Theera Kaadhal Review

Ashwin Ram

Theera Kaadhal is a romantic thriller starring Jai, Aishwarya Rajesh and Sshivada in the lead roles. The film is directed by Rohin Venkatesan of Adhe Kangal fame.

Premise:

Jai and Aishwarya Rajesh have been in a relationship in the past. They got separated and are living with their respective spouses at present, but their married lives are not great. They both meet nearly after a decade, think back on their memories together and become emotionally close. The consequences form the remaining story.

Writing/ Direction:

The story is solid, it’s not anything that we have not seen before, but the one-line has so much potential to be something big. The problematic conflict is enough to make an interesting commercial flick. But unfortunately, everything is underwhelming except for the base setup. The screenwriting is very weak, there is zero relatability when the characters are happy and there is absolutely no tension when their situations become serious. The main reason that establishments are poorly done, in fact there are plenty missing details that could have added so much value if they were incorporated. The screenplay starts off halfway and also in a half baked manner, but sadly it deteriorates even more in the flow. The crucial portions are conveyed vaguely just through dialogue. There is no proper clarity on why Jai and his wife are not in a comfortable space, no clue why Aishwarya Rajesh’s husband hates her and behaves toxic, the important backstory between Jai and Aishwarya Rajesh are not presented visually, rather they only in the word form. Hence the believability factor is completely lost. The existing portions are terrifying at many places due to poor direction, to an extent where we start trolling the happenings. So many dialogues that are intended seriously land as a joke. The incorrect mindset and behavior of Aishwarya Rajesh has been approached like a part and parcel.

Performances:

Jai looks neat, but he feels like misfit as he could not really pull the role he has given, he struggles with his expressions and that evident on screen. Shockingly, Aishwarya Rajesh’s performance is such a dud in the film, her acting is odd in many places and her character is super annoying in the second half. They both had zero chemistry which made many sequences look fake. Sshivada is the only one who has justified the role given to her in a satisfying manner, although this is not her best work, truly a tidy job by her.

Technicalities:

Songs are pleasant, not here to stay long or anything, yet convincing while listening. Background score is a mixed bag, it is decent when the mood is breezy. But music is so monotonous in other cases. Rich camera work, frames look colourful which is perfect for the romantic genre movies. Editor has provided the best he could for the input handed over to him. The slaps and hits looked very realistic, credits to the stunt master for it.

Bottomline

With an interesting one-liner that has so much potential, the film is a complete disappointment that fails to gain momentum at any point. It is not boring, but it is so bothering to witness the exciting plot points go to trash.

Theera Kaadhal - Endless Toxic Cringe!

Rating - 2/ 5