Thoongavanam

Thoongavanam keeps you awake. But the intensity is on the wane as the night progresses.

Thoongavanam is a frisky thriller which impresses despite its shortcomings. It has been quite a while since Tamil cinema has belted out a completely serious fight fare, and voila - Kamal Hassan, Rajesh Selva and the team give you exactly what you ask for. Go, catch the fun.

...even though the film doesn't come together as effectively as it should have, there are moments that keep us glued.

Thoongaavanam, which should have been done and dusted in 90 minutes, is dragged to fit the conventional time-expectations of the Indian audience. The French film's script doesn't stick with the three-part film grammar, which is prevalent here. The interval block becomes fatal to the flow of the film.

It is remarkable that Kamal continues to unfailingly make films that are different but there is a fundamental fault in many of his recent films: he doesn't respect the intellectual capacity of his audience. He treats them almost like idiots and misjudges the capacity of the audience of today, esp­ecially of Tamil films (obviously, he doesn't read reviews of his films either!). At the end of the movie, I felt like saying 'so near and yet so far'.

With adrenaline-pumping action sequences, and good performances this film is a must watch. Kamal Haasan fans are sure to enjoy this thriller!

To mark up the final verdicts, Thoonga Vanam is definitely worth giving a shot to watch out for.

The roving camera succeeds to an extent in giving us a sense of the live environment, yet it is often set at a documentary mode rather than live mode, robbing us off the sense of urgency. The sounds have been carefully woven into the film especially, the EDM blaring out of the club. Thoonga Vanam has a lot going for it, but it isn't the nail-biting thriller that it could have been.

Thoongaavanam is eminently watchable, even if that means keeping awake for a late night show.

Kamal Haasan as CK Diwakar rightly steals the limelight. A tranquil introduction and an even subdued start to his role doesn't really tell the audience what's in store from this evergreen performer. He plays a role that aptly fits his age and makeover. As a narcotics cop and a caring father he juggles between the roles with an affluence that only this man can manage.

...the intriguing plot, good performances, Ghibran's innovative background score and camera angles of Sanu Varghese make director Rajesh M Selva's Thoonga Vanam worth a watch.