How cliched would it be when I label this movie as a ‘violent melodrama’ that is deep-rooted in Madurai? Well, 90% of the movie had those cliches, but a twist in the tale towards the climax made it a well-attempted thriller that had the twist under the wraps for the most part.
‘Thagararu’ is the story about 4 small time dacoits who indulge in dacoity through new techniques in the suburbs of Madurai. One of them, Saravanan (Arulnidhi) falls for Meenakshi (Poorna), who is the daughter of a loan shark, ‘Kanthuvatti’ Rajendran (Jayaprakash). His love faces stiff opposition not only from parents of Meenakshi, but also from his own companions who discourage due to an incompatible match. Then suddenly one of the 4 friends get murdered and the other three want to crack on the murderer and avenge for the injustice done. Finally when they discover the murderer its too late and realize that they could do very little about it!
What worked towards the climax was the twist that was camouflaged pretty well before it was unveiled. But otherwise, the movie was way too ordinary, especially the gimmicks by Arulnidhi which is supposed to make us laugh had us yawn many-a-times. He lacked the screen presence that ought to be there for a lead. There is lack of pace in the screenplay and songs that were intermittent spoilt the proceedings.
Poorna as the lead, has made a good comeback, given the context of her role in this movie. Jayaprakash as the loan shark had a look that was out of place and brought in some mild laughter as his costumes resembled that of a villain from the 80s. The 3 companions of the hero were impressive and each of them had a unique character spun around them.
Music, Editing and Cinematography were average and given the milieu, the technicalities demanded were not far too great and so it was an average fare.
A tested milieu, proven Madurai dialect, blood and gore, careless and haphazard hero with shades of grey and a revenge story with a twist makes this one a below average fare that neither can be passed as a hit nor a complete miss.
Verdict: Below Average
Rating: 2 / 5
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