Rudhran Movie Review

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Actor Raghava Lawrence has finally broken free from the overbeat horror genre to try his hand at another overworked genre. Rudhran is about an IT professional who embarks on a revenge mission to take down gangsters that are responsible for the death of his family. Actor Raghava Lawrence who was last seen in the action-comedy horror movie Muni 3: Kanchana 2 is back on screens with his action thriller film Rudhran. Actress Priya Bhavani Shankar has portrayed the female lead in the flick. Director S Kathiresan has directed the entertainer. Writer K P Thirumaaran has written the script. So, how has the action thriller flick Rudhran come out? Is it solid enough to put actor Raghava Lawrence back on the winning horse, and extend the winning streak of actress Priya Bhavani Shankar? To know that let us get into the movie review. 

The film follows the life of Rudhran (Raghava Lawrence), a corporate employee who leads a happy life with his father Devaraj (Nassar), and mother Indhrani (Poornima Bhagyaraj). When heroes who are loafers have a romantic track, how can an employed man not have one? Rudhran meets Ananya (Priya Bhavani Shankar), who works as a lab technician and gets smitten by her. After she accepts his proposal, they get married, give birth to a daughter, and name her Anya. Well, that escalated quickly! Isn’t it? This is not a hero singing duets and romancing the heroine while taking on evil corporate criminals, kind of plot. But sort of a lone wolf that goes on a hunt to hunt the hunters that hunted his family. Devaraj helps a person get a loan to run a business. But he elopes with the money which leads to Devaraj’s death. To sort out the financial issues Rudhran takes up a job abroad. Ananya and Anya visit him, and spend some time there. For predictable reasons Ananya leaves Anya with Rudhran, and returns to Chennai. 

One day out of the blue Rudhran is informed of his mother’s sudden demise, and the disappearance of his wife. He returns to Chennai to give a proper send off to his mother. After which he takes it upon himself to find out what transpired while he was gone. He does some digging on his own. Evidence points him to a biker gang leader Varadha (Sharath Lohithaswa). He beats the information out of him which takes him to Bhoominathan aka Bhoomi (R Sarathkumar). Bhoomi and Varadha run an organized network that targets the parents of those who work in foreign nations, and usurp their assets. Bhoomi learns about Rudhran, and ties him up in a factory and sets it ablaze. Will Rudhran survive it, and avenge the death of his family by killing Bhoomi, is what makes the rest of the movie. 

To start with, Rudhran has a hackneyed plot to lure the attention of the audience in the first place. On top of it, it has an even more cliched treatment to hold the attention of the audience if at all it manages to get it. Those who have followed actor Raghava Lawrence’s work, would be accustomed to the horror comedy, reference to orphan or physically challenged kids in some form, mother-son sentiment angle, and of course his dance moves. Pretty much this sums up the plot of his filmography. Rudhran is not any different from it. Only missing element is the horror factor. Unfortunately, unlike any of his masala films, Rudhran is a disaster on all fronts. From the manner in which the characters are introduced, to how the hero falls for the heroine, to its dialogues, to its use of BGM, to how it concludes, nothing has even an emblem of freshness to it. Guessing or rather confidently saying what is the next scene is a nice pass time while we wait for the film to reach the end. But even that gets banal after a point. 

Actor Raghava Lawrence is known for playing cocky swaggering characters. He seems to have had great fun playing his stereotypical part yet again. Despite being the female lead, actress Priya Bhavani Shankar’s character does not have much say in the proceedings. The actress, on her part does her role well. Actor R Sarathkumar demands our attention with his towering presence. Actor Sharath Lohithaswa lives up to the purpose for why he was brought on board. Veteran actor Nassar is effective as usual. Veteran actress Poornima Bhagyaraj does justice to her part. Actor Kaali Venkat offers us the occasional much necessary humor. Actor Ilavarasu makes an impact even in a limited screen time. Actor Redin Kingsley’s celebrated antics are getting tad dreary after their protracted run. Actress Thangadurai is operational. Actor Jayaprakash is functional. Actor Hareesh Peradi is adequate. Actors A Venkatesh, Thennal Abhilash, Sambhavi Gurumoorthy, Jayakumar, Rajesh, Stun Siva, Abhishek Vinod, Shivajith, Neelima Rani, George Maryan, Sai Dheena, and Deepa Shankar have all chipped in and have played their roles well. The rest of the cast has delivered what was asked of them. 

On the technical front, musicians G V Prakash Kumar, Dharan Kumar, and OfRo’s songs are uninspiring and do not last long in our memory. Even music director Sam C S’s background score is just jarring and deafening. Cinematographer R D Rajasekhar has covered the entertainer from all best angles. His work standout especially in capturing the action blocks. Editor Anthony has complimented the work of his colleague by having his scissor placed at right spots. 

On the whole, absence of novelty and generic writing makes actor Raghava Lawrence’s Rudhran not only a tedious affair but a horrific cinematic experience.