Thekku Vadakku Movie Review: A n underwhelming comedy-drama saved by the lead casts' performance
Thekku Vadakku Movie Review: Critics Rating: 2.5 stars, click to give your rating/review,Madhavan and Shankunni were rivals since their childhood. This doesn't change even when they become
Critic's Rating: 2.5/5
Director Prem Shankar's Thekku Vadakku explores the life of two 'rivals' Shankunni (Suraj Venjarammoodu) and Madhavan (Vinayakan). The film delves into their life, rivalry and their ongoing case to claim ownership of a piece of land.
The narrative is non-linear which works only in some places, especially because the casting was not done well for the supporting actors, which in turn affects the narration. Most of the supporting actors who were roped in had the capacity to carry the sort of characters they were expected to portray. That, in part, contributes to the disconnect one feels with the characters.
While it was still a steady film for the first half an hour, all hell broke loose close to the interval, making it hard to even comprehend where the film was heading. The entire 'poop scene' towards the end of the first half would have probably worked if it was done a little subtly, rather than taking the tone of the 2000s comedy films. Admittedly, the scene before the intermission does leave one a little intrigued. Along the way, the makers seem to have lost their grasp over the tone of the film. If a satire was what the makers were going for, it is only partially successful. Suraj Venjarammoodu and Vinayakan are great performers and they deliver their best in the film. However, for a film to work and an actor to look believable, the supporting cast should also pull their weight. Ramesh Kottayam did match the energy of the former two. Suraj was in his element in the 'emotional' scenes. Vinayakan did deliver what was expected of him but his character's 'quirks' seemed a bit forced. The make-up done by Amal Chandra is remarkable. Vinayakan and Suraj's makeovers were believable and maintained that believability thoughout the film.
The entire first half is filled with shots and scenes that are 'slice of life' and does nothing more than establish their 'rivalry'. which makes one wonder what exactly the film is about, if one goes to the theatre without any knowledge about S Hareesh's Rathri Kaaval that the film was based on. At one point, we get lost in the slice of life story telling before we actually get to the conflict itself. Sam CS's music, especially Kasa Kasa, is a nice touch. The background music confuses the audience in some places, especially its comic undertone, perhaps because the film couldn't successfully pull off the intended comic effect.
The second half took a different tone and it worked. There were parts where the craziness in Shankunni was visible. The tidbits from Madhavan's past also show his indifference to people around him. But, it fails to evoke any sort of emotion in viewers on a deeper level. The momentum that was painstakingly built up falls through towards the climax. For one, it was predictable. It can be deduced as soon as the alcohol bottles are out and was very underwhelming in its presentation. What is even more surprising is that, despite it being based on a story written by S Hareesh who also penned the script, it had some issues with the dialogues, too.
The narrative is non-linear which works only in some places, especially because the casting was not done well for the supporting actors, which in turn affects the narration. Most of the supporting actors who were roped in had the capacity to carry the sort of characters they were expected to portray. That, in part, contributes to the disconnect one feels with the characters.
While it was still a steady film for the first half an hour, all hell broke loose close to the interval, making it hard to even comprehend where the film was heading. The entire 'poop scene' towards the end of the first half would have probably worked if it was done a little subtly, rather than taking the tone of the 2000s comedy films. Admittedly, the scene before the intermission does leave one a little intrigued. Along the way, the makers seem to have lost their grasp over the tone of the film. If a satire was what the makers were going for, it is only partially successful. Suraj Venjarammoodu and Vinayakan are great performers and they deliver their best in the film. However, for a film to work and an actor to look believable, the supporting cast should also pull their weight. Ramesh Kottayam did match the energy of the former two. Suraj was in his element in the 'emotional' scenes. Vinayakan did deliver what was expected of him but his character's 'quirks' seemed a bit forced. The make-up done by Amal Chandra is remarkable. Vinayakan and Suraj's makeovers were believable and maintained that believability thoughout the film.
The entire first half is filled with shots and scenes that are 'slice of life' and does nothing more than establish their 'rivalry'. which makes one wonder what exactly the film is about, if one goes to the theatre without any knowledge about S Hareesh's Rathri Kaaval that the film was based on. At one point, we get lost in the slice of life story telling before we actually get to the conflict itself. Sam CS's music, especially Kasa Kasa, is a nice touch. The background music confuses the audience in some places, especially its comic undertone, perhaps because the film couldn't successfully pull off the intended comic effect.
The second half took a different tone and it worked. There were parts where the craziness in Shankunni was visible. The tidbits from Madhavan's past also show his indifference to people around him. But, it fails to evoke any sort of emotion in viewers on a deeper level. The momentum that was painstakingly built up falls through towards the climax. For one, it was predictable. It can be deduced as soon as the alcohol bottles are out and was very underwhelming in its presentation. What is even more surprising is that, despite it being based on a story written by S Hareesh who also penned the script, it had some issues with the dialogues, too.
