Blue Star - A fascinating entertainer about cricket and the discrimination around it.

Sports dramas never fail to attract our audience as it's a part of our lives. 'Blue Star' is a new cricket entertainer that chronicles a tale about the sport and the socio-political construct behind it. This film is directed by S Jayakumar and brought to us by Pa Ranjith's Neelam Productions. Ashok Selvan and Shanthnu play the lead roles with Keerthi Pandian, Prithvi Pandiarajan and Bagavathi Perumal in supporting roles. Govind Vasantha's songs are chartbusters already. Let's see if the movie is worth it.

'Blue Star' follows the lives of two young cricketers - Ranjith (Ashok Selvan) and Rajesh (Shanthnu), who come from different backgrounds in Arakkonam. Ranjith hails from an economically and socially backward family and leads the local team called Blue Star while Rajesh, who is ahead of the former in both aspects, captains the team 'Alpha Boys'. The two teams have a history of arch rivalry because of some social reasons with Immanuel (Bagavathi Perumal), a former local cricketer, being a star player. However, Ranjith and Rajesh realise that they have to face bigger problems which transcend beyond their game. They join forces to prove themselves against much-privileged social evils. Were they able to sort out their differences and win over the social dilemma?

This role is another feather on Ashok Selvan's as he is nowhere to be found in the film. All we see is Ranjith on the screens. Not only the looks, Ashok Selvan has brilliantly transformed into this character with his heart and soul. On the other hand, Rajesh will go down as one of the best roles played by Shanthnu. He has delivered a memorable performance. This character has different shades throughout the film and Shanthnu handled it very well. Apart from the lead actors, Bagavathi Perumal and Prithvi Pandiarajan were excellent and very fitting for their roles. Keerthi Pandian's role was little yet very special in this movie. Her chemistry with her husband Ashok Selvan was blissful. Special mention to the actor who played Bullet Babu. He stole the show with a very limited screen time.

Debutant S Jayakumar makes a solid impact with his craft in his maiden film. Though the film travels on a simple and straight plotline, his narration was fairly engaging in most parts with strong characters and noteworthy dialogues. The subtle and sensitive approach to the socio-political issues helped the film very much. The creator has conveyed a lot through his subplots and they do leave an impact. Also, the Sam character was such a comic relief while the Bullet Babu sequence was highly enjoyable as well as thoughtful. However, the film's second half feels lengthy.

Govind Vasantha proves he's a real deal once again with his outstanding music in 'Blue Star'. The background score during the cricket match scenes was fiery with the one during the climax scene being the best. The songs, especially the ones sung by Therukural Arivu, were terrific with the sensational 'Railin Oligal' being the icing on the cake. Thamizh A. Azhagan's visuals with a vintage style colour grade were so good to watch. Selva RK's editing was just fine.

Verdict: 'Blue Star' is a sensitive, engaging and worth-watching sports drama.