Drohi - movie review

Drohi (or Betrayer in English)  is one of the movies in Tamil which shoots high but fails to reach anywhere even close to the target. Yet another Maniratnam student Sudha K Prasad has debuted as director in this movie.

There are many interesting twists and turns in the movie and that probably is the only good thing about it. There is a huge lack of sewing these interesting sequences into a good screenplay. Sreekanth and Viishnu have done a commendable job. Pooja does an impressive cameo, wonder why we don't see her more often in screen. But hey Laila was also MIA after Pithaamagan.

In spite of a couple of my friends advise that the movie is full of violence, blood I went ahead and watched Drohi. This movie is definitely not for kids or family viewing. I mean, I can ignore a bit of violence and bloodshed, but Sudha has seriously disappointed and betrayed me for the following reasons.

As mentioned earlier, this has a bad screenplay in spite of the falshbacks being a threaded by a very fresh and interesting sequence. I mean, it defies the basics of screenplay - the narrator cannot narrate incidents of  which he is not part of or he doesn't know ! There is complete lack of continuity in execution. When Viishnu gets on the train to Hyderabad for Police selection, he sports a beard, in the selection room he is clean shaven, the next day, back in Chennai, he is again full bearded ! And what a mean and cheap portrayal of women (except Pooja's Roja) in the movie. One of the heroines is all over a ruffian Srikanth who hates her. So forces him into an intercourse and then asks - "How will you escape now?" Seriously, is she so dumb to understand the regard this baddy might have for her chastity ? In a public market, she catwalks to a totally stranger (Viishnu) kisses him and asks - "Oru kiss thaana, so what? Karpa poidum?" meaning "its just a kiss am I going to loose my chastity in it?" Now, how many Chennai Brahmin girls would do that even if they are around the worst slums? Narayanan's character ( played by Thiyagarajan) is a joke ! He would take revenge at anybody who even dares to hurt his family a bit even if it is a genuine mistake, but forgives his henchman Srikanth who plots and kills his son ( is this not betrayal ? ) He keeps claiming he knows Srikanth's friendship with Viishnu more than anybody else but could not see through the plot by both to kill him.

All said, it is a cat and mouse chase between unworthy ruffians and we have seen a very better version by the guru himself, so you can afford to miss this.