Thimiru Pudichavan movie review: Could be an engaging thriller, if more thoughtful

Director: Ganeshaa

Cast: Vijay Antony, Nivetha Pethuraj, Sai Dheena, Sampath

Vijay Antony who of late shifted to mass hero roles has donned khaki for the first time. Playing an aspiring cop named Murugavel, he lives a modest life in his village alongside his brother Ravi (Jack Robin), who’s a bit of a teenage lawbreaker. Murugavel tries to change his habits and pay more attention to his brother, but it comes too late as Ravi runs away from home.

Cut to the present, Murugavel is now a cop in Chennai and in an encounter; he kills none other than his own brother! His mind goes for a toss and the guilt of not correcting his sibling when he had the time plays heavily on his psyche. Unable to take the stress of his thoughts and the accompanying insomnia, Murugavel decides to make amends by reforming all the juveniles in his locality. Teenage crimes don’t happen out of nowhere, and there’s usually a leader behind it. The villain here is a certain Meesai Padma (Sai Dheena), and the reminder of the film is a messy standoff between the protagonist and the mastermind.

Vijay Antony's acting and delivery, besides his physique, are all very good and appropriate. Be it the emotional turmoil or the assassination attempts, his performance carries the weight of the film on his shoulders. Nivetha Pethuraj as Madonna, the corrupt cop in a role with a slightly negative shade has come out with a decent feat. But post she falls in love with Murugavel, her character curve touches the dangerous ‘loose ponnu’ character of Tamil cinema. Dheena as the villain is given a predictable character, which he brings out agreeably. The four teenage boys fit their part.

The script does slow down in the second half, and the bad guys fail to make you stutter. The action sequences could have used a bit more balance and tension. Logic goes for a toss in many places. Vijay Antony also doubles up in the sound department and his strengths are definitely visible there. The pacing is erratic and could have used some oversight. Yet another major problem is that the story all of a sudden takes the devotional ‘Amman’ route with ‘Murugar’ replacing the goddess, which quite didn’t gel with the proceedings. The plot had all the potential of an engaging thriller, had director Ganeshaa given a thoughtful and slick screenplay.