Raghuvaran B.tech Review

Despite taking Kollywood by storm, Dhanush has somehow not been able to make a mark for himself in the Telugu States.  The much-hyped '3' disappeared without a whimper, save the sensational 'Kolaveri di..' whose popularity saturated even before the film's release.  Yet, a section of audience count on Dhanush to deliver a realistic performance, something which they noticed in the super-flop '3'.  Raghuvaran B.Tech, the dubbed version of 'Velaiyilla Pattathari', is the story of an idler-turned-ideal youngster, told in a slice-of-life and not a larger-than-life patois.

Raghuvaran hates being compared with his younger brother Karthik by his parents at the drop of a hat.  The audience is misled into thinking that he is a member of the "majority community" (the waste fellow community, to be sure), but he has talent in him.  Thankfully, this talent is awakened in him not by a heroine.

Caught in the web of pressure to earn but bereft of opportunities, waiting for an opportunity to prove himself is Raghuvaran (Dhanush), who is in the search for the right job for four years, after completing his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering. While every day existence is an ordeal for Raghu as the non earning member of the family, with even his younger brother Karthik earning handsomely, he has enough reasons to be dejected. Karthik is the apple of his parents' eyes but Raghu has his mother's (Saranya Ponvannan) undying support and faith in his talent.

For the first part of the film, he is your waste guy-next-door from 7/G Brindavan Colony, waiting to be insulted by everyone.  As usual, the one character who has a soft corner for him is his mother, besides the girl-next-door (Amala Paul as Shalini).  A few squabbles later, Shalini is  seen in love with Raghu.

This is yet another Tamil movie where the heroine falls for the hero sooner than you think she would.  Yet this is not a love story, but a human story that revolves around Dhanush's character from start to end.

Hurt yet strong, emotional yet focused, depressed yet sportive, and not blindly optimistic but realistic, Raghu is all emotions that an unemployed, talented youth would be.

Samuthirakani plays Raghu's father, and he is the typical parent who wants to see the better for his son. He discriminates, scolds and chides his elder son, but loves him all the same.  Vivek's presence in the second half brings some dose of laughter, especially because it has been long since he has acted in a film dubbed into Telugu.

Velraj, the cinematographer-turned-director, scores some points, but he may not have delivered a film that can work with the Telugu audience in a noticeable way.

The style of song choreography is typically Kollywoodish, tailor-made for Dhanush.  The music was apparently on the chartbusters in Tamil.  The songs that don't hinder the flow notwithstanding, they are not very likely to be as big hits as they were in the original version.

Dhanush's performance deserves a mention, he is slice-of-life all the way.  If Amala Paul is her usual self, Surabhi (to be seen in Beeruva) makes an impact with her tender charm.

Verdict: The film has a good theme and is not in the regular masala mould.  It surely offers some good moments, but don't expect anything superlative in this character-centric, largely unformulaic film.

Rating: 2.75/5