''Durai'' is a 2008 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

-language

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by A. Venkatesh starring Arjun and

Kirat Bhattal Kirat Bhattal (born 26 January 1985 in Monrovia, Liberia), professionally known as Kirat or Keerath, is an Indian actress. She debuted in modelling roles and then made a breakthrough in the Tamil film industry. Career After completing her ...

Plot

Raja ( Arjun) works with a cook Arusuvai Ambi (

Vivek Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) (विवेक in Devanagari script) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience". Vivek may refe ...

). Raja comes across Anjali (

), who catches his interest. She falls for Raja, but he cannot remember anything of his past. All he recollects are vague images and memories that disturb him in his sleep. After a sequence of events and a chase by rowdies, Raja collects his past. Raja, a year ago, was Durai, the close associate of honest politician Deivanayagam (

K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (born 19 February 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South ...

). Durai, who leads a happy life with his wife Meena (

Gajala Gajala (maiden name Gazala Shaikh Khan) is an Indian actress, who has predominantly appeared in Telugu and Tamil films. She made her debut in the Telugu film ''Nalo Vunna Prema'' in 2001. Early life Gazala Shaikh Khan lived in Kuwait before he ...

) and son, is hesitant to assume the post. Anjali, a reporter, pursues him for interviews and falls in love. Deivanayagam is killed, and the blame falls on Dorai. His wife and son are murdered. Eventually, Dorai alias Raja takes on his enemies and cracks the truth behind Deivanayakam's death. Action oozes all the way.

Cast

* Arjun as Durai (Raja) *

as Anjali *

as Meena * Suma Guha as Sandhya *

as Arusuvai Ambi *

as Deivanayagam *

Vincent Asokan Vincent Asokan is an Indian actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. Personal life Vincent is the son of actor S. A. Ashokan. He is married and has two sons. Career Vincent Asokan made his debut in director A. Venkate ...

as Dharma * Amit Dhawan as Shanmugam *

Vennira Aadai Moorthy Vennira Aadai Moorthy (born 25 July 1936) is an Indian actor and comedian in Tamil cinema. He has starred in many Tamil films and television serials as a comedian and also played supporting roles. He is a lawyer by education, and holds a B.L. ...

S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...

Shanmugarajan Shanmugarajan is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil films. He is an alumnus of The American College in Madurai and National School of Drama National School of Drama (NSD) is a theatre training institute situated at New Delhi, India. It i ...

O. A. K. Sundar O. A. K. Sundar (born 3 January 1970) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Tamil cinema and television. He is known for his antagonistic roles starting with ''Virumaandi''. He played the main character in the television series, ''Romapuri Pan ...

as DC Eswara Pandian * Stunt Gopal

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by D. Imman and he remixed yesteryear chartbuster hit "Raja Rajathi" from

Agni Natchathiram ''Agni Natchathiram'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language masala film that was written and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film stars Prabhu, Karthik, Amala and newcomer Nirosha, with Vijayakumar, Jayachitra, Sumithra, Tara, S. N. Lakshmi an ...

composed by

Ilayaraja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

Critical reception

''Indiaglitz'' wrote "Loads of action is the hallmark of any Arjun film. Durai is no different from his routine commercial action entertainers, where he takes on baddies, fights corrupt system and romances heroines. Director A Venkatesh seemingly inspired by Hollywood flicks like Bourne Identity and

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

." ''Behindwoods'' wrote "Overall, Durai is a regular Arjun movie that fails to provide the regular entertainment. The weak story and loose script are the major drawbacks and with all his experience in tinsel town, Arjun ought to have done better. Even the trademark action sequences are missing with only the climax fight justifying the title of Action King."

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Durai (Film) 2008 films 2000s Tamil-language films Indian action films Films scored by D. Imman Films about amnesia Films directed by A. Venkatesh (director) 2008 action films