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Thalavan backdrop

Thalavan

24 May 2024Malayalam2h 13m

What critics are saying

Critical reception for Thalavan is mixed, with most reviewers acknowledging its intriguing investigative premise but finding the execution falls short of its potential.

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Jis Joy DirectorSarath WriterAnand Writer

The intense rivalry between two police officers—CI Jayashankar and SI Karthik takes a dark turn when a body is found in Jayashankar’s house, and he becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, which is led by Karthik, adding a layer of tension to their already strained relationship.

Critic Consensus

Critical reception for Thalavan is mixed, with most reviewers acknowledging its intriguing investigative premise but finding the execution falls short of its potential. Several critics praised the ingenuity of the mystery's resolution and found it a reasonably engaging whodunit. However, common criticisms include an overlong, poorly edited second half, distracting subplots and characters, weak dialogue, and jarring tonal shifts between police procedural and crime thriller.

3 rated reviews · 2 positive · 1 negative

Praised: Ingenious mystery resolutionCriticised: Bloated, poorly edited narrative

AI-generated summary of 5 critic reviews · may contain errors

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Critic Reviews (5)

Updated
Vivek Santhosh· New Indian Express
6.0
'Thalavan' is an engaging whodunit that showcases Jis Joy's storytelling strengths, though it stumbles with some narrative missteps that prevent it from reaching its full potential.
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Anna Mathews· Times Of India
6.0
An investigative thriller let down by confusing second half
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Anandu Suresh· Indian Express
3.0
Jis Joy's film suffers from poorly crafted dialogues, a weak script that fails to elevate the film and abrupt shifts in tone between a police procedural and a crime thriller that detract from the overall experience.
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Swathi P Ajith· OnManorama
Not rated
'Thalavan', directed by Jis Joy and starring Biju Menon and Asif Ali delivers an entertaining investigative thriller. This film is well-crafted and contains enough substance to be considered a solid investigative story. The film is worth watching for anyone who enjoys engaging in police investigation thrillers.
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S.R. Praveen· The Hindu
Not rated
Despite having quite an intriguing plot, Thalavan is weighed down by all these situations and characters meant to distract us. The mystery, when it is revealed, makes some of this wait worthwhile with its ingenuity. Yet, at the same time, one cannot but think of what could have been achieved with this material, had it been shorn of all the flab and edited less jarringly.
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Cast & Crew

Cast

Details

Release Date
24 May 2024
Runtime
2h 13m
Language
Malayalam

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