Movie Review 'Thoongavanam': A well made Hollywood style of flick

Cast: Kamal Haasan, Trisha, Prakash Raj

Direction: Rajesh Selva

Rating: 4 stars

Kamal Haasan’s latest offering, an action thriller Thoongavanam stays true to its original French film Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night) most part of it and is an ideal break from the clichéd masala films that K’town is churning out at regular intervals. The best part is that the debut director Rajesh Selva, a former assistant to Kamal has come out with a forthright slick actioner devoid of neither the usual song routines nor the melodramatic emotions.

Dhiwakar (Kamal Haasan) is an undercover cop working for the narcotics bureau. He is also a father and is devoted to the wellbeing of his son (Aman Abdullah). Straightforward as his life may seem, Dhiwakar conducts a very risky operation involving a huge stash of cocaine and drug dealers who won't show mercy if their loot were to be compromised. He soon gets entangled in a vicious drug war and his irresponsibility leaves his family in grave danger. Vittal Rao (Prakash Raj), a nightclub owner who sells these drugs to the dealers, kidnaps Dhiwakar's son and demands the bag of cocaine as terms for his release. Working frantically against the ticking clock, Dhiwakar needs to find this bag soon: but things get rather complicated when agents from his own department Mallika (Trisha) and Dhiraviyam (Kishore) intercept the bag and suspect him of playing a double game. It remains to be seen if the co-conspirators could be outsmarted and Dhiwakar's son, saved.

In a role where we are not able to judge whether Kamal is a nallavar or kettavar, the actor simply steals the show. Though he is not the regular one-man army hero, he still packs a punch at the right time. Trisha in an unusual role is a revelation! Way to go Trisha! The stunt sequences by Gilles Conseil and T.Ramesh shot intelligently are laudable. Especially, the high voltage long action sequence between Kamal and Trisha in the kitchen has been composed extraordinarily well. Credits should also go the actors who pulled it off with a realistic manner. Prakash Raj proves his versatility in a mixed bag role of comedy and villainy. Kishore, Sampath, Yuhi Sethu, Aman and Asha Sarath play their part well. Ghibran’s innovative techno background score raises the intensity by a notch and infuses energy when needed. Sanu Veghese quirky lighting and camera angles warrant mention. Overall, a well made Hollywood style of flick, Thoongavanam is not to be missed!