Thalaimuraigal - A Class Apart

Bharath Vijayakumar

More often than not the current products from legendary filmmakers of the eighties and nineties seem a bit outdated and less appealing. Will Balumahendra's latest offering Thalaimuraigal buck the trend?

Plot:

Subbu (Balumahemdra) chases his son away after he weds a girl of his choice against the wishes of his father. His son along with his family returns after gap of twelve years after he gets to know that his father is unwell. The rest of the film is about Subbu bonding with his city-bred grandson and the two of them teaching each other a few things.

Cast:

Balumahendra is a revelation as the aged man who is adamant. He brings to life the character with his amazing underplay. Infact underplay is the thread that connects all characters in the film if you can excuse the little boy who is obviously conscious of acting. Shashikumar (seen in some movies earlier and also in Balumahendra's television series 'Kadhai Neram') impresses as the disciplined son who stands by his virtues but never raises his voice against his father. Ramya Shankar as his wife comes up with a dignified portrayal that stays with you. Vinodhini makes an impression in the scene where she breaks down in front of her brother.

Technical Team:

This team actually seems to comprise only Ilaiyaraja and Balumahendra himself. The later is responsible for cinematography and editing too. The early morning sun rays beaming through the open window in a particular scene is proof enough of this man's calibre. There is not a grain of artificiality in any frame. Ilaiyaraja's BGM score needs no mention about it enhancing the emotional appeal of the scenes. It is nice to see the movie doing away with songs.

The entire film seems like a candid camera that follows it's principal characters. Even the dialogues are so non filmi. While the idea of the film is the importance of preserving our roots it also does not forget to emphasize that the elderly too have a lot to learn from the youngsters. The length of the film is spot on being just under 2 hours. The starting credits that that does not zip through but flows slowly giving us enough time to take note of the assistants in each department prepares us well for the nature of the film. Balumahendra's character understanding the futility of caste seems to happen a little too quickly. While this seems far fetched it also helps to do away with any associated melodrama. 

Bottomline:

We often commit the sin of bracketing well made realistic films as artistic and that they are supposed to be boring. It is like assuming any food that is healthy akin to being less tasty.Of course Thalaimuraigal will not give you the rush that you experience in a water ride in a theme park. But it would definitely provide you the pleasant feel of a boat ride in a calm river. 

Rating : 3.75/5