Thudarum movie review: A top-form Mohanlal shines in fan boy Tharun Moorthy's gripping directorial

Hindustan Times

25-04-2025

It has been a while since we were treated to a Mohanlal film that was an ode to the actor rather than the star. The recent films that were released like L2: Empuraan, Malaikottai Vaaliban and Barroz 3D, showcased Mohanlal, the star, and saw the Malayalam star in larger-than-life roles. Along comes director Tharun Moorthy, who is known for his realistic films. He features Mohanlal in a role that has a good character arc with emotional depth and is highly relatable. The end result is Thudarum which gives Mohanlal the room to display the actor in him which we all so love.
Benz aka Shanmugam (Mohanlal), a former stuntman in cinema who used to work in Chennai, lives happily in Ranni, Pathanamthitta, with his wife Lalitha (Shobana) and two teenage kids. He drives a taxi - his beloved Mark 1 black Ambassador car – which was gifted to him by his Master (Bharathiraaja) when he arrived in Kerala, to make a living, while his wife runs a mill at home.
Benz is devoted to his family and his Ambassador, and his world revolves around only these aspects. Unfortunately, one of his son's college friends decide to take the Ambassador for a joyride and end up in an accident. It goes to the workshop for repairs and ends up getting seized by the police who discover weed being transported in it by a workshop boy. A frantic and emotional Benz tries to retrieve his car from the police and finds himself caught up in a series of events that also affect his family in the process. What happens to Shanumugam? What does he get caught up in?
Before the release of the film, director Tharun Moorthy, who's known for Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka, had stated that Thudarum was his effort to present Mohanlal aka Lalettan, the actor, and how he wanted to see Mohanlal on screen. Moorthy gives us Lalettan in the highly relatable character of a middle-aged neighbourhood taxi driver who loves his family and presents this in a simple small-town story. Yes, there are strong vibes of Drishyam as you watch the film – in Shanmugam and his family, and the way there is a shift in the narration from the family angle to an unforeseen terrible incident.
The script by KR Sunil and Tharun Moorthy is well-written and tight, giving every character its due importance and also cleverly tying in the varying incidents and information they reveal in the first half of the film. While the first half of the movie is slower, the second half picks up pace with its twists and turns, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The added pop culture references and self-trolling in the dialogues add flavour to the film as do the references to some of Lalettan's earlier movies. And Mohanlal has mass dialogues, too, to cater to his fans. The Malayalam actor as Shanmugam goes through a range of emotions from happiness to sorrow to anger and heartbreak and full props to the writers for ensuring that Lalettan had a truly meaty role to bite into in Thudarum.
Mohanlal is in top-form in Thudarum and every scene he is in showcases the great actor that he is. His performance is flawless and the way he undergoes the character transformation on screen from the first half to the second is gripping to watch. Casting Shobana with Mohanlal after nearly 15 years is a coup, as the chemistry, especially in the emotional sequences, enhance the film tremendously. The others in the film including Binu Pappu and Prakash Varma have delivered strong performances as well.
Thudarum is Mohanlal's 360th film and the technical crew has made sure it is a memorable one. The music by Jakes Bejoy, especially the BGM is outstanding, as is the cinematography by Shaji Kumar. Director Tharun Moorthy's Thudarum is a wonderful treat not just for vintage Mohanlal fans but for all audiences.