready for the work that pays him merely Rs. 18,000 per month. At least, he got the job, shouldn’t you be happy? No. We are introduced to his careless and reckless lifestyle in a series of scenes. The good-for-nothing hero is chain-smoking in his friend’s apartment only to leave for home the moment the office hours are over.
The good-for-nothing hero is chain-smoking in his friend’s apartment only to leave for home the moment the office hours are over.
He even takes Rs. 18,000 from four of his friends and gives them to his family. Sounds good? It’s not. His antics don’t stop here. He again takes the entire Rs. 18,000 back by bluffing some other lies. That’s the moment you know that you must hate this guy. But, you also love him, root for him. Maybe, Pradeep Ranganathan’s boisterous energy reminds us of our reckless days. Pradeep has a very impressionable character. He has doubled his energy in Dragon after his debut as actor-director with Love Today– which is also an energetic and boisterous rom-com that gave a fresh vibes to the Tamil cinema after a long time.
Every character around Raghavan is a good character. In fact, there is no villain in the story. The only villain in the story is the hero. His own transformation is the elimination of evil. So, that’s why there is a great amount of value in using the tool of redemption multiple times in the story. Every scene gets a pay off in the end. Even minor appearances of Sneha and ‘Owner’ provide great comebacks at the right moments.
Director-writer Ashwath is trying to sell the deepest philosophy of life in the silliest style. In both of his films, Oh My Kadavule and Dragon, the heroes get a chance to redeem their mistakes. In his debut, it was Vijay Sethupathi as God and in Dragon, its Mysskin, and in some way its Anupama (who played the role of Dragon’s ex-girlfriend, Keerthi).
Pradeep as a star performer in Dragon
Pradeep Ranganathan has done all what it takes to be a star hero. He has fights. He has romance. And more importantly, he smokes cigarettes with style. Yet, he is a hero who doesn’t perform only to make an impressionable boy-next-door character (which he pulls off with an ease like the smooth plug-in of songs in the film), but he also performs like an actor. The critical scenes post-break up and during the examination scenes, especially the break out scenes with his father (played humanely by George Maryan) and with his classmate who failed in a scam that Raghava archestrated are notable. Pradeep’s impeccable performance will definitely make eyes wet.
He then goes on to become a food delivery boy after serving the punishment he deserves. The world around him is still as good as he left it. Everyone accepts him for the changed man he becomes. The wealth, which once mattered the most, doesn’t matter anymore. All the characters got their human-moments except Dragon’s fiance, Pallavi (Kayadu Lohar).
We don’t see her after a Padayappa level of dramatic confrontation in the hall during Raghavan’s wedding. She should’ve had her moment of expressing what she felt after realising the series of lies she had been told. However, the climax isn’t emotionally loaded at all. The sudden surprise at the end brings back the smirk on you face once again. You never feel when the film stopped being funny and delved into serious mode. The seamless transition of serious situations into funny scenes is truly a work of art of both Ashwath Marimuthu and Pradeep Ranganathan.
The seamless transition of serious situations into funny scenes is truly a work of art of both Ashwin Marimuthu and Pradeep Ranganathan.
After watching Dragon, either you will love him, or hate him, or do both– as you must. But, you can’t stop being entertained by him.
Dragon is now playing in theatres.
About the author(s)
Azdhan (He/Him) is a full-time film critic freelancing for Feminism In India. If he is not reading or writing, he will just be zoning-out– even if there is no window– always thinking of writing his next novel to adapt it into a screenplay. The backend process of trying to build something that can solve urban loneliness is also always on his mind.
