Dheeran

Story: News has reached his native Malayattoor that Eldhose has died at a fired in the factory at which he was working, in Dindigal. A motley bunch from the village make the overnight journey to bring back his body

Review: With an interesting mix of actors and a scriptwriter, whose writing credit includes Mammootty’s mass hit Bheeshma Parvam, you expect Dheeran to be an entertaining watch. But writer-director Devadath Shaji’s Dheeran feels like a confused mess.

Eldhose (Rajesh Madhavan) has run away from his hometown and works for a goon in Erode, who sends him on an assignment to finish off his rival, Sharavanan. As various aspects of village life with his mother and old friends unfolds on screen, in his native Malayatoor, the local member (Jagadeesh) brings news that Eldhose has been killed in a fire at the factory, at which he was working.

The young man was largely hated in the village, but a motley group, which includes his uncles, drives in an ambulance to bring back his body. Basically, Dheeran - the name given to Eldhose for a childhood act of bravery - is a road film. This bit is interesting with Eldhose’s story told in flashback. But once the group gets to Dindigal and tries to bring back Eldhose, the story unravels and becomes too much to handle.

For one, from the beginning, it feels like there are too many characters that we have to keep track of. For another, though Dheeran tries to convey some timely messages, such as about a woman’s autonomy and moral policing, the story is not tight enough. And there is no character, except perhaps the member, who keeps us emotionally hooked. Even the music feels cliched after a point.

It is really nice to see our veteran actors in playful roles. Jagadeesh stands out in his role as the member, who brings maturity to the proceedings. The actor has been doing a variety of characters in his ‘comeback era’ and he continues to showcase an amazing versatility.