Nearly a month after the grand release of L2: Empuraan, Mohanlal is back with Thudarum, helmed by Tharun Moorthy. Despite minimal promotions, the trailer and songs have gathered hype and praise, promising a family drama with elements of suspense. This film also marks the reunion of the iconic Mohanlal-Shobana duo as an on-screen pair after Mampazhakkalam in 2004. Tharun Moorthy has made an impressive start to his directorial career with successful films such as Operation Java and Saudi Vellakka. Will the young filmmaker continue his good streak with Thudarum?
The story revolves around Benz, aka Shanmugham (Mohanlal), a former stuntman who now works as a taxi driver in an old black Ambassador car, which he considers invaluable. He lives with his wife, Lalitha (Shobana), and two teenage kids. When his son, Pavi (Thomas Mathew) and his college friends take the car for a drive and get into an accident, trouble starts to loom for Shanmugham and his family. How Shanmugham goes out of his way to deal with brewing issues to protect the ones dear to him forms the crux of this plot.
Story & Screenplay:
The film opens with the police, ambulance, fire staff and locals helping out victims of a landslide and then brings us into the story of Benz a.k.a. Shanmugham. The screenplay takes a slow pace in the first half to introduce us to the characters, giving us some light-hearted, comic moments, and references to some of Mohanlal’s previous films, which work well. The pace starts to pick up at the end of the first half and keeps you gripped till the end of the film, with each of the characters and scenes being well-written. K.R. Sunil and Tharun Moorthy have given this screenplay a good blend of comic moments, references and mass moments, balancing out Mohanlal as a Superstar and as a man next door.
Direction:
Tharun Moorthy makes it a hat-trick of winners in his directorial career with Thudarum. He has given us a revenge story and also portrayed Mohanlal in a vintage avatar, bringing out each of the character arcs brilliantly. The suspense is built up, and he tops it off with well-executed mass action sequences. Yes, this movie will have a lot of similarities to Drishyam; however, Tharun has given this a perfect blend of family emotions, suspense and mass moments and ensures that viewers are glued to the screen till the end.
Technical Aspects:
The cinematography by Shaji Kumar enhances a very well-written script, making it visually appealing for the audience. From the drone shots to the slow-mo shots in the movie, each of them has been elevated by great cinematography making it a great viewing experience.
Performances:
Mohanlal carries the film on his shoulders and is just simply superb, showing the great performer he is. His performance is simply flawless, and he steals the show in every single scene. Shobana also gave a good performance, and the Mohanlal-Shobana duo strikes gold again. Special plaudits to Prakash Varma for his splendid performance as the main antagonist competing neck to neck with Mohanlal.
Music & Background Score:
Jakes Bejoy delivers again by taking us on a nostalgic ride with the songs. The suspense is elevated by his background score, while it may seem loud, it works in all the scenes blending in seamlessly with the narrative.
Final Verdict:
Thudarum is an excellent blend of family drama, comic moments, past movie references, suspense, action and mass moments, with a slow first half followed by a nail-biting second half with great performances, visuals and music, making it a great watch in theatres. Must watch in theatres. Go for it!
Rating: 4.5/5
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