Jul 03, 2006 04:54 PM
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It seems Kollywood’s think tank has so depleted to imagine any other themes apart from love and gangsters. Or all the directors are trying to prove a point that they could enact a different story from an often ill-used and worn-out theme. In any case, the axe is on the moviegoers.
What makes Thalainagaram tolerable is its crafty screenplay and editing which is missing in (or messing up) most of the movies so far this year. Unfortunately, a thin storyline could nowhere be camouflaged no matter how good is the screenplay. The story is simple. A gangster reforms after one of his brother-in-crime is killed by his own don. Is he able to shed off his previous shady life? Is he allowed leading a peaceful life thereafter, is the rest of the story.
Credit goes to the director for keeping things on the go from the first scene. It starts with Sundar C on the run for something. Later the reasons are shown as flashback (although this approach serves no purpose.) He is a gangster doing all dirty jobs for his don. His respect grows with the hatred of the don’s son. Jyothirmayi, who turns out be the reason for this hatred, falls in love with Sundar C. As expected, this ends up in a tussle between Sundar C and the don’s son, which leads to the murder of his friend.
Having realized the effects of his criminal life, Sundar C reforms and tries his best to lead a peaceful life. But, the past’s shadow is still on him. His friends are killed, his love devastated and he himself is tortured both by the Police and other gangsters. Finally, he has no other option than to revenge on whomever responsible for his current state. (The way in which he settles scores with his opponents are worth noting)
Sundar C makes his debut as a full time actor (last seen in “Arunachalam”). His characterization doesn’t require much acting and hence he is passable. But, there is a strong feeling that he should’ve emoted little more. Due to his age factor, he is doesn’t follow a typical Hero’s Lifecycle sequentially. (A typical hero’s lifecycle has 4 roles. 1st is the school or collage lover boy who elopes with his beloved. 2nd role is also a lover boy but he fails in love and speaks all love philosophies. 3rd one is a straightforward Police officer, whose wife and children are killed by gangsters. 4th is a Gangster, who walks in slo-mo with his team in the background and does all sorts of incredible social help in spite of being a criminal. Heroes attaining the 4th role successfully will continue the cycle again from the first with a bit of differences here and there)
Jyothirmayi suits well with the character. A tragedy involving her gives us alarm bells whether we are about to be tortured by elaborations but thankfully kept short.
Vadivelu repeats his class-act comedy. His initial tickles keep us laughing but grow irritating when the same blocks the flow of narration.
K.S. Ravikumar’s introduction adds some expectations but unfortunately his role is cut short. He plays as a police officer who has less respite for gangsters but the way he kills a criminal at a hotel looks implausible. He is replaced by Prakashraj as a corrupted official who teases Sundar C back to his gangster life.
“Yedho ninaikiren” song alone stands out from others, in spite of watching Sundar C in colorful clothes that are least fit for him (thankfully, he doesn’t dance). As usual, there is a fast-paced, pedestrian item number (I wonder why these item numbers are not at all attractive though they are meant to be)
“Thalainagaram” has nothing much to provide except for a debut by Sundar C. It should’ve increased his marketability as a hero but its one more gangster straw on our back
