Thudarum review: Mohanlal's crime drama is good mix of thrills and punches
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has to be one of the busiest actors in India. His latest film, 'Thudarum', is his third theatrical release in the last four months, following 'Barroz 3D' and the Malayalam blockbuster 'L2: Empuraan'. The Thespian of the Malayalam cinema has, for the last few years, been on a bumpy ride, with a few successful ventures but more failed attempts, and no back-to-back hits. Can 'Thudarum' be the stepping stone for Mohanlal to pile up some hits? It certainly has the product to make that happen!advertisementSet in the beautiful hill town of Ranni in Kerala's Pathanamthitta, Shanmugam, who also goes by the name Benz (Mohanlal), lives a happy life with his wife Lalitha (Shobana), two children, and his black Ambassador car, as an unlicensed taxi driver. Benz's heart belongs to his car, which, amidst unfortunate incidents, ends up in the police station while he is away.
Benz, who is restless without his car, desperately tries to get it back from the police, but ends up getting mixed up in matters he never dreamed of. What impact will these incidents have on Benz? Will he get his car back? Why are the police so adamant about sticking with Benz's car? What's the bigger story? The answers to these questions and more make up the plot of the film.advertisementWhile withholding information to avoid spoilers about this thriller, rest assured the film has a lot to offer, and the questions mentioned above are just a few among many. The film does a great job at slipping interesting questions into the narrative gradually, only to reveal, with time, that the answers to these questions are a bigger question in themselves. As the layers unravel and answers start flowing in, the film also sheds its crime thriller image and ends on a high note, with Mohanlal riding the waves.KR Sunil's story presents a very smooth-flowing narrative that gets heavier with the story's progression. The screenplay, written by Sunil and director Tharun Moorthy, efficiently establishes all the characters, their lives and motivations, to make every action that happens at the end of the film believable - something that the audience can back wholeheartedly. While parallels can be drawn between Mohanlal's 'Drishyam' and 'Thudarum', they are certainly not identical.Mohanlal, as always, delivers an amazing performance as the central character of the film. From being an endearing and adorable father to being menacing and massy, he does it all and more, earning whistles, claps and cheers from the viewers. While the film does have him play several shades, the happy, cheerful and friendly taxi driver was certainly the best, as it was refreshing to see Mohanlal in that way after quite some time. Too bad that didn't go on for long in the film.advertisementShobana does a good job as Lalitha, Benz's nagging and stern wife. She shows power in her performance; however, her role wasn't as impactful in the film as expected. It was nice to see the pair of Mohanlal and Shobana together on-screen, especially during the first 45 minutes. The stand-out performer in the film was Prakash Varma as CI George. The famous ad filmmaker, like the iconic Vodafone commercials featuring ZooZoos, delivers a performance that elevates the film to a level where the audience is just as invested as the characters in the film.One drawback in the film is the run-time being close to two hours and 45 minutes. There were several scenes in the film, especially towards the end, which felt unnecessary. While the first half had a good pace, the second half felt a bit stretched out, with moments that were looping around the same plot point instead of moving forward. Had the edit been crisper in the second half, restricting the run-time to around two hours and 25 minutes, the film would've left a better mark by the end.advertisementJakes Bejoy's music and background score, cinematographer Shaji Kumar's camerawork, and the other technical departments have served their purpose, but none leave an imprint of being outstanding. It was underwhelming to leave the theatre without a musical experience that Jakes Bejoy usually leaves audiences with, especially since the story and screenplay had all the potential to have a background score that would blow the roof off!Overall, this film strikes a good balance between a Mohanlal film and a Mohanlal starrer, catering to fans of both tastes. While the film does have a few drawbacks, the engaging experience it provides might just make up for any drawbacks that have been mentioned.Yet, given the uncertainty regarding the box-office performances of films like these in the Indian markets, it remains to be seen if enough audiences will pick up 'Thudarum', especially considering its lukewarm pre-release buzz.3.5 stars out of 5 to Thudarum.Must Watch
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I could have done something else, you can write even if you are in another job. But I wanted to be part of the movies. I try to watch one film a day or at least an episode of a series. I was in Class II when we bought a television set in my house. This was the late 1990s, I would watch these black and white movies. I still remember watching these films. Cinema was a passion in those days. I would tell my classmates the stories of films I watched. Today when I look back I can't help but think that cinema has nourished the storyteller in me. Not everybody had television at home. Those days there were cassettes with the soundtrack of the movies, or on the radio. So it was a ritual to watch a movie and narrate the story to my friends. Maybe, it was through films that the idea of storytelling came to me. This could have easily become a documentary-type of a film. What precautions did you take? Honestly, we did not think of it that way. Like I said earlier, the storytelling was following the character that we had created. I have tried to bring, through my writing, the emotional journey of the character — his life as he faces and overcomes challenges and crises. Weave in the situations, build the other characters. That is all that I have tried to bring. I believe the film has an element of mystery that arouses curiosity. The attempt has been to approach the character and subject with utmost integrity. That I think is the most genuine and pure form of storytelling. We have not included anything for the sake of it, we have tried to keep it organic with the action following the hero's journey. Which, I feel, enabled a more organic filmmaking for the director. A writer's job is, usually, quiet and low profile while movies are more public…how are you handling the attention? (Laughs) That is a good question. We writers, generally, like to keep a low profile, inhabit a quiet space. I am 100% like that. Going out in public to meet people [in the context of films], interviews etc make me self conscious. However, as a short story writer, I participate in literary events and discussions. Film promotions were back to back, and that is part of cinema. At the end of the day, cinema is a product — we can talk about our politics and our emotions but eventually it is a product which is headed for the 'market'. We have to get the 'returns' within x number of days. Secondly, if we want the movie to reach new audiences we have to make the effort. That is the new way not just for films but also for books, I guess. But books don't have a shelf life unlike movies. A book's success might be inevitable, but we have to make the effort to promote a film. What next? What next? I have a couple of completed film scripts; Anuraj and I have have discussed a couple of stories. We would like to proceed with one of those. Then there are few others that I have thought about, made blueprints of those which I need to work more on. That is the plan for now.
