Thangalaan Movie Review

Chiyaan Vikram is known for portraying versatile roles, but often, his script selections don’t match the versatility of the characters he plays. This time, he teamed up with acclaimed director Pa. Ranjith for the film Thangalaan. The movie was bankrolled by KE Gnanavel Raja under the banner Studio Green. Thangalaan has hit the screens today on the occasion of Independence Day. Let’s check how it turned out to be.


What is it about?

The story takes place in the 1800s in the Madras Presidency. British General Lord Clement plans to dig for gold in the ancient gold mines located in the Kolar region. However, he needs labourers to do the mining. That’s when he learns that the tribals of Veppur village in the North Arcot region are traditionally involved in mining this area. Clement hires Thangalaan (Vikram) to do the job. Thangalaan, along with his family, decides to take up the task. Did Thangalaan find the gold? Who is the mysterious woman named Aarthi? What did the British General do to Thangalaan? These elements form the main crux of the movie.

Performances:

Vikram has put his blood and sweat into the role of Thangalaan. We all know how dedicated he is to the roles he plays. He underwent a great physical transformation and delivered a memorable performance. Parvathy, as Gangamma, delivered a fierce performance. Malavika was noteworthy in her role. Daniel Caltagirone and Pasupathy also stand out with their performances. These are the main characters, and they performed their roles with perfection.

Technicalities:

Writer and director Pa. Ranjith is known for making films that deal with oppression, and Thangalaan is no different from his other movies. The core plot is interesting, but Ranjith’s screenplay didn’t do justice to the story. The screenplay is very slow and cluttered most of the time, making this by far the weakest work of the director.

GV Prakash Kumar delivered an outstanding background score, but the songs are completely forgettable. The cinematography by A. Kishor is commendable; however, the high-contrast visuals may not appeal to all sections of the audience. The production values are good and serve the story well. The editing was horrendous, especially in the second half of the movie. The visual effects were subpar, and seeing such VFX work in a high-budget movie like Thangalaan is very disappointing.

Thumbs Up:

Vikram
Other Lead Actors’ Performances

Thumbs Down:

Lacklustre Screenplay
Sync Sound
Visual Effects
Editing

Analysis:

Pa. Ranjith is one of the few filmmakers who doesn’t shy away from portraying his political and social ideologies in his movies. When he blends his ideology well with commercial elements, we get films like Madras and Sarpatta Parambarai. If he doesn’t, we might end up with a Kabali or Kaala. Thangalaan falls into the latter category.

The major flaw of this movie is the screenplay. It is too random and goes haywire after a point. The first half is very slow and boring, while the second half is clueless with no clear direction. Even effective casting and strong performances couldn’t save the film from its lacklustre screenplay.

The mythical elements were not blended well into the proceedings and failed to connect with the audience. Horrible visual effects and poor editing make the film a tedious watch. On the whole, Thangalaan has nothing to offer except for Vikram’s honest performance.

Bottomline: Vikram’ Efforts Failed Once Again

Rating: 1.75/5

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