Thudarum review: Mohanlal's crime drama is good mix of thrills and punches
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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