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Dass
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'Dass' Romance and Action

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

Dass has put hero Jayam Ravi firmly on the path to the top. King of action Arjun had better watch out! Ravi can give you a run for the money when it comes to doing the dishum-dishum-scenes, if his performance in Dass is any guide. It could have been a more slick film if only the editing had been better.

The story unfolds in a Tirunelveli village in Tamil Nadu vitiated by caste antagonisms and tensions.

Antony

Dass (Jayam Ravi) is the captain of the college football team. A hero in the eyes of the girls, Dass falls for Rajeshwari (Renuka Menon), daughter of the owner of the college, Annachi (Shanmugharajan).

The feeling is not one-sided. Which is not to the liking of Rajeshwari’s father, who gets Dass dismissed from the college.

But Annachi’s problems do not vanish. Rajeshwari’s cousin sister Puneeta takes a fancy to Dass’s friend Guna. When Annachi comes to know that Guna belongs to a lower caste, hell breaks loose. In a tragic denouement, the lovers are burnt alive.

Dass is now a changed man. His only aim in life is to avenge the death of his best friend. As part of his plan, Dass runs away with Rajeshwari. The duo take refuge at Dass’s Muslim friend Nasir’s (Krishna) residence. Being the influential man that he is, Anna manages to trace the duo. In this task, he is assisted by a minister (Mahadevan) and cop (Vijayan).

How Dass goes about his task -- of getting his girl back -- forms the remainder of the film.

Director Yogeshwaran has been able to keep the first half of the film lively. Racy narration keeps audience interest alive. Unfortunately, the second half is infuriatingly dragging and attention flags.

Jayam Ravi’s is a convincing portrayal. He is a one-man army who successfully battles the scourge of casteism and wins the hand of his sweetheart. Well-executed action scenes by Rocky Rajesh are a strong point of Dass. And they go a long way in projecting the image of Ravi as an action hero in the mould of Arjun.

Renuka Menon is a perfect foil to Ravi. But dancing is not her cup of tea. Vadivelu is able to tickle the funny bone in some scenes.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is good. Special mention must be made of the song “Samy Kittay…”.

Cameraman Vijay.K.Chakravarthy affords us a feast for the eyes with exquisite frames of rural Tirunelveli, Theni and Kutralam waterfalls.

The minus points are a cliched climax and a slow-paced second half. Still, Dass is entertaining.

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