Prakash Raj is one of the most versatile actor in the country & his Duet Movies have always strived to give meaningful cinema. After his debut as director in Kannada , Prakash Raj has wielded the megaphone for the first time in Tamil with "Dhoni" , a movie based on critically acclaimed Marathi movie "Shikshanacha Aaicha Gho ".Movie deals with the faults in the educational system & how parents should not pressurize their children, should allow them pursue their passion. Just a month back another Tamil movie with similar theme got released to grand reception , "Nanban". Though the theme is the same , here the execution leaves a lot to be desired."Dhoni" is a classic example of however noble the intentions may be , if the execution is faulty than the message that the makers want to drive home gets lost. There are moments of brilliance , but they are few & far in between getting immersed in the sea of mediocrity. Not only the execution is faulty , screenplay is sluggish , cinematic , melodramatic with over the top scenes bordering on ludicrousness.Acting also is very average with either actors going over the top or inadequate. Prakash Raj goes overboard in many sequences leaving one wondering what happened to the subtle actor one has witnessed in movies like "Abhiyum Naanum" , "Mozhi" , "Azhagiya Theeye". Radhika Apte is the only one who seem to have acted with restrain while all the others with even the seasoned actors like Nasser , Bramanandham , Tanikella Bharani going over the top in many places. Akash plays Prakash Raj's son doesn't seem to know much about acting.Ilayaraja's background score is what which keeps the viewer seated. Once again the man proves why he is still the best when it comes to background score. Songs however doesn't seem to sink in with the narration.K.V.Guhan's cinematography is adequate while Kishore must have been more astute with his editing.Dialogues are good in parts , especially the witty one-liners reminds one of Radhamohan's movies. But towards the end the dialogs become too preachy & repetitive which may test the patience of the viewers.On the whole , "Dhoni" is plagued by poor direction , sluggish screenplay & boring melodrama.Bottomline : Out of form

Starts out very realistically meanders towards melancholy *spoilers included* Duet movies, more often than not, leaves a great impression on the audience with every one of its premise. Dhoni starts out equally well, but fails after an impressive 1st half. One must though laud the effort taken by the team that tries to bring to the fore one of the most nagging problems of this country- our great education system, that sadly has not many voices. The film's about how a middle-class father ,Subramanian (prakash raj), breaks down to into harassing his son, kaarthick (Aakash),thanks to all the pressure that a middle class man in India goes through, before realising his folly and goes all out at the education system. Kaarthick is a extremely talented cricketer, his inspiration being dhoni, who can recite endless cricket statistics at will but finds reciting the multiplication tables hard. He is forced into giving up on his cricket sessions so as to prepare for his exams. His father, typical of what happens all over, spends all his hard-earned money on his son's tuitions only for him to fail again. A frustrated father, vents out at the son, ends up facing major implications, which is very melo-dramaticcally put forth in the second half. How he recovers from the mess he created forms the rest of the premise. The entire film plays out in two different parts, before interval and after interval, the difference in them being absurdly contrasting . It starts out in a very promising manner. It has all the ingredients that have been the hallmark of successful movies from this production house. What follows henceforth disappoints. So realistic until then, it takes up an entirely different road becoming cinematic/melodramatic basically going over board with the emotions. You find quite a lot of loopholes sprinkled all over the plot. The actions that end up in kaarthick reaching coma it too much to take? Are you kidding me? Is that all it takes one to reach coma? And when did the doctor informing the concerned parties about some trauma, become so much like a random, convo? The neeya naana episode we get to see- must be the worst episode of a very credible programme. Never has neeya naana been this loaded in favour of a single person. how a middle class man could so easily have access to a talk show of such high credibility is bemusing. But then, it is nothing when you compare it to the same middle class man getting to have a convo with the CM! (O_O) . all these , and a lot more holes in the plot contribute to water seeping in and the ship sinking. Performance wise, prakash raj lives the role. He shines apart from the rest of the cast, carrying the entire film on his shoulders. As a father, a government staff, a neighbour who puts honour on the forefront, he plays the role of a middle-class man to perfection. Radhika apte ,playing the neighbour with a dishonourable profession (slut), fits the bill, fine. Somehow for an actor of Nasser's stature, he never looks convincing as the coach. Aakash's is a mediocre performance and there's a lot that can be improved upon. Ilayaraja's score helps things in the better part of the film. Never saw the point of having that opening song though. For a film that tries to bring out the drawbacks in our education system, ''dhoni'' is a bemusing title. The pace of the film in the second half, no the second half is in itself questionable. Is it mandatory that every tamil film should be a 2 and half hour venture? A shorter, sans melodrama version would've made a greater impact. It is worth watching, for its impressive first half and for the issue it tries to bring forth in the second. Films such as these ought to be encouraged. 6.5/10

DHONI is a film that will surely manage to kindle the emotion in you. I generally don't believe in the concept of actors turning into directors , but Prakash Raj as a director truly surpassed the actor in him by a large manifold. It is a wonderful attempt of showing the bitter reality of the emotional trauma which both parents and students undergo due to the present education system.Even though the second half of the film turned out to be predictable, Prakash Raj managed to end the film with a strong message. When there are too many good things, its not wrong to ignore the small issues. Tamizh Cinema is heading in the right direction.This is a movie that is sure to leave an impact. Thumps up ! Must watch film :)