Thupparivaalan Review - Not a thrill a minute ride but a satisfying and intense investigative drama!!!

Bharath Vijayakumar

What could have been the weak point for a film like Thupparivaalan actually  turns out to be what sets it apart from the new age thrillers. I am talking about linear narration here. It has been a while since we had an investigative film that does not move back and forth to keep us guessing.

Plot:

When a detective takes up what seems like a harmless case, little does he know that he is closing in on a nexus of ruthless killers.

 

Typical of Mysskin it is the characters of Thupparivaalan that keep us engrossed. The eccentricity of Kanian Poongundran ( Vishal ) takes sometime to warm upto. This is primarily because it is not played by a lesser known face. So when the hero shows a literal child like enthusiasm in solving clues and when he takes pride in listing down predictions you are sort of thinking why is he going gung-ho about  pretty small things. This itch does not vanish immediately but is a gradual process as we start buying into this behaviour of the protagonist. These are typical traits of the hero in a Myskkin film. They might operate in the midst of bloody criminals but they are extremely fragile at heart and would not think twice before breaking down. The villains are interesting too. Enough effort is made to ensure that we get an idea of what made them get into this dirty business. We do not get their back stories in detail but Mysskin delivers some knock out punches in these scenes when we for a second or two begin to think whether we need to empathise with them.

Going by the trailer one might have assumed that the film might not be disturbing. It isn't really gory but quite a few scenes do leave you a bit uneasy.. Making Narein show his histrionics towards the end in Mugamoodi reduced him to a caricature. Myskkin stays away from all that here and ensures that Vinay sends a chill down your spine. You sense impending danger when he is around on screen.

The heroine character is what looks like it was picked from a regular masala fare but some amends are made for this is in the second half. The film does not rely on twists. One is not really sure if this is a good or a bad thing. We are definitely engrossed to what is happening on screen but the anticipation of what next is missing. This is just the way Myskkin has decided to tell his story. He is not in a mood to pull the rug from under our feet. But some more novelty in the way the hero deciphers everything might have helped. And the police being clueless for the most part is hardly convincing. The long drawn out climax does wander a bit but the payoff towards the end is satisfying.


Bottomline:

Thupparivaalan is another interesting piece of art from Mysskin. This is not a thrill a minute ride but a satisfying investigative drama delivered in Myskkin style.


Rating: 3.25/5