Racer Movie review: An engaging yet functional film about bikes, racing and middle-class problems 

In the opening scene of Racer, we have the voiceover of Ashwin (Akil Santosh) as he contemplates the real meaning of victory and defeat. We see him winning a bike race and hear him wonder if a victory on the race track meant winning in life too. Racer spends 120 minutes coming to a conclusion about this and ends up being a dissatisfying endeavour with an incomplete ending despite keeping us engaged for most of its runtime.  

Cast: Akil santhosh, Lavanya, Aaru Bala, Anees

Director: Satz Rex

Racer is about Ashwin and his dream to become a bike racer. The biggest obstacle in pursuing his dream is his father, who puts forth practical reasons like financial difficulties and societal pressure to deter his son from a racing career. The pursuit of this dream forms the rest of the film. 

From developing a love for a two-wheeler in his childhood by winning cycle races, Ashwin's love for bikes turns into a craze as he grows up. The childhood portions of Racer work well thanks to the dialogues spoofed from films like Thanga Meengal and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaya, and well-written timely jokes that keep the entertainment factor high.

The main plot pusher in the film is when Ashwin wants to own a bike of his own. After borrowing a loan for the same, he lands in deep trouble, which forces him to begin racing against his father’s will. The main writing inconsistencies also start here. For example, after he buys a bike with his loan, he lies to his dad about it. He tells him that it is his friend's bike, which he will return after a week. However, for almost a year or two, he still has the bike, and we are never shown how he manages the lie at home. 

In between, the focus moves away from bikes and racing, and we see more of Ashwin’s life as a middle-class man and his problems with his father. We are also never shown if Ashwin actually repays his debt through his sojourn into bike racing events. Also, the humour portions are mildly effective, they act as speed-breakers to the narrative.

In a film about a man and his love for bikes, it is not surprising for the bike to have more screen time than most characters. But if the female lead, played by Lavanya, is going to be so inconsequential, why bother having it in the first place? The romantic portions are superficial. The songs are force-fit into the narrative. She has no idea about Ashwin's dream, and when she is finally let into his world, she accepts it without thinking. Lavanya’s character only gears down the speed of the film. 

The biking and racing aspects of the film are intriguing and well-made. While some portions look like extended advertisements for certain bikes, the racing scenes are shot in a dreamy way keeping our heartbeat in alignment with the throttling of the bike. The thrill of watching a live race is achieved while watching the race sequences in the film.

Racer focuses on local professional street races and gives an in-depth insight into the world without making them too expository. Another plus point of the film is that it does not promote illegal street racing in any way. 

The ending of Racer leaves us feeling rather dissatisfied. While we hope to find an answer to whether or not he takes up professional racing, the film ends with a conversation between Ashwin and his father, leaving the pivotal question unanswered. While Satz Rex leaves an epilogue for a potential sequel, the climax is not convincing enough to dial up our anticipation. If only the film had taken a more conclusive stance, Racer could have been enjoyed a lot more. 

With a simple premise, a promising performance by the actor playing the younger version of Ashwin, and a decent commentary on middle-class families, Racer manages to keep us engaged with the idea of the film. However, the inconsistencies in writing, the ambiguity regarding the central ideology, and the safe climax make Racer an also-ran instead of zooming past the chequered flag.