Oru Thekkan Thallu Case, the new film starring Biju Menon and Roshan Mathew in pivotal roles, is yet another tale that revolves around the male ego. The movie, directed by Sreejith N, is struggling from the lack of a solid-enough presentation of its conflict. It was actually towards the last half an hour of this 150-minute long movie one could sense the film finding some rhythm in narrating the story. With almost all the key moments lacking the adrenalin rush one would wish to see, Oru Thekkan Thallu Case feels really dull.
The story is set in the backdrop of a seaside village in Thiruvananthapuram, and it is happening in the radio era. Our hero Ammini Pillai is a prominent name in the village, and a jobless bunch of youngsters led by Podiyan doesn’t really like the respect Pilla enjoys in society. At one point, Podiyan’s ego makes him attack Ammini Pillai, and Pillai gets injured badly in that attack. Even though Pillai didn’t give any formal complaints, he had other plans for the gang. How he dealt with the group that attacked him is what we see in Oru Thekkan Thallu Case.
The movie is based on GR Indugopan’s famous book Ammini Pillai Vettu Case, and since I haven’t read the book, this review won’t be a book versus movie comparison. While watching the film, one can understand the moments they wanted to pinpoint as the cause of conflict. But the impact created by those scenes is almost forgettable. The engagement scene of Podiyan and Vasanthi has this huge build-up for the attitude shown by Podiyan, and as a viewer, you don’t really sense the need for such a build-up. Similar was the case with the interval block where Ammini announces his revenge plan. The screenplay struggles to create a hefty feel around these key sequences, and the result looks dull and unexciting.
Biju Menon has been playing this rugged rude guy for some time now, and the only bit of challenge here is the slang which he has handled neatly this time. With that physique and attitude, Biju Menon is a very convincing choice for the character of Ammini Pillai. Roshan Mathew was also really impressive as Podiyan, and I really like the way he grabs the slang and attitude. Podiyan is that unlikable character who is highly egoistic about saying sorry. And Roshan portrays the fear and crookedness of Podiyan convincingly. Padmapriya deserves a special mention for her performance as Ammini Pillai’s wife. Nimisha Sajayan smiles a lot, even at moments where you will hope her character to fake some seriousness. The chemistry between her and Padmapriya was excellent. Akhil Kavalayoor, Reju Sivadas, Arun Sankaran, and Aswath Lal were memorable in their respective roles.
The male ego has been a theme that we have seen in many films in the recent past, and one of the prominent ones on the list is Biju Menon-starrer Ayyappanum Koshiyum. What made that movie a perfect entertainer was how it created an ego-based conflict in a very layered way. That process is taking too much time here, and the screenplay has this cluttered feel in the first half. It is after Ammini declares his plans Oru Thekkan Thallu Case manages to find some steadiness. The humorous second half gets convoluted again due to Podiyan’s attitude, and even though the character’s motive is understandable, the rift isn’t shaping up in an enticing way. Justin Varghese’s music is quirky and fitting. The production design of the film was also good.
The sarcastic approach toward exposing the male ego was what they planned to exploit in Oru Thekkan Thallu Case. But the generic treatment that eats up a majority of the movie’s run time takes out all the charm the movie got through its setting. Oru Thekkan Thallu Case is a film that failed to utilize its talented cast mainly because of an underwhelming screenplay.
Oru Thekkan Thallu Case is a film that failed to utilize its talented cast mainly because of an underwhelming screenplay.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
