Dora movie review: Nayanthara is the only saving grace in a predictable horror film

Nayanthara, the 'Lady Superstar' of Tamil films, catapulted to stardom with a smart selection of scripts. She has not restricted herself to high-paying mass films and has cleverly taken up movies with strong content. The latest addition to the list is Dora, which  does not have any actor in the lead. 

Cast and Crew

Dora marks the directorial debut of Doss Ramaswamy. The movie is a joint venture of A Sarkunam and Hitesh Jhabak. Thambi Ramaiah, Harish Uthaman and others are also in the cast. Vivek Siva Mervin Solomon has composed the music, Dinesh Krishnan has handled the cinematography while Gopi Krishna has edited the flick.

Buzz

Nayanthara undoubtedly remains the prime attraction of Dora. The teaser and good music have raised curiosity for the Tamil film. Enga Pora and Ra Ra numbers have been received well by the audience. Also, the promotions for the movie have helped generate a good buzz around the flick.

Story:

Nayanthara plays Pavalakodi, daughter of Vairakkannu (Thambi Ramaiah). Like any father, he wants to see his daughter settle down to a married life. The story takes a twist when the family visits their ancestral temple and Pavalakodi buys a vintage Austin Cambridge car, which is possessed by a stubborn spirit seeking revenge against three criminals. In a parallel thread, a cop is investigating a rape and murder case. The two plots converge at a point.

Reviews:

Dora has a decent story backed by brilliant screen presence of Nayanthara. The idea of a mysterious car and the investigation plot intrigued the audience. However, Thambi Ramaiah's comic sequences fails to work and for a horror film, it lacks spine-chilling moments. The story becomes predictable after a stage. On paper, the story may look great, but the execution is not on the par. On the technical front, the cinematography gets full marks. Overall, the writing could have been a lot better and the film largely rests on Nayan's shoulders.

Find the audience response to the film below:

ChristopherKanagaraj‏: #Kavan | Good 1st half. Film showcases the dark side of media. VS shines. TR has no scope. Worst songs. K V Anands typical style screenplay.
3 replies 13 retweets 26 likes
#Dora | Car/Dog's Revenge drama. Intense Flashback portion. Pakka Solo show frm Nayantara. Nice music & camera work. Gud making.1 tym watch!
#Dora - 1st half | 2 stories : Nayan-T Ramaya-Haunted Car & Harish Uthaman's murder investigation. Interval block super. So far its just ok!

Thinkal Menon‏: #Dora The saving grace is #Nayanthara Few thrilling scenes and almost no scary scenes. Comparison may be unfair, still nowhere near #Maya

Sathish Kumar: #Dora - Scene between Nayanthara & Harish Uthaman has come out well, especially the police station scene.
Yes bro.. Would have helped the collection during this summer vacation. #Dora name along with Car & Dog as ghosts - Kids would have liked it
#Dora is Kollywood's usual horror revenge movie with few Nayanthara's mass scenes & good Music..
#Dora Director takes almost the whole 1st half to establish the haunted car & engages audience to some extent. Waiting for engaging 2nd half

UrfriendvinuITV: #dora had a decent plot. But the very much predictable script and not at all impressive direction killed the show. Wait for DVD
A below average first half and an ok second half. Except few scenes and #Nayanthara mass nothing

Royaltamilan: #Dora 1st half finished, very few lags, but extraordinary Screenplay and BGM. #Nayanthara and @harishuthaman Acting is AwesomeInterval cut

Haricharan Pudipeddi‏: #Dora at interval. Mostly relies on Thambi Ramaiah's comedy track to entertain. #Nayanthara's best is yet to come.

Kolahalan R‏: #dora - we all know nayanthara and thambi rambiah can act well in scenes,but here even a car acted well...(2/3)
#dora - Dora wins slightly over kavan...With family, you can watch this....thumps up...
#dora - content matters...its a usual revenge ghost story, but the director takes it in different way...(1/3)