Polladhavan

Cast: Dhanush, Divya, Bhanupriya, Daniel Balaji, Murali, Kishore Kumar, Manobala, John Amritraj, Chethan
Language: Tamil
Banner: Group Company
Director: Vetrimaaran
Producer: S.Katherasan
Camera: R.Velraj
Story: Vetrimaaran
Screenplay: Vetrimaaran
Dialogue: Vetrimaaran
Lyrics: Vairamuthu, Na.Muthukumar, Kabilan, Yugabharathi
Music: G.V. Prakash
Year: 2007

'Polladavan' is a typical Dhanush flick, which is not even distantly related to Rajinikanth's 'Polladavan.' The script is obviously tailor-made for Dhanush but it is no different from gangster movies, which make audiences feel jaded.

Prabhu (Dhanush) is a clever but a lazy, jobless young man with a couldn't-care-less attitude to life. A boozer, he bids his time roaming with buddies. His only ambition is to possess a motorbike, but could not own one for want of money. Desperation drives him crazy and he often finds himself in verbal combat with his father (Murali), who is an honest and hardworking man. One day Prabhu engaged his father in a heated argument over extending him financial support. In exasperation Murali throws at his son Rs 50,000, from savings he had painstakingly built up. Prabhu buys a bike and with it comes a lucky break for him. He got a bank job. He then runs into a girl, Hema (Divya) at a bus stop and falls in love with her.

But his sense of fulfillment is short-lived. He finds his lucky two-wheeler taken away from the spot where the goons of dada Selva (Kishore Kumar) came to kill a man. He loses his job and his heartthrob deserts him. Frustrated by the sudden turn of events, Prabhu is determined to recover his bike. He confronts the Dada and there ensues a no-holds-barred fight between him and the dada's brother Ravi (Daniel Balaji).

The film begins with a flashback showing Dhanush with a leg cut off in the fierce fight in which he slashed to death a few goons, limping to his bike drenched in blood and proclaiming that this is what the bike did to his life.

Director Vetrimaaran adopted some new techniques to make the movie look different from Dhanush's earlier films, like "Pudupettai". But still the movie looks like Dhanush's earlier films.

Kishore Kumar and Daniel Balaji (who acted in Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu) are impressive in their villain roles and provided good support for maintaining the tempo in sequences leading to the climax. Murali, who plays Dhanush's father, does his role with ease. Bahnupriya is apt as the soft spoken and supportive mother.

G.V. Prakashkumar's background score is much better than the songs. Except for the remix "Engeyum Eppodum", the other songs serve only as speed-breakers. As for cinematography, the climax scenes are amazing.

The movie falls short of expectations of even the fans of Dhanush.

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