THOONGAVANAM MOVIE REVIEW

 

======= No Spoilers in this Thoongavanam Review =======

 

Who's the hero? Who's the bad guy? If the captor of Kamal's son isn't on the top of the food chain, who is? Does Kamal have a part in the food chain too or is he a clean cop? Kamal Nallavara Kettavara? If he is indeed clean, why does Trisha and Kishore have to chase him down? Not until the end of Thoongavanam, will you know and even the smallest hint to one of the above question will spoil the experience of watching this crime thriller.

 

"Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup." Everyone loves the quote and if there's anyone who's like the quote, it is Ulaganayagan. Kamal plays Diwakar, a veteran official of the Narcotic Control Bureau. With Kamal, the audience gets into the character of Diwakar.

 

Trisha's makeover as an officer of the NCB adds spice to the movie watching experience. She shows strength and agility, which is of great importance to the role. Prakash Raj as Vittal Rao, is no stereotypical mafioso. He portrays arrogance, feels fear and struggles with pain. Kishore, Sampath, Asha Sharath, Yugi Sethu, Jagan and Madhu Shalini add excitement to the plot. Aman Abdullah, as Kamal's son has a meaty role and his brief appearance is packed with wits and strong emotions!

 

With more films with Kamal Haasan, come great responsibilities and Ghibran seem to show no signs of strain in adapting with him whatsoever. The techno music in the introductory scene, the pumping rhythms inside the bar and the silences (though used minimally) in the scenes where Kamal feels pain are works of a superior talent.

 

Cinematographer Sanu Varghese and editor Shan Mohammed have complimented each other well to provide balanced visuals to a film that has a wider variety of colour than normal, mainly provided by the flashy artwork and the vibrant costumes (of Prakash Raj, in particular). Another striking feature of the movie is its stunt choreography - classy, real and hardcore. Suka's dialogues are both emotionally intense, despite the use of very simple words and massy at places. The end credits visualisation was a bit different for a Kamal Haasan film.

 

If one has to complain, it must be about the slight slow pace of the movie. 

 

On the whole, Thoongavanam, though looks to be a long night, is a happening one!