Dragon is a Tamil Movie which is written and directed by Aswath Marimuthu. The principal characters are Pradeep Ranganathan, Anupama Parameswaran, and Kayadu Lohar and the supporting characters are Mysskin, Gautham Vasudev Menon and K. S. Ravikumar. Kalpathi S. Aghoram, Kalpathi S. Ganesh and Kalpathi S. Suresh produce the Dragon movie under AGS Entertainment banner whereas the movie is distributed by Mythri Movie Makers, Poorvi Pictures, AA Films, Oveum International, Phars Films and United India Exporters. Netflix acquired the digital streaming rights of the movie.
The movie has Niketh Bommireddy as the cinematographer, Pradeep E. Ragav as the editor, and Leon James as the music composer. The Dragon film has a formalized duration of 2 hrs. and 37 minutes. It is reported that the film was budgeted at Rs. 37 crore, but it has already taken approximately Rs. 152 crore at the box office. International theatrical debut on 21 February 2025.
Contents
Review
Ashwath Marimuthu directed Dragon is a colourful coming of age film that has the exuberance of youth, which is balanced by moral teachings. On the surface, Dragon might look like a typical bad boy reforms, but the writing of Ashwath makes this one not only deeply touching and emotionally rich and developing the character and clever references, but also charming and entertaining.
It is a film of D. Ragavan (Pradeep Ranganathan), who was a former school topper and now a college ruffian following a heartbreak. The life becomes diminished until he is forced to take his own problems as well, which puts him on a redemption path. The former half is inclined towards college mischief and childish postures, it is in the second half that Dragon rushes in with its head banging into the narrative of responsibility, second chances, and education as important.
Pradeep Ranganathan is a dramatically poor version of Ragavan, but the actor fits the part. With his performance, which borders the concept of caricature, it suits the outsized nature of the character. The Mysskin played Mayilvahanam is a revelation as an empathetic lead character, who infuses the warmth and gravitas without drama. Anupama Parameswaran is great as Keerthi who should be given a more complex line.
The screenplay by Ashwath is keen on details including background of Ragavan in computer science, his friendships and his habits to present grand payoffs, which unravels to an intertwined story which is rewarding. There is polishing of the music by Leon James and colorful cinematography by Niketh Bommi.
It is true that Dragon can be a tad reductive here and then, and resorts to convenient coincidences like their suspension-of-disbelief scenes but its heart, its humour, and its grandio-romantic emotional core will really cover that up. The film is an intelligent film that gives credit to the viewer and appreciates the fact that owning your errors and being able to make the decision to change is what being a true hero means.
You May Also Like to Read
Dragon is a light-hearted, emotional entertainer that gives an equal share to laughter, reflection and redemption. Weaknesses aside, Ashwath Marimuthu leaves the audience with an enjoyable, intelligent, and completely entertaining film, virtually a must-see film among the fans of heart-warming, coming-of-age movies.
Cast
The cast ensemble in Dragon gives the movie a colorful performance which makes the kinetic storyline in the movie look like a place where people live. Pradeep Ranganathan plays Ragavan “Dragon” Dhanapal, a troubled college rebel transformed into a responsible adult with a dose of guilt very well. His acting, which is simultaneously light-hearted charismatic and expansive, fits the sensibility of the movie, although it borders the caricature in some instances.
Anupama Parameswaran, the actress portraying Keerthi Deepak, does a good job of breaking the emotional strength and vulnerability, and her performance is quite pleasing to watch. Her acting gives a heart to the narrative of Ragavan, despite the lack of footing in her character. Kayadu Lohar is beautiful as the modern and clear headed woman, Pallavi who is aware of what she desires in life and love.
This empathetic chief of a college named Mayilvahanan is the heart thief, performed by Mysskin. One of the highlights of the movie is his understated and warm performance which helped give the scene some seriousness without being too heavy. Parasuram played by Cameo K. S. Ravikumar and Vale Kumar by Gautham Vasudev Menon are stealing the show.
George Maryan as the naive father of Ragavan and Indumathy Manikandan as the affectionate mother offer emotional relief playing the supporting roles. VJ Siddhu and Harshath Khan give you a comic relief as the constant friends of Dragon and Ivana in the cameo role stays with you. This is a very relatable, emotion-filled, and intelligent casting.
Critical Reviews
The critic of India Today named Janani K rated the movie with three out of five stars and complimented Dragon on creating the interesting second half of the movie and a new redemption storyline. The latter half has been quite unexpected, particularly the initial half is typical college-movie stuff. Pradeep Ranganathan is lively and not emotive and Anupama Parameswaran and Kayadu Lohar receive their fair share of good moments. Cinematography, music and editing are working in excellent harmony. Dragon is a great watch though it is not perfect.
You May Also Like to Read
Harshini SV of the Times of India has given the movie 4 stars out of 5 stars and praised the non-judgmental narration of the story and the depth of emotion that the movie offers, with nostalgic allusions by Dragon. Nevertheless, in spite of being based on coincidences, good acting and writing make it a good movie that is heartwarming along with being a good ride.
The movie received four out of five stars by Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 and states that Dragon labors under the thumb of its lead, which is imperfect. The redemption arc of Raghavan by Rathnavel, portrayed by Pradeep Ranganathan, is a fine one, and so is the benevolent main character by Mysskin. A clever screenplay turns flops on expectations, where heroism is seen as a quality of nobility, and not success. But the character of Anupama Parameswaran is the one that receives an unwarranted portion of the guilt of having left Raghavan. Nonetheless, the story of Dragon is very moral.
One person who reviewed and criticized the movie was Avinash Ramachandran of the Indian express who rated the movie three and a half out of five and praised the attention grabbing storyline, witty script and an honest performance. The screenplay is deceptive and raghavan has been graphically depicted well in terms of his character as a troublemaker to redemption. Pradeep Ranganathan creates a spirited impression and Mysskin and George Maryam add layers. Nevertheless, with the paper-thin female characters, Dragon is a preachy Roman adventure with good acting and emotional payoffs.
Audiences Reviews
The film Dragon received fantastic criticisms among the viewers; more than 885 moviegoers rated the film at 8.4 stars out of 10 stars on IMDb, a good rating. So saying that, I can say that Dragon was overall well-received based on user reviews, as I noticed the majority of users describe it as a feel-good movie that can help young audiences.
The film had a lot of fans who were impressed with its deep emotional focus, scenes they could relate to of campus life and sentimental second half. He has mentioned that many users remarked on the fact that the movie was a good combination of humor, drama, and life lessons, thus making it a favorite among students and young adults. The acting of Pradeep Ranganathan as the dragon is a step higher than the one he did in his former performance, and Mysskin as the caring principal, the emotional playing of the father of the dragon is just the best done by George Maryan.
You May Also Like to Read
Leon James was the composer of the music, and colorful cinematography received steady applause, as well, adding some vibrance to the story and action. According to the users that watched it, the first half was dragging a bit, but the emotional weight, humor, and redemption arc of the second half, made it all worth it. This was even furthered by some reviews stating that Dragon is one of the best Tamil movies to be released in 2025.
At the minority side, a few viewers stated that the first half seemed to be boring, the writing was too convenient, and how many songs there were or how long it was as a negative. Some thought that Pradeep was still limited in his acting and others criticized the screenplay as messy in comparison with Love Today.
After all, Dragon is a serious yet fun film that succeeds in connecting to the target audience.
Songs
Dragon is also composed of a bright and diverse soundtrack, which includes an anthems and contrasts them with emotional ballads, which is the ideal accompaniment to the dramatic storyline of the film. The album begins with a powerful song in the electric genre titled as Rise of Dragon by Vignesh Shivan and voiced by Anirudh Ravichander. The one by Think Music India creates an epic atmosphere of the film because of heavy beat and high tones.
This is followed by Vazhithunaiye, a soulful duet by Sid Sriram and Sanjana Kalamanje. It is an emotional take on the song with the heartfelt lyrics of Vignesh Shivan which offers some soothing response to the initial anthem. Silambarasan does not disappoint on the third song, Yendi Vittu Pona, when he gives the song a heart-touching performance with a song full of longing and sorrow. Ko Sesha adds a lyrical heft in the lyrics which increases the emotional appeal.
Written and sung by Gana Apellow, Maatikkinaaru Orutharu provides a kind of local flavor with the raw and earthy kick. It is a spirited interlude which is the relief to the emotional tenor. It is again slowed down by the soft and meditative ballad “Maname Maname,” performed by Pradeep Kumar and composing its lyrics, Ko Sesha, which gives richness to the album.
You May Also Like to Read
Lastly, the tranquil, divine note of the soundtrack is closed with the song “Iraivaa” performed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and Leon James as soft rhythms are mixed with reflective lyrics. The song length is approximately 22 minutes long, and each of the six songs offers an abundant musical landscape to the magnificent narration of Dragon.
How to Watch the Dragon Movie
Dragon has ended its theatrical release and is currently available on Netflix. People that did not watch the movie in cinemas can also watch at home. Netflix has purchased the digital streaming rights of the Dragon, therefore, it is not difficult to transfer it to the OTT platform in the theatres. Dragon can be streamed or downloaded on Netflix and requires a valid subscription. After subscribing, the movies are streamed in high quality and users are allowed to access an abundance of other movies and content that is all provided legally on the Netflix platform.
Featuring the pleasant mix of laughter, emotions, and lessons in life, Dragon cannot be overlooked by those who enjoy comedy, youth-dominated films. The Netflix button on Dragon is a single click away in case you are coming to it after the theatrical release or watching this movie again because of the emotional highs.
very good