Horror genre looks to be a permanent fixture in Tamil Cinema. First it was horror, then horror and a little comedy and then horror and comedy and now its comedy with doses of horror. Tamil cinema is in the grip of horror and no amount of insults seem to wake up the ghosts from their deep slumber, until then the Tamil audience would be put on the “Ghost” staple diet.
Director Rambhala, with all his experience in the small screen graduates to the silver screen with “Dhilluku Dhuddu” and with Santhanam on board DD should have been a laugh riot. The “Horror+comedy” template is intact. The haunted house and a crowd inside the house, then the horror cuts, few to scare and more to amuse is integral in this movie as well. Logic is buried in the graveyard while the ghosts roam. Horror is used to laugh at, while comedy at most places is horrific. The plot in DD is simple, drag the story till the last half hour and then bombard the audience with generous dose of “horror and comedy”. A few changes would be the Buddhist monk instead of a Church or Temple priest and the partly fun towards the end where there is confusion among the real and drama ghosts.
Santhanam has a new look in the movie, Surya make over in his looks and a Vijay style in his dance steps. He tries with all honesty and moderately manages to pull it off too. He has gone lean and is serious in his efforts, though his one liner is what the audience enjoys most. The heroine fits the bill as a North Indian with little to perform and does her expected job with a bad lip sync to match. The others do well. Mottai Rajendran is impressive.
Cinematography is good and a decent edit makes the movie watchable. The songs are massy to enhance the image of Santhanam as a serious hero and the background score is quite good.
DD is another “horror comedy” movie that we are used to with a few intermittent changes to mask the already abused stencil. DD might appeal to the audience who enjoy this new genre, but for the rest, save the “Dhuddu” for something better.
DHILLUKU DHUDDU – PATHADHU!!
2.25/5
B.U.Shreesha
