Thiruvin Kural Review - A Frowning Flick in the Name of Emotional Thriller

Ashwin Ram

Thiruvin Kural is an emotional thriller starring Arulnithi and Bharathiraja in the lead roles. Bankrolled by Lyca Productions, the film is directed by debutant Harish Prabhu.

Premise: Arulnithi's father Bharathiraja gets admitted in a Government hospital due to an accident. During the course of the treatment, Arulnithi forms enmity against a few cunning employees of the hospital.

Writing/ Direction:

The creepy-faced villains, the hospital surrounding, a lower middle-class family is put in a situation,etc makes it a wannabe ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’, but the setup in the above mentioned film is so relatable and gripping. But here it is very weak, not just evil facial reactions make the baddies powerful, their purpose and murder motives are the main factors to show their strength which are all force-fitted in the story. Just to show them as cunning men, they keep murdering randos throughout the movie. They even have some subplots which are relentless for the main subject. The protagonist never underplays, he is a hero from his introduction shot, so couldn’t really connect with his character, also the director does not capitalise on Arulnithi’s speaking difficulty element smartly at any point. The family emotions are melodramatic and the staging is also very minimal, many characters without much necessity just to push the runtime to two hours. There are a few intriguing moments that are written well, but the paper to screen transition is a letdown. Many logic loopholes and unanswered questions exist, some of the important situations lack believability because of this. Also, all the Policemen and Doctors are shown in a dumb manner.

Performances:

Neat and subtle performance from Arulnithi, as a person with speaking difficulty. Bharathiraja starts well, but he overacts too much once he becomes unwell and gets admitted in the hospital. Aathmika gets a routine love interest role and no big scope for acting, it would have hardly made any difference with the absence of her character. Good choice of casting for the villains, their faces are actually scary in some parts.

Technicalities:

Dull songs from Sam.C.S and disappointing lyrics by Vairamuthu, the background score is also not up to the mark, especially given the composer’s favourite thriller genre. Adequate camera work, doesn’t elevate the visuals much and never underwhelms too. Edit pattern does offer some sort of momentum to the flow at places, but definitely not a saving grace for the whole show. Action is live, Arulnithi makes the fight sequences believable and the overall tone of the stunts is appreciable.

Verdict - Badly tries to be a ‘Naan Mahaan Alla’, but the output ends up being exaggerated and melodramatic. Goes completely wrong by trying to make antagonists overpowering.

Thiruvin Kural - A Frowning Flick in the Name of Emotional Thriller

Rating - 2.25/ 5.