Thumbaa Review - A fresh outing for all the kids and a few adults!

Akash

Thumbaa is that film which has a light hearted treatment throughout with an inner lining of a serious message, that is of utmost importance. The film has actors Darshan, Keerthi Pandian and Dheena in lead roles, but it is the Tiger that is focussed on right from the start. Has this live-action adventure based flick kept its audiences entertained?

The movie starts off in a jungle that sees Thumbaa the tiger escape from its territory and trespassing into Tamil Nadu’s top-slip region. Hari (Darshan) and Umapathy (Dheena) are assigned a painting job in this same region and coincidentally bump into Keerthi (Varsha), who has hit the forest area to capture captivating photographs of the much talked about majestic animal tiger. What happens when the three set out into the jungle forms the rest of the story.

As for performances, all three lead actors have done a decent job. Keerthi can be happy about her debut and Dheena along with KPY’s Bala are quite funny and natural. Darshan seems a little artificial in certain scenes but manages to cope up. However, the casting of the negative role that forms for the conflict in the latter half could have been better. The emotions required and seriousness that are needed to carry these scenes seem to demand for an actor with better authority on screen. This demand could have been fulfilled.

Thumbaa has a lot of light moments involving animals such as the monkey, squirrel and even the wild bison that have a role to play in the script. In fact, though the live-action graphics are not of international standards, kids are sure to enjoy these portions as they bring a fresh feeling while viewed along with the real actors on screen. Director Harish Ram L H has ticked this box right and this proves to be effective. The humour too has worked in places are there are no unwanted love scenes or songs. The Pudhusattam number by Anirudh is good and the background score by Santhosh Dhayanidhi is also mention worthy.

Some of the notable scenes include the interval block, climax and a few light hearted moments shared between the three lead actors and the monkey. The second half has a surprise entry by a big star in the form of Jayam Ravi and this is an added bonus for the marketing factor. There is not much to say about this special appearance but it is easy to say Jayam Ravi is in his usual best form while talking about any social issue like we have seen before in films like Peranmai. The song that follows this scene seems very force fitted and could have been done away with.

Technically. team Thumbaa should be appreciated for their effort as they have tried to bring many an animal to life. The tiger in specific has the role of a hero to play and the fights that involve the tiger and the goons would entertain kids and a few adults too. Cinematography by Naren is decent and editing by Kalaivanan is nearly apt for this genre. Music by the three composers and background score by Santhosh Dhayanidhi support this forest environment based adventure film.

Though there are a bunch of new factors that may have partially worked out for the film, the issue lies in the composition and writing that blends the scenes together. Some sequences seem to have a haphazard end and some of the portions towards the climax could have been carried out in a smarter manner to suit adult audiences too. The predictability, though not an issue, could have been worked on to give a slightly more intense and serious end keeping the animal portions intact.

Overall, director Harish Ram’s Thumbaa is a no-nonsense, light film that talks about saving a tiger and the coexistence that is required between man and the animals. There are a few impressive lines on the food chain, forests, their importance and most importantly, humanity. The base idea of animal welfare and conservation of tigers translates well and this young team can be happy about their project that would keep all the kids entertained. If for a slightly more gripping and intense ride, this could have been an adventure not to miss for all the audiences. Nevertheless, this is a very watchable fun film with a touch on a light hearted yet important message.

Bottomline:

This forest based adventure film is a fairly engaging ride with sufficient fun instore for kids!

Rating : 2.75/5