Thudarum is a masterpiece for adults, a serious yet self-aware piece of cinema that has something for everybody, feels Arjun Menon.
Thudarum is one of the most anticipated Malayalam releases of the year, in which we were promised a Mohanlal vehicle that would see him play a common man after many larger-than-life roles.
It may seem like a pretty common thing but anyone who’s familiar with the actor’s filmography knows the cultural weight of this film. You rarely get to see Mohanlal play vulnerable, everyday mortals in films, as he mostly takes on star-centric turns of crime lords and invincible demigod figures.
Mohanlal’s association with Tharun Murthy, the director of mainstream successes like Operation Java (2021) and Saudi Vellakka (2022), also promised a cinematic experience that is formally more rigorous than the star’s recent output.
Thudarum delivers on both promises and goes further to deliver a solid family entertainer with suspense and heightened emotional conflicts.
The film does not break any new ground but tweaks the tropes of familiar stories of families into something of a genre hybrid.
Thudarum has Mohanlal play an ex-stuntman named Benz Shanmugham, who is now settled with his small family in rural Pathanamthitta.
Tharun Murthy, as a filmmaker, revels in details.
He sets up the everyday life of his seemingly ordinary hero, whose moments of transcendence come through his little interactions with his family.
Thudarum places Mohanlal at the centre of an ensemble drama that unravels with varying tonal and narrative plains. A police officer makes things tough for Shanmughan, after the cops take his dearer-than-life Ambassador car.
This leads to a bizarre turn of events that upend his mundane existence and force him to embark on a dramatic journey for redemption.
You can’t reveal much about such a tightly wound screenplay without giving away some of its most enjoyable aspects.
The film relies on our familiarity with the softer side of Shanmugham to finally register the sudden flip in his persona that notches up the tension in the latter half.
Mohanlal is wonderfully supported by Shobana, playing his onscreen partner after what seems like ages. The duo exchange glances, eye rolls and little secrets that come up a lifetime of marriage.
Cinematographer Shaji Kumar, known more for his work in big-ticket commercial films, brings in a whole new sense of lensing in Thudarum.
You feel the intimacy and interconnectedness of these lives without being overtly kitsch or overwrought.
Tharun Murthy’s observational style finds an outlet in Shaji Kumar’s flatly-lit frames that pick up the little details without being stagey.
Tharun Moorthy and his co-writer K R Sunil are not eager to pack in too much exposition or plot details in a hurry to look clever. But they deconstruct the immediate surroundings of Shanmugham to unravel the emotional canvas and the core of their conflict.
Jakes Bejoy perfectly switches with the ever-changing tonal variations of the film and keeps the action suspenseful.
The score and songs fit in nicely with the everyday textures of this self-contained story world.
The plethora of supporting performances, including Maniyanpilla Raju, Irshad, Farhaan Faasil and Binu Pappu, get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to screen time but their impetus on Shanmugham’s arc cannot be underplayed.
The performances fall smoothly within the umbrella of Tharun’s sporadic vision of a small town tale with their character quirks and personalities.
The film uses elementary visual motifs singling out Shanmughan from his tricky situation to show his predicament in the latter half, where the performer in Mohanlal gets a platform to deliver some fine acting.
The film makes him go to some extreme emotional places that we haven’t quite seen the actor explore of late.
Mohanlal has so much synergy with the material that he does not eat up the explosive possibilities of the drama but skillfully plays a man subsumed by revelations and ever-changing moral conflicts.
Tharun Moorthy has delivered the goods with his low-key family drama that is a character study of a man in conflict with himself and his being.
The film is a refreshing change of pace for Mohanlal, and we get to see him ease into the part of a layman with the necessary emotional consistency after a long time.
The film packs a lot of drama and engagement into a routine setting with clever writing.
Thudarum is a masterpiece for adults, a serious yet self-aware piece of cinema that has something for everybody.
Thudarum Review Rediff Rating:
