From time to time, actor Prakashraj indulges in movie-making and is always careful to touch upon sensitive and sensible themes instead of opting to make the run-of-the-mill stuff. Films like Azhagiya Theeyae, Mozhi, Abhiyum Naanum, Vellithirai and Payanam are just a few samples of the versatile actor’s insatiable thirst to provide quality films at an affordable cost.
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Dhoni, his latest offering as a producer, also marks his debutant directorial venture in Tamil. Prakashraj has gone a step ahead and has also played the lead role in the film. In this context, his sincere attempt to make a movie on an issue which very much affects the student community in a daily basis is very commendable indeed.
To put it briefly, the script is all about a basic conflict between a middle-class father’s ambition about his son’s career and his son’s wishes and dreams about what he wants to become. Subbu alias Venkata Subramaniam (Prakashraj) is a typical middle-class government employee, who has a daughter and son Karthik (Akash Jagannath). After the demise of his wife, Subbu doubles up as the children’s mother and tries his best to provide them with quality education.
Subbu does additional jobs in the evenings to earn more to fund the children’s education. Even as he wants Akash to study well, the latter becomes an ardent admirer of India’s world-cup winning cricket captain, the flamboyan and charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and wants to emulate him. Akash’s studies take a nosedive and it reaches a point whereby the principal of the school warns Subbu that his son might be detained in the same class during the next academic year as well.
Overcome with extreme anger on hearing this and in an uncontrollable fit of rage, Subbu slaps his son hard who faints and then slips into a coma. It’s at that time that Subbu realizes his blunder of not spotting the hidden sporting talent in his son and concentrating merely on his academics. He also recognizes the fact that the country’s flawed educational system burdens children with needless homework and exams and merely ends up making them book-worms.
The film eventually and expectedly, ends up taking a dig at the prevailing education system which puts extreme pressures and burdens on the children to perform at all times.
Acting-wise, Prakashraj breezes through his role with his characteristic ease. Dhoni marks him donning the triple roles of an actor, producer and a filmmaker. Not surprisingly, he does well in all departments. It’s highly appreciable that Prakashraj hasn’t fallen into the compulsions of ‘commercial interests’ and added an ‘item song’ or something like that. No song looks as if it’s forced into the film in the context in which it appears and there is no ‘punch line’ uttered by any of the actor(s).
The feel-good movie has a clear message (which is again a predictable one) on an issue that merits attention by the State and Central governments. The film has also opened up the debate on the need to change the present education system to make the children more competitive. The willingness and the need on the part of the parents to show understanding and spot the strengths and weaknesses of their own children in order to let them pursue their fields of interest is undoubtedly the film’s central theme. The climax id rather weak and dramatic wherein Subbu gets an audience with the chief minister (by Sarath Babu).
One of the best character actors in the country, Prakashraj excels as an actor as he brings out the agony, anger and frustration of a middle-class fellow who wants his children to study well and bothers least about the children’s wishes. He has consciously checked his own performance to ensure that he doesn't go overboard in emotional sequences.
Young Akash is a top-class act; his reactions and emotions are spontaneous. Radhika Apte, the popular Marathi actress, plays his mother and does her job neatly. The film has Brahmanandham, Thanikala Bharani, ‘Thalaivasal’ Vijay and Nasser who have done their allotted portions to the best of their talents. Prabhudeva’s song number is an added attraction.
The film gets life thanks to splendid background score by Illayaraja. The Maestro, as always, lifts the film’s overall quality with his soul-filling music. His tunes and background scores are mild and soft and complement the scenes well.
Though it might appear to be getting preachy at times, Dhoni does deserve a pat on the back for the simple fact that it is an honest attempt to give a quality film, if not for anything else.
Dhoni: Watch it for your children’s sake!