Wins with authenticity honesty and hard work
Karthi has already proved his mettle as a commercial cop in 'Siruthai' and there is great curiosity towards his turn as a realistic one in 'Theeran Adhigaram Ondru' directed by H. Vinod who gave the sleeper hit 'Sathuranga Vettai'. Does the film live up to its hype? Very much so one should say.
'Theeran Adhigaram Ondru' begins with masked dacoits targeting lonely houses in cities and suburbs of TN, looting jewels and cash and killing innocent people leaving behind no clues. Karthi plays Theeran a topper in police training who rises in the ranks as a cop and also finds love in the form of Rakul Preeth Singh whom he later marries. As an inspector, he chances on one of the theft and murder cases and starts an investigation which he relentlessly follows for several years facing great personal losses in the process. Whether the unknown and extremely dangerous dacoits are brought to justice or not forms the rest of the riveting screenplay.
Karthi rocks as Theeran with his fit body and fluid body language aiding him greatly in bringing to life a close to the real character. The director has made use of his playfulness to good effect in the initial scenes when he falls for his mother's neighbour Rakul Preet and woos her. However, once he sets his sight on the case his eyes turn steely with determination and has transformed into a virtual eagle who hunts the wily snakes come what may. Karthi is very effective when he mouths lines like " The police are forced to guard the evil from the good instead of vice versa" or "Action will automatically be taken by the higher powers when one of them gets killed" which comes true in the screenplay. The scene in which an old victim cries to him and he swallows air as a reaction to the horror is just one example of his subtle emoting. To sum up the talented actor has literally risen from the ashes of his previous fiasco like a phoenix. Rakul Preet in the mandatory love interest role may be cliched, but actually provides the much needed relief in an otherwise grim premise. She has given an ernest performance as the not so bright bumbling village belle providing a few laughs with her antics and displays good chemistry with Karthi in the love scenes and the songs. Abhimanyu Singh as the chief antagonist Ohma is terrific mimicking the slithery rattle snake and his henchmen played by Rohith Pathak and Surendhar Thakur send shivers down the spine. Bose Venkat has a meaty role as Karthi's best man cop and he has turned in a neat act while Sathyan, Sonia, are the known faces among a host of aptly cast newcomers.
What works to high degree in 'Theeran Adhigaram Ondru' is the painstaking research to make the police procedure authentic. The background of the daciots which takes us a few centuries back in time makes us understand not only their barbaric side, but also forces one to sympathise with them as history is to blame. The hopeless situation the cops are in that force them to resort to corruption is well documented. The entire second half is one hell of a ride not only for the actors, but the viewer too when it seems that we too have traveled with the cops and suffered their hunger, pain and hurt to bring the terrifying criminals to justice. The period of the story which is based on true events is well detailed with the hopeless situation, trying to match the fingerprints of the criminals. The 500 rupees buy one get one reliance reference is a good device that also brings a smile and so is the petty thieves in custody who brag about their exploits in custody that is comical as well. Hard hitting and powerful dialogues are timely and effective.
On the downside the item number in the second half is a deterrent just like the pacing in it. The dacoits who strike randomly getting right to the doorstep of the hero is quite far fetched. The inconsistencies in a few places alternating between realism and commercial demands mar the narration.
Sathyan Sooryan in charge of the cinematography is one of the heroes of the film with his top angles of the desert amplifying the difficulty of the task the cops have and in the fast fight scenes and mob commotions he has captured every millisecond. Kudos. Ghibran's background score is a definite plus while his songs are not as memorable as his recent works. Dilip Subbarayan has carried most of the film on his broad shoulders as there is relentless action in this one making it one of his best yet. Editor Shivanandeeswaran takes up the challenge and wins making long drawn out sequences pacy. Production designer Kathir is another technician whose hard work is evident in every frame.
Coming to the master of the show H.Vinod if his 'Sathuranga Vettai' is one of the most authentic deconstruction of heist and deception crimes 'Theeran' is the same for police procedure. Like how he posts a salute to the true cops who cracked the crimes in real life he deserves one for his painstaking research, authentic narration and plain honest hard work.
Verdict : Go for it to witness one of the best films of the year.
