In director Elan’s Star, headlined by Kavin and shouldered by Yuvan Shankar Raja, there are a handful of such moments where you are transported, transformed, and transfixed.
But what transpires between those beautiful moments is what proves to be the undoing of this tale of a young man struggling to chase his dream of becoming an actor.
For a film that has lofty aims, the lack of fuel to propel it to the skies becomes apparent when things fall into place rather than the protagonist piecing it all together.
Throwing our weight behind Surabhi (a woefully miscast Aaditi Pohankar), at such a random time is too much of an ask, when she feels like a convenient afterthought and nothing more.
The portions between Kalai and Surabhi aren’t new; the novelty isn’t the problem; it is randomness. But these portions allow Kavin to showcase his wares as an actor.
In many ways, the true star of Star is indeed Yuvan Shankar Raja. The songs are the lifelines of the film that connect the various arbitrary dots in the film.
Essentially, Star is a long magic trick. But it is a reminder that sometimes, we must remain at arm’s length from the magic, happily oblivious to how the tricks work.