BOTTOM LINE
A Total Waste of Effort
RATING
1.75/5
CENSOR
2h 36m, UA
What Is the Film About?
Thangalaan is about the titular guy from a village during the pre-independence times. He has visions regarding a mythic figure that haunts him.
All the nightmares of Thangalaan come true when he is taken on a gold excavation trip by Britisher Clament. At the end of the expedition, he gets a taste of freedom.
What happens when Thangalaan wants to take all his village people to get the entire gold on the Britisher’s orders is the movie’s basic plot. What’s stopping everyone from getting gold is the subplot.
Performances
Vikram is terrific as the lead in Thangalaan. He lives the part which is also visible physically. The raw body language with subtle elevation is a testament to both the clarity in direction regarding the character and also the actor concerning the performance. It is another memory part for Vikram in his long and illustrious career.
Analysis
Pa Ranjith of Sarapatta Parampara, Kabali and Madras fame directs Thangalaan. It comes with a unique backdrop of gold exploration long before our Independence.
The story is set in 1850 CE, in Veppur village of North Arcot. Thangalaan lives a normal life as a farmer with his family and the tribe as part of a community.
The director takes time in establishing the world which is fine. It is required to get acclimatised to the world that’s built.
The story then neatly goes back in time via a bedtime tale narrated by Thangalaan. Despite the nativity issues, it all looks okay, and one is intrigued if not entirely engaged.
The first sense of wonderment in the story occurs during the ending portions of the flashback sequence. The whole track involving the mysterious figure Athira and the magic-like events look unconvincing. Something seems off, but things are back to normal immediately. As the whole thing is a bedtime tale, the mix of fantasy and horror seems okay.
The narrative then moves back to the struggle involving oppression, and finally, the hero leaves on a journey that will get their community out of all the problems. The movie’s real issue comes during this journey’s sequences. They start well but get tiring very soon.
The combination of dubbing, dialogues and setting makes the narrative bloated without much-happening story-wise.
The no-so-subtle pushing of the lower caste versus higher caste equations, dialogues, the inequalities, and the suffering add to the woes of the viewer. The entire interval block gives a messy feel apart from the interval moment.
The second half resumes with an elevation block. It’s done well, but things regress soon after. The inspirational speech to get the village people to work apart, everything else feels overdone and overcooked.
The bigger problem surfaces once the proceedings shift to the location where the mining happens. The story stagnates and what happens next until the end is the escalation of drama within the tribe. The drama does escalate but the confinement to a single location suffocates the proceedings.
The myth aspect of the tribes and its mixing with the main narrative in a convincing way is the major issue with Thangalaan. We understand the plight of the villagers on a general level, but the same at the goldfield doesn’t have the same impact. The emotions feel contrived and overdone. The repetitiveness in terms of action gets on our nerves.
The ending after all that happens, although fine, doesn’t work as expected. It is more of a relief that the predicament has come to an end both on-screen and off-screen.
Overall, Thangalaan is made with great effort, but everything goes down the drain as the screenplay is convoluted and the narrative messy. Despite so much trouble, we never fully connect to the oppression drama. If effort alone is enough, try it, but if that is not the case, skip it.
Performances by Others Actors
Parvathy Thiruvothu is also terrific but plays a cliche character with a regular character arc. She holds the emotions together along with Vikram in the second half.
The rest of the cast, too, is fine playing small but significant parts. The gang which initially follows Vikram in the gold quest are all good.
Music and Other Departments?
GV Prakash’s background score is one of the mainstays in the movie. It is loud but works well within the narrative.
Pa Ranjith is known for slick and grand execution while also keeping things realistic and grounded. He managed to achieve the same in this latest outing as well, using all his technicians. The cinematography is splendid. The landscape is neatly captured. The night sequences could have been better in a few places, though.
The editing of the movie lends a messy feel to the narrative. Some of the effects are overdone and irritate after a point. The writing and dubbing (with that slogan) are fine. It adds to the authentic feel.
Highlights?
Vikram
Backdrop
BGM
Drawbacks?
Convoluted Narrative
Too Much Drag
Not So Subtle Message
Did I Enjoy It?
A Few Parts In A Long And Tiring Narrative
Will You Recommend It?
No, But If You Really Want To See Something Different Only For The Effort.
Movie Review by M9
