Thudarum movie review: Tharun Moorthy makes Mohanlal throw away the ‘L' and unleash his enigmatic talent to deliver a nearly flawless revenge thriller

Indian Express

25-04-2025

Thudarum movie review: Absolute magic is what would happen on screen if the director has complete conviction and command over the narrative and the world they have envisioned. In short, that's exactly what director Tharun Moorthy has managed to pull off with the Mohanlal and Shobana-starrer Thudarum. In detail, Thudarum ranks among one of the finest Indian revenge thrillers that hasn't compromised on any of its aspects, both on the creative and technical sides, while also ensuring brilliant performances – particularly from Mohanlal and Shobana, together and individually – thus offering an unparalleled experience.
For Shanmugham (Mohanlal), his black Ambassador car is the most valuable possession in his life. Not that he doesn't love his wife Lalitha (Shobana) and children (played by Thomas Mathew and Amritha Varshini); he loves them to the moon and back. But that Ambassador car has a lot of significance in his life, particularly his past, and hence, it is invaluable. Remember Sudhi's love for his autorickshaw, Sundari, in Venu Nagavalli's Aye Auto (1990)? Yeah, multiply that by 100; that's how much the 'KL 03 L 4455' vehicle means to him. Thus, he is known by the pet name Benz in his hometown of Ranni, Pathanamthitta district, and he makes a living by using his car as a taxi, albeit without proper permits, while his wife runs a mill.
It's because of his deep emotional attachment to the vehicle that, when it ends up in police custody, over a case Shanmugham has no connection to, he's heartbroken and dishevelled. Although he puts in maximum effort to get the vehicle out, to no avail, as SI Benny C Kurian (Binu Pappu) has taken the case as a prestige issue. Nonetheless, with the help of CI George Mathan (Prakash Varma), Shanmugham manages to get the car released. To his misfortune, however, his troubles had just begun, as this was all part of George's bigger plan and entangled in this, Shanmugham eventually ends up at the centre of more troubles. As the walls begin to close in, he has no option but to cut through the tightening noose. In doing so, Shanmugham also makes more startling revelations that further throw his life into disarray.
The film's biggest strength is undoubtedly Tharun Moorthy's vision of exactly what to get out of each frame. Be it the glance or a gesture of one of the actors, or the overall setup, Tharun's mastery as a storyteller is evident throughout the movie. 'When the elephant walks, the forest walks with him,' goes a famous saying, and Thudarum begins on this note. Although the film starts at an edge-of-the-seat moment, set in a hilly area adjacent to a forest, in the aftermath of a disastrous landslide (almost like a chilling reminder of the 2024 Wayanad landslides), Thudarum brilliantly transitions to the life of Shanmugham and his family through the shot of a herd of elephants, resting in the warmth of each other. From this point onwards, Tharun and his co-writer KR Sunil maintain restraint, giving ample time for the world to develop at a gradual pace, offering exposition too, but not very explicitly, while also throwing enough light on the rapport between the central characters.
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With neatly crafted moments, the makers manage to offer a 360-degree view of Shanmugham and Lalitha's world in the first act and how happiness is something that grows organically in their soil, thanks to the heartening equations each person shares with the other in the family. Unlike typical 'family dramas', both Shanmugham and Lalitha are employed here, and their household has no concept of a stay-at-home parent. Hence, they divide the chores among themselves and run the family like an unbeatable team. Although there is a visible generation gap between the parents and the two kids, the movie also shows how they all anchor each other emotionally, and hence any threat to their happiness would hit them like a boulder. Here, we also learn that Lalitha is basically Tamil and that she and Shanmugham met and got married while he worked as an assistant to Palani (Bharathiraja), a veteran action choreographer.
Unlike typical superstar films where references to their old movies are slipped in every once in a while simply to evoke applause and cheer from nostalgic fans, Thudarum satirises a couple of elements from Mohanlal's earlier films, particularly the ones which underperformed. From Shanmugham being referred to as 'Agent X' (Aaraattu, 2022) and asked ' Kurachu kanji edukkatte? ' (Odiyan, 2018), to being mocked enquiring as to why he is lying down like ' Vettiyitta vaazha thandu ' (Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea, 2021), Tharun has beautifully woven in such elements into his movie, evoking laughter and not making viewers cringe once.
Director Tharun Moorthy with Mohanlal on the sets of Thudarum. (Credit: Facebook/@tharun.moorthy)
Just like how a car goes, Thudarum slowly picks up momentum as the stakes start going up. Once it hits the third gear, Tharun and Sunil unpack and lay bare in front of the audience all that the movie had in its pockets, which transitions it into a gripping thriller. While it initially seemed that Shanmugham got caught in the web of problems coincidentally, thanks to brilliantly placed misdirections, it is eventually revealed that this too was part of George's grand scheme, thus completely ruining the former's life. Although George and those around him, like Benny, assumed that the CI was the lion of the metaphorical jungle – a crooked cat who would do whatever it took to safeguard himself – they trivialised Shanmugham and did not realise that he was a bull elephant who would not forget or forgive any harm to his herd.
Once the genre shift happens, Thudarum quickly begins its journey through a different territory, yet it never becomes overambitious or detached from its roots. While maintaining a spectacular consistency and fluid storytelling, Tharun and Sunil ensure the seamless progression of the narrative, offering exactly what it requires at the exact moments, thus taking the audience on an emotional rollercoaster journey, tugging their heartstrings and making them root for the payback to be crushing.
(Spoilers ahead) ' Ente nishkalankanaaya kunjine marichittum ningalenthinaanu mazhayathu nirthiyirikkunnathu? (Why are you making my innocent child stand in the rain even after his death?)' famously asked TV Eachara Warrier in his memoir. The Malayali psyche and history would never forget Warrier's name, owing to the relentless and fearless legal battle he waged against the Congress-led Kerala government following the disappearance of his son P Rajan, a student of the Regional Engineering College in Kozhikode, who was allegedly killed as a result of torture in police custody, during the Emergency period. Tharun and Sunil have masterfully stitched this dialogue into the solid fabric of Thudarum, as asked by Shanmugham's son Pavi (Thomas Mathew), a victim of dishonour killing orchestrated by George. Thanks to stellar writing and filmmaking, the movie's progression from a family drama to a revenge thriller that addresses a social evil is seamless and brilliant, setting a benchmark.
For cinema lovers, particularly for his fans, Thudarum comes as an all-encompassing token of apology from Mohanlal. From the very beginning, he delivers on point and brilliantly, emphasising that the actor in him is still intact, waiting to be unleashed by a filmmaker who knows how to tame him so that the latter could soar high, sitting on his shoulders. Mohanlal is like Buckbeak, capable of doing wonders, but was missing the right companion until he met Tharun 'Harry Potter' Moorthy.
By allowing him to completely shed his star mantle and return to being the Mohanlal that Malayalees fell in love with — the man next door; the one with vulnerabilities; the one who shows no shame in laughing and crying out loud; the one whose eyes glitter upon seeing his loved ones and well up when something happens to them; not the 'L', but Lalettan — Tharun has successfully showcased the many facets of the thespian's acting abilities. While most of his recent directorial collaborators, blinded by mass formulas and his superstar persona, focused on making star vehicles, Tharun has proven the wonders a filmmaker can achieve when they forget the 'L' and embrace Lalettan. After all, we have only one of him. From the initial comedic moments and the adorable chemistry with his family, particularly Lalitha (played magnificently by the ever-glorious Shobana), to the derailment of his mental health and a thirst for revenge filling him eventually, Mohanlal has performed Shanmugham beyond any gap for finetuning. At the same time, as the director let Mohanlal revel in love with one of his finest on-screen companions, Shobana, the two managed to bring out well the beauty of intimacy among those who have been in love for a long time.
For cinema lovers, particularly for his fans, Thudarum comes as an all-encompassing token of apology from Mohanlal. (Credit: Facebook /@tharun.moorthy)
Prakash Varma, too, deserves immense praise for his spectacular performance as the monstrous CI George, one of the most vicious villains to have ever come out of Malayalam cinema, and he can be ranked among the likes of Paul Pailokkaran (Thilakan) in Namukku Parkkan Munthirithoppukal (1986) and Bhaskara Pattelar (Mammootty) in Vidheyan (1994). Without overdoing it at any point and maintaining an eerie restraint, he has managed to show all the vile shades of his character. Equally commendable is Binu Pappu's portrayal.
Jakes Bejoy once again proves that he is a music maestro, with his songs and background score elevating the movie to greater heights throughout, while Vishnu Govind's audiography is also equally brilliant. Shaji Kumar's cinematography and Nishadh Yusuf (late) and Shafeeque VB's editing are also stellar, mostly. Production designer Gokul Das and costume designer Sameera Saneesh also warrant praise for job well done.
However, amid all the positives, the film has faltered at times due to poor dialogues, with some coming across as half-baked and rushed. At the same time, Thudarum could have also benefited from a final round of trimming, sealing the apertures and cracks here and there. The unnecessary slow motion in some moments, particularly during fights, has also detracted from the overall experience. While the visual metaphors have landed mostly, particularly the effective use of rain and elephants, they come across as contrived at certain junctures.