Dhoni (Not Out) Movie Review: Caught in the Deep
Posted at February 10th, 2012 under Featured, Movie Review, Review | Comments
Director Prakash Raj takes the avatar of direction after directing Naanu Nanna Kanasu (remake of Abhiyum Naanum) in Kannada. Prakash Raj’s production ventures have always been softcore movies that carry reputation and goodwill. These factors do earn some dividends. When the box office failed him before Payanam, the journey was carried out by a rechristened Silent Movies from his usual Duet Movies. But now, he is back to his familiar Duet Movies! Yet, is he back to his best (of those Mozhi days)?
Casting doubts on the ulterior commercial strategies of filmmakers isn’t a crime especially when a filmmaker identifies a concept as a formula that he thinks will click. A talented filmmaker will always work with uncertainty and novelty. A mortal will work on what he thinks will work. Prakash Raj obviously belongs to the latter. He is not to blame for he is only experimenting with his filmmaking skills from being an actor/producer.
Tamil film Dhoni is about a young adolescent’s (played by Akash Puri – son of famed Director Puri Jagannath) aspirations towards becoming a cricketer – taking World Cup Winning India Cricket Team Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as an inspiration. Prakash Raj is a commoner working as a clerk in a Registrar office. In his hand to mouth existence, Prakash Raj’s dreams are pinned on his son’s academic future who is more interested in cricket than studies. Midway through the film, when the conflict grows between the father and the son, Prakash Raj beats his son up and makes him a vegetable.
There is a bit of a 3 idiots or Nanban when Prakash Raj tries to shake his son off his coma with what he likes, i.e. cricket. Meanwhile, Prakash Raj gets to realize that there are plenty of flaws in our education system. The ugly face of educational institutions is stripped naked when Akash Puri’s school tries to get an aggrieved Prakash Raj to un-enroll his son from the school.
The film strikes a chord only when a neighboring prostitute wrongs Prakash Raj for chiding her. She tells him that instead he should solve his own problems. Except for such minuscule periods of time, Dhoni doesn’t really have a huge impact. Prakash Raj’s performance comes to the fore when he feels guilty for making his own son a vegetable.
Dhoni takes a panoramic bird’s eye view of middle class life from the balconies of the skyscrapers. It portrays middle class population as irrational whiners who jump in at every opportunity to complain. Tamil film Dhoni is probably a script written by an erstwhile assistant in the 90s. It resembles a Varavu Ettana Selavu Pathana while preaching lofty ideals at the same time. The script is entirely predictable, as Prakash Raj complains about his hand to mouth existence in almost all the first few scenes. Even the six hit of the final ball by Akash is predictable. Only very few dialogues command applause while the rest of them preach and speak screenplay in words.
Dhoni is not also logically sound. The portrayal of media as squeaky-clean is a major let down, as Television broadcasters chase TRPs in the real world. A Television program (Neeya Naana) leading to personal harm by henchmen is also unrealistic. TV programs do edit out or “beep” words of identity before broadcasting a program. A few minutes into the film, you do get the feeling of being in a cheap melodramatic stage play with a mishmash of unrealistic events to the extent of confronting the Chief Minister.
On the positive side, you see in Prakash Raj’s films an air of feel-good with almost all the characters turning less harmful. There are no actual villains and even a notorious money lender empathizes with Prakash Raj and helps his son spring back to consciousness. We would also like and dare to commit the blasphemy of calling Ilayaraja a thing of the past or simply outdated. Ilayaraja’s songs and BGMs of this decade and in Dhoni sound no better than sacred gospels sung by less trained musicians. Fact is fact! We may have difficulty digesting this fact but it still is a fact!
Positives
- Prakash Raj (Acting)
- Supporting Actors
- Intention
Negatives
- Prakash Raj (Overacting)
- Predictability
- Presumptions
- Ilayaraja’s Music
Verdict
Good intentions are not enough! They have to be interwoven with the nuances of filmmaking to leave a lasting impact among the audience. Quaintness and antiquity are the major drawbacks of the Tamil film Dhoni. Prakash Raj ought to have thought a little more than riding high on his reputation and supposedly good intentions. Dhoni (Not Out) – Dhoni Duck Out!
Rating: 
I THINK NOBODY IS BORN TO REVIEW THE MUSIC OF THE MUSICAL KING MY MAESTRO ONE & ONLY RAJA
THE MUSIC IS ALREADY BEYOND PRESENT . I THINK YOU ARE NOT IN THE PRESENT.PLEASE CONSULT WITH A DOCTOR.
MSUIC IS THE FINEST SEGMENT IN DHONI
You have claimed Dhoni to be “Caught in the Deep”. but did you see the boundary line? it’s already a SIXER before you caught it from outside
how come Ilayaraja’s music is negative when it’s the prime highlight of the movie and everyone else has approved it already? and what you meant to criticise Raja’s bgms of last decade as outdated? Raja is the only musician now in India who can create magical back ground scores in movies such that ordinary scenes gets lifted to skies. Raja has even improved immensely in last decade in western music to create symphony like scores for cinemas, while keeping his folk and classical elements right at the same level as he used to be right from Annakkili. Simply he is beyond the date as far as Indian composers are considered and I’m sure even Raja will wonder how he was able to give such magical symphony like scores in last decade when Tamil films didn’t demand such perfection. If you collect his Bgms of last decade, they are enough to be called a collection of symphonies from the one and only Maestro in Indian film music presently
Raja didn’t say he is God nor he claimed his music should be a religion. he always denied when someone praised him as music’s God. so the blasphemy theory you dared and committed on Raja is incorrect and foolish. Instead consider Raja as an ordinary human being, and in that ground can you suggest me another present day Tamil composer who can do justice to movies like Dhoni where the central theme of the story is highly emotional and cultarally rooted? you can’t suggest chewing gums from Harris Jayaraj, Yuvan or GV kinds to spit out drained in 5 min when the need of the movie was High Quality Nectar which Prakash Raj cleverly and rightly got from Raja.
Looks like you are paid by someone to write off Raja and Prakash Raj. In that case, you should also ask them a coffin for yourself. you’ll need it pretty soon cause your reviews like this is stinking so rotten that you’ll have to die in it naturally. RIP
leave him….. he his the best joker of the year 2012!
But tell me how much you have got to criticise the great music from our Music King?
such an awesome movie.. i dont know what was going on this mind of the reviewer… i would give a 4.5 rating on a 5.. a sure must watch movie..
Such a great movie to watch… I’ll give a five star rating. Please do know how to comment a movie before do so. Raja’s music is the best and highlight for the movie as well.
Feedbk from Malaysia.
I firmly believe this one is a ‘paid review’ by some present day musicians! because rajas music is still refreshing and flowing like a stream! In such a non-musical subject film only this man can do wonders!
I suggest you to visit a good ENT doctor!