Suspend your disbelief, logic, and reasoning, and you might love Director Nelson’s Doctor. Doctor is a ‘masala’ film or ‘mass’ film as people call it, and obviously the hero is the central character. Doctor is made from the template of Vijay’s Thuppakki, Nani's Gang Leader and Nelson’s own Kolamavu Kokila -- which were all commercial successes. While there are many moments in the film which seem absolutely ridiculous, Nelson with his fast-paced screenplay, and relying on his talent to create a comic situation, makes it a thoroughly entertaining film.
Doctor stars actors Sivakarthikeyan and Priyanka Mohan in the lead roles. The rest of the cast include Vinay, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley, Archana Chandoke, Ilavarasu, Arun Alexander, Deepa Shankar and a host of other actors.
In the film, Sivakarthikeyan plays the role of Varun, a doctor in the Indian Army, while Priyanka plays the role of Padmini, and we don’t know what exactly she does. As ‘mass’ films mandate, it is a film about the hero and his super abilities to solve any kind of problem. And again, as these kinds of films mandate, the hero who is a know-it-all uses the heroine as a punching bag to show how ‘smart’ he is. It is funny how a sensible and confident woman, who rejects Varun, makes a right assessment of his character and boldly gives very specific reasons about why he isn’t the right match for her, is made into a ‘loosu ponnu’ throughout the film.
Padmini literally transforms Varun from being a humanoid without any emotions, who is shown to be very practical in the beginning, to an irrational man driven by emotions, but yet she is a ‘loosu ponnu.’
Doctor is the story of how a bunch of clueless people with the help of a pretentious know-it-all decide to take down a huge human trafficking empire. Doctor also has just one song in the film, which greatly helps in keeping the film engaging.
The best thing about the film though is that it doesn't punch above its weight. One of the best talents of Nelson is his ability to write comedy. And banking on artists Yogi Babu, Deepa Shankar and Redin Kingsley, he packs a punch. Yogi Babu is a riot throughout the film. Nelson has focussed on the Yogi Babu character by writing a good role for him, who is very important to the plot. And Yogi Babu makes it special with his mannerism and dialogues. At least now Tamil directors should retire the “comedy” of calling Yogi ‘Panni Moonji Vaaya’ to get a few chuckles. Give the man a good role, please.
However, what seemed really off-putting was, Nelson has taken violence to a new extreme. Comedians getting beaten up is supposedly funny, and Nelson who tries to be more funny, ups the ante by crucifying a comedian. But since it’s just a film, we have to ignore it I guess.
Coming to the performances of the actors, as the hero is supposed to be serious ALL THE TIME, Sivakarthikeyan does a good job of acting like an android. And supposedly since he follows discipline, he also buttons up his shirt till the neck and wears fake spectacles. We also can’t reason why an Army man has a beard and is without a high and tight haircut, since the film doesn’t pretend to be anything other than an entertainer. Priyanka Mohan gives a decent performance although she is not given any importance.
Music Director Anirudh's background music is impressive, particularly for the hero and villain ‘elevation’ scenes. Cinematographer Vijay Karthik Kannan excels in his department. He captures both the emotions of characters and the fast fight sequences with equal ease.
So, if you are willing to submit yourself to Director Nelson’s story without questioning, you might enjoy the film.