The opening minutes of Dharmadurai bring to mind Seenuramasamy's previous released film Neerparavai (the film that he shot after that, Idam Porul Yeval, is still lying in the cans and even gets referenced here). Like the hero of that film, the protagonist of this one, too, is an alcoholic. The first time we see Dharmadurai (Vijay Sethupathi, solid), he is at a local bar, and the director shows us how his oafish behaviour is a constant source of embarrassment to his brothers (each one named after the Pandavas of the Mahabharata), who even plot to harm him grievously to stop him from maligning them further. His mother, Pandiyammal (Radikaa), is the only one who stands up for him, and we get the sense that there is some reason behind Dharmadurai's alcoholism
But the director holds on to that for quite a while, instead choosing to narrate the college days of Dharma. We see his gang of friends, which includes Stella (Srushti Dange) and Subhashini (Tamannaah, who does a commendable job dubbing for herself), and the two pine for him, the former openly, and the latter in silence. Then, there is their saintly professor Dr Kamaraj (Rajesh), who keeps urging them to treat the profession as a service and work in the villages. And finally, we get the reason for Dharma's need to seek solace in alcohol. We are introduced to Anbuselvi (Aishwarya Rajesh), a worker, whom Dharma falls in love with, and we learn how, despite his do-gooder nature, the romance ends in tragedy because of the greed and regressive attitude of his brothers.
( 3 / 5 )