Asuran trailer breakdown: Dhanush impresses in the 98-second glimpse into this Vetri Maaran-directorial

The trailer of Asuran, Vetri Maaran and Dhanush's fourth collaboration, just dropped, and it is 98 seconds of intense tension-filled set-pieces that get our hearts racing.

Dhanush is frighteningly effective right from the first time we set eyes on him as he glowers into the frame with menacing eyes and a sickle in his hand. GV Prakash's pulsating score effortlessly draws us into the violent proceedings that follow. There is a buildup to a slain "periya manushan" and then, we hear Manju Warrier chiding someone for not being violent enough. And then, there they are again — the menacing eyes of Dhanush. 

We soon understand that this is a film based on oppression, and resistance, as Aadukalam Naren questions the sudden bravado of people who were, till then, not questioning the status quo. A bomb blast here, a sickle-throw there, and guess what, once again the menacing eyes of an elder Dhanush that segue into the angry eyes of a young Dhanush. 

"Nammaku thevayaanadhu naama dhaan adichu vaanganum," says Dhanush as he kicks, jumps, and punches his way to bringing social equality. 

Based on Vekkai, a novel by Poomani, the film is about Chidambaram (Ken Karunas), who mistakenly kills an oppressor, and goes into hiding with his father for a week to remain alive till he can surrender in court. 

The teaser shows the varying landscapes that facilitate this hiding. The non-linear narrative in the teaser show glimpses of the various players in this plot, including police officer Balaji Sakthivel, Prakash Raj, Ammu Abhirami (the younger version of Manju), Pasupathi, and an actor who plays Chidambaram's uncle. 

The teaser continues to explain that the struggle for survival for a week is an aftermath of the struggle for survival in the everyday lives of people like Dhanush and his family in Asuran. As he tells his son, Chidambaram, "Nammakitta kaadu irundha eduthukuduvaanuva, kaasu irundha pudungiduvaanuva, padippa mattum namma kitterndhu eduthukudave mudiyadhu."
 
When a young Dhanush hacks someone and goes on to wipe the blood off his face with blood-soaked sleeves, we see a particularly calm menace in his eyes. We see that once again when the same guy, now older, with soiled teeth, greying hair, and a turban on his head, nonchalantly runs around hacking people to save his kid. The contrast in these two scenes that form the end of the neatly-cut teaser, proves yet again that Dhanush is one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. 

Overall, the teaser hints at the ambiguous nature of the title. Who is the real Asuran? Is it the sickle-wielding Dhanush or the ones who made him so? Come October 4, we will know for sure.