Thadam - Murder mystery with psychological twists
Arun Vijay and Magizh Thirumeni delivered the highly rated action thriller 'Thadaiyara Thakka' and are back with a murder mystery with psychological twists that is different from the run of the mill fare in Tamil cinema. Whether the film makes a strong impression on the viewers remains to be seen.
Ezhil (Arun Vijay) is a decent construction businessman in love with a girl Deepika (Tanya Hope) who works in his building. His lookalike Kavin (Arun Vijay in a dual role) is a thief and a gambler who is always on the lookout to make fast money along with his crony Surali (Yogi Babu). Anandi (debutante Meera) an innocent girl is in love with Kavin though he uses her only to extract money. A young man Akash is murdered by one of the two men and the inspector (FEFSI) Vijayan who has an old score to settle with Ezhil plans to pin the murder on him without an investigation. However, Kavin too lands up in the prison causing a great headache for the inspector and the sub-inspector Malar (Vidya Pradeep). A cat and mouse game starts as the two men try to get each other into a trap while the police are stumped and who the murder victim is and who killed him is answered in an unexpected climax.
Arun Vijay shines in the dual roles as Kavin and Ezhil and since they are identical he has put in a lot of efforts to differentiate the characters with minute mannerisms. Arun is a livewire in the action sequence that too in one in which his two characters rip apart each other that is riveting to watch. The two love interests for each Arun Vijay are played by newcomers Tanya Hope and Meera and both impress in the little screen time they get. Vidya Pradeep has a meaty role as the straightforward sub-inspector of police who pursues the case and gives a good account of herself. Sonia Agarwal, Yogi Babu (in a serious role), FEFSI Vijayan, George and Meera Krishnan are the known faces who do justice to their roles.
What works best in 'Thadam' is the entire second half which keeps the audiences interested with many twists and turns leading to a satisfactory climax. The back story for the Arun Vijays is quite convincing lending a psychological angle to the characters. A lot of research has gone into getting the legalities and the basic theme of the film right.
On the downside commercial elements like the bar song, the duets and over heroism in the police station sequences mar the film's attempt to be different. The first half just meanders on and it takes a long time for the real story to begin. The reason for FEFSI Vijayan to take revenge on Arun Vijay and Tanya Hope's fate are not convincing considering that the entire screenplay wrests on these two elements. Vidya Pradeep's physique and her designation do not match the buildup that is given to her character.
Arunraj's songs do not have recall value while his background score is in sync with the mystery genre. Shakti Saravanan has lit the film in dark shades to set up the mood well while N.B. Srikanth has tried his best to convey the confusing story through his edits. Magizh Thirumeni has chosen a novel theme and storyline and has succeeded in keeping the suspense alive. It would have been a much better outing for him had he done away with the commercial ingredients and instead tried a raw approach.
Verdict : Go for this murder mystery/psychological thriller film that is different from the usual fare.
