Thadam directed by Magizh Thirumeni is an interesting plot executed in the most typical Tamil movie style. It is not necessarily an out of the box or a take on a thriller subject. The peculiarity of the puzzle here makes this whodunit an exciting experience even with its share of usual clichés or the common eccentricity one see in mainstream commercial Tamil movies.
Massive SPOILER ALERT! I will have to reveal one key element in the film in order to review this movie. So if you people want to skip to the last paragraph, this time I am completely okay with it. Ezhil is a civil engineer who is in love with a film critic (yes! We are now characters in movies) named Deepika. While the love story was moving smoothly, we are shown Ezhil getting involved in a murder mystery in which he claims to be innocent even after solid photo evidence. The investigation hits a roadblock when police came to know that there is a lookalike of Ezhil. How the investigation goes forward after that, who is the lookalike and who exactly is the killer is what Magizh Thirumeni’s Thadam showing us.
As I said, the movie is very much a typical commercial Tamil film. We have the hero trying to woo his girlfriend by trying to ask a question the way she wanted him to ask. Soon after that, there is that quintessential TASMAC song of the hero. Even in character detailing or in back stories there is that texture of eccentricity. But after almost more than a quarter of its runtime, the film enters its primary conflict of framing Ezhil to be the killer. And when Kavin is introduced we sense that interesting twist. You may have some logical questions to say that the police can still prove it and the film uses its creative liberty to place the investigation team in a clueless area. The movie then tries to empathize with the characters by showing us their back-stories and the climax becomes a thrilling one when it reveals how the planning happened.
Arun Vijay has done an appreciable job here as Ezhil and Kavin. The difference between the two is minimal and yet he manages to make them easily distinguishable. Even though the movie is exploring these two characters through many stages in life, the part Arun Vijay has got to play is largely on a single tone. Vidya Pradeep was fine as the police officer. Tanya Hope was okay within the minimal space she was offered. Sonia Aggarwal who portrays the role of the mother in the flashback phase was a really good choice. Interestingly Yogi Babu was given a toned down character.
Magizh Thirumeni, in my opinion, is that director who treats the subject with a bearable amount of exaggeration. Seeing the first song featuring Arun Vijay and Yogi Babu I kind of felt that Magizh Thirumeni never really wanted to have that song and did it under studio pressure. But the good thing is that by mixing it with scenes that established the nature of the hero he kind of blends it with the film. The fun in the movie is actually the plot that teases the helplessness of the cops. Some of the techniques Thirumeni has used to make the plot foolproof are seemingly too much, but at the same, it wasn’t totally unbelievable. And by going into the back-story of the characters he somewhat generates empathy in our minds towards these brothers. The second half screenplay is really gripping and it was occasionally hilarious and largely exciting to see the dilemma of the police officers. Magizh Thirumeni likes the usage of high octane background score and as a writer, he was able to sculpt scenes that suited that kind of background score. Songs are a bit of baggage when you are dealing with a gripping thriller.
The typical Tamil movie feel and elements in Thadam is a drawback. But the gripping second-half and the peculiar plot with an interesting conflict makes this Magizh Thirumeni thriller an appealing one.
PS: Like me, if you are someone who doesn’t know how to read Tamil, and if you haven’t read the other paragraph’s in this review, there will be some additional mysteries which you will be trying to resolve and trust me it was fun.
Rating: 3/5
The gripping second-half and the peculiar plot with an interesting conflict makes this Magizh Thirumeni thriller an appealing one.
Green: Recommended Content
Orange: The In-Between Ones
Red: Not Recommended
