Taanakkaran Review - A compelling watch!

Bharath Vijayakumar

Director Tamizh's Taanakkaran begins with an animated tutorial about the origin of the police force in India. Then the title and the starting credits follow and now we get into the movie which also acts as a tutorial in a way. It educates us on how the police are educated or to be more precise, how the police are trained. Set in the year 1998, inside a police training academy, Taanakkaran plays out like a live demo of events that happen during the training of a batch of fresh recruits.

Taanakkaran gets the mix right for the most part. It plays out in a realistic manner but also ensures to play to the gallery. It does the latter by having us root for a handful of characters. These characters headed by Vikram Prabhu stand up against the cruel and corrupt practices of the academy and what we have now is an interesting mix - a docudrama style narrative and an underdog overcoming the odds template of a mainstream sports drama. This mix is what makes Taanakkaran stand apart. The heroism itself might come across as a little filmy but there are no exaggerated antics on screen and most importantly, the hero is vulnerable and there is a definite tension if he would overcome the odds. If you are aware of the fact that the film is made by someone who possibly had first hand experience of the events in the film, it sort of subconsciously lends a lot of authenticity to your watching experience. Tamizh, the director, who also happened to play the cruel cop in Jai Bhim, is an ex policeman.

The performances all around are solid. Vikram Prabhu plays his part neatly while veterans like Lal and M.S. Bhaskar are in fine form. The supporting cast, that includes few relatively new faces, also does a good job. The romance angle doesn't really work and looks thrust in. But thankfully it stays within limits. There are enough high moments right through the film and we are invested with the characters and their emotions. When a flashback begins in the later half of the film, you wonder if it was needed but it turns out to be a short but a really powerful one. Livingstone does really well here. It adds a lot of weightage to the actions and the mental strength of the hero.

The climax is an interesting one with mixed results. Tamizh wants to be realistic but also wants to give hope and end on a positive note. But it seems a little rushed and clumsy and you feel the emotional payoff could have been better.

Bottomline

Taanakkaran is a compelling watch. It packs in the typical high moments of a mainstream film in a rather realistic narrative and this mix is what makes it stand apart.

Rating: 3.25/5