'Thiru', the Telugu-dubbed version of 'Thiruchitrambalam', was released in theatres on Thursday. In this section, we are going to review the box-office release.
Story:
Thiru aka Pandu (Dhanush) works as a food delivery agent and lives with his cop-dad (Prakash Raj) and grandfather (Bharathiraaja). Pandu lost his mother and sister many years ago. The three men live under the same roof but no two persons share a healthy relationship.
In another track, Pandu starts falling in love with his childhood crush Anusha (Raashi Khanna) even as his long-time friend Shobana (Nithya Menen) is closely observing the developments. There comes a point when Pandu must cross paths with a beautiful village girl (Priya Bhavani Shankar). How it all ends is what the film is about.
Analysis:
Director Mithran R Jawahar concocts a story that heavily relies on the Tamil nativity. There is not much going for the film's content right from the word go. The dysfunctional family backdrop has been used more effectively by Hindi films like 'Kapoor And Sons' in the past.
Dhanush's characterization is uneven. there are sudden surges and abrupt regresses. But that is not the main issue. There are convenient plot points. The introduction of Priya Bhavani Shankar's character is a case in point.
There is an attempt to build light-touchness and humour for the sake of entertainment. It's nothing but a 'grab the low-hanging fruit' template. Anirudh's music is effective and the BGM is creative; that's an oasis of inventiveness. Om Prakash's cinematography is solid.
Nithya Menen's character shares a sibling-like equation with Pandu. The banter does take off well, but after a point there is something that goes missing. Raashi Khanna's character is realistic; the way she revels in flirtationship without regard for Pandu's mindset is so slice-of-life.
The narration builds the tension between the three men in the family to a decently good extent. But the pay-off is not satisfactory. And then there is the middle-class backdrop. The residential complex where the film is set looks realistic. Kollywood films get the setting right when slice-of-life backdrops are chosen. Prakash Raj not dubbing for himself in Telugu, Nithya Menen not dubbing for herself in Telugu... These two turn out to be major letdown factors.
The brief flashback involving Revathi could have been more effective. The track involving Stunt Siva could have been far better. Some old-school tropes don't make the cut either.
Verdict:
'Thiru' is a below-average film. The writing could have been far more reasonable. The performances save the film.
