Thalaivan Thalaivii Movie Review: A fun-filled and flawed take on marriages, divorces, and everything in between

Pandiraaj reins in the melodrama by relying on relentless comedy that is organically built out of the various relationships depicted in the film, especially the one between Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen's characters.

Divorce, just like marriage, isn’t something that is just about the couple. It might seem to the world that it is a personal choice, but it is always a culmination of causations. 

And divorce, just like marriage, isn’t something that is in the hands of the couple in question. The Indian society, and its legal framework, goes out of its way to enforce the sanctity of marriage, and paints divorce as an evil entity that is out to destroy its very fabric. But representation of the same in our movies has always been sketchy at best. In fact, there are very few movies that even talk about divorce, and to have a film like Thalaivan Thalaivii pooh-poohing it might seem detrimental and regressive. But Pandiraaj is someone who has clearly understood the possible backlash for the same. “I don’t know how people can stay away from their loved ones after getting divorced. What is the use of that freedom and respect?” asks a distraught Aagaasaveeran (Vijay Sethupathi), who quickly adds, “But what do I know? It is their life… but I can’t stay away.” Now, this might seem as a commentary against the concept of divorce, or the character’s inexplicable love for his wife, which doesn’t seem to understand the concept of separation. Is divorce wrong? Nope. Can a character not want to get divorced over things like ego and extended family-induced discord? Yes. Can both these concepts co-exist in the same film? Well, that is what Thalaivan Thalaivii tries to explore, albeit with mixed results. 

But when it is just about the machinations of a couple that seem to have nothing in common except a shared love for parottas,

 Thalaivan Thalaivii is a hoot and a half. While Perarasi (Nithya Menen) is an MBA graduate, Aagaasaveeran is a tenth standard dropout. She believes in winning arguments with silence and stares; he believes in shouting at the top of his voice. She takes time to get hysterical, he starts there. And yet, they are very much in love. They mesh with each other like they are egg and parotta in a kothu parotta, and that’s probably why they don’t bat an eyelid while emotionally battering each other. As Yogi Babu once says in the film, “These are not normal people…” And it is so true of not just Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi, but every character that is part of their extended families. Imagine a Visu-style film with every character in the film played by someone with all the characteristics of a typical Visu character in his films. Why can’t they just say what they want to say without trying to beat around the bush and play unnecessary mind games? But let’s be honest… We know many issues can be solved by just having a conversation, but don’t we know loads of people who aren’t willing to do that basic thing? So, in a way, Thalaivan Thalaivii is about such people who willingly do wrong things simply because they are used to doing these things with impunity. And they do a lot of wrong things.

Director: Pandiraaj

Cast: Vijay Sethupathi, Nithya Menen, Deepa, RK Suresh, Chemban Vinod Jose, Kaali Venkat, and Yogi Babu

Although the film is filled with characters with rather catchy names, Thalaivan Thalaivii is firmly about Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi.

However, nothing in the film would move ahead without the presence of its crowded ensemble. And it is interesting how this crowd grows in number as the film progresses. It starts with the local thief (Yogi Babu) entering a temple to get divine permission to start his thievery. It then has the family of Kaali Venkat, Myna, and their kids coming to the temple on the occasion of the elder child’s birthday. Then, Perarasi and her parents come to the tonsuring ceremony of her girl child. Aagaasaveeran isn’t there yet, because the couple haven’t been on talking terms for over three months, and are headed for a separation. A riled-up Aagaasaveeran enters the fray, and his anger leads to three different sets of henchmen coming to settle scores. Now, things are primed for an action entertainer coupled with family sentiment, but Pandiraaj prefers dealing with the heavy issues of Thalaivan Thalaivii with liberal doses of levity.

It is this humour that holds together this film, which is built on vibes rather than feelings. Of course, there is an overdose of feelings, but it never overstays its welcome. The same can't be said of the action setpieces that go on too long for a film like Thalaivan Thalaivii. But points to Pandiraaj for sketching the families of Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi in such a way that even these elaborate action sequences have some reason to exist.

Nevertheless, Pandiraaj reins in the melodrama by relying on relentless comedy that is organically built out of the various relationships depicted in the film. While the peripheral equations are painted in broad shades of black and white, the Aagaasaveeran-Perarasi relationship comes in various shades. In fact, with any other person, both of them would seem completely at odds, but with each other, they feel complete. Complete chaos… and yet, there is a weird sense of order there. And the film oscillates between this chaos and order, hoping to weave out a tale about how love will defy all odds, even the ones mounted by those in love. Every single time we see the two break up, patch up, love each other, hate each other, fight with each other, and walk out of each other’s lives, there is a sense of exasperation. But there is also a sense of understanding because Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya play these roles to the gallery. They are loud, loving, obnoxious, affable, insufferable, and yet, charming enough to keep us invested. These scenes play out wonderfully, thanks to the convincing performances, even if they have the potential to rile us up due to their repetitive nature.

There are problems galore in the sketching of the peripheral characters, who are largely one-note. 

They exist to conform to unnecessary stereotypes, and almost none of them come off better, except RK Suresh’s Porchelvan, who plays Perarasi’s brother, and Chemban Vinod Jose’s Arasangam, the father of Perarasi. Barring Nithya, who gets a well-etched out character, the other women in the film are given a raw deal. Why not show us the likes of Deepa Shankar, Roshni Haripriyan, and Janaki Suresh do anything else except be rabble rousers? Is physical violence the only answer? Why not give the likes of Saravanan, Vettai Muthukumar, and Vinod Sagar a more rounded arc? What these missteps essentially does is to keep us at an arm’s length away from many of the peripheral layers that could have gone the way of Kadaikutty Singam. What happens instead is a collection of scenes that are just infuriating for a while, and we remain indifferent to them later. 

Ably supported by Santhosh Narayanan, who does an excellent job of adding melody to this cacophony, Pandiraaj trusts in Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya to eke out a battle of the sexes between two bull-headed people. The film largely relies on loudness to make its points, but it is even better when it lets the quiet moments take over. These scenes come a bit too late in the film, but it is effective nonetheless. The film is quite flippant with its take on divorce, but it manages to subvert it by simply saying it is the story of Aagaasaveeran and Perarasi, and is a tale of how rage, misunderstanding, and miscommunication can take you as far as the courts and police stations, but love can always help you find a way back home. Even if that home is loud, obnoxious, affable, insufferable, charming, and filled with a love that, unlike divorce and marriage, is still a personal choice .

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Eleven Movie Review: This Naveen Chandra thriller tries to be different but ends up odd Despite Naveen Chandra’s shining performance as the driven cop, the lacklustre writing and uninspiring supporting cast leave this film as an open-and-shut case of mediocrity

In this film about stopping serial murders and unmasking a pathological killer, 

Aravindan finds himself chasing a high-IQ psychopath. With zero leads and the clock ticking, the IPS officer is handed the near-impossible task of stopping more innocents from falling prey to this slayer’s flames.

For the first 20 minutes or so, the film focuses on building the world of ACP Aravindan, 

an incredibly sharp detective who believes in working smart, not hard. In fact, a villain even tells him, “Nee endha case-a eduthalum mudikkama vida maatiyaame” (You always end up solving the cases you’re assigned). The filmmaker, though, fails to shake off predictability, which sticks out like a clear fingerprint in a crime scene. For most of the first half, both the film and its officers stumble through a rather sedate investigation. Leads are scarce, breakthroughs rarer. No epiphanies, no goosebump-inducing deductions, just a procedural crawl. While the climax does offer an explanation for this lack of spark, for the longest time, it feels like the film is laying the groundwork for a thriller that forgot to bring the thrills. Too much setting, not enough sleuthing.

It is impressive how director Lokesh AJJLS

ensures that the sparks he leaves behind as seemingly illogical loopholes eventually effect a huge flame in the final act. While it’s true that the last stroke can complete the painting, here, the director spends so much time trying to outsmart the audience that he forgets to engage them. In such genres, the motive behind the murders adds the real weight. So, when a grand reveal is made at intermission, followed by a flashback meant to humanise the killer, the twist becomes all too guessable. This backstory is designed to tug at our heartstrings, maybe even make us momentarily root for the slayer. But while the premise is fresh and full of potential, what makes Eleven guilty of mediocrity is its writing, which never quite moves us enough to connect, resonate, or even empathise with its tormented protagonist. With sentiment acting as the film’s emotional anchor, the absence of the same weakens the foundation, and drags around with no clear end in sight.

Another aspect that Eleven misses out on is the classic thrill of misdirection

. There are no clever red herrings to keep the audience second-guessing. The investigation plays out in binary; the officers either stumble upon a lead or hit a dead end. As mentioned earlier, the final 30 minutes do manage to pull the rug, and finally has red herrings and second guesses before finally unmasking the real culprit.

But after nearly 90 minutes of nothing but groundwork, the twist arrives a little too late. By the time the surprise lands, we’re too burnt out by the slow burn to truly be blown away.

Amidst the darkness of it all, Naveen Chandra’s performance as the charismatic cop comes as the shining light. 

Single-handedly, he shoulders a film with an innovative concept but is burdened by not-so-supportive supporting actors. While Abhirami and Dhilipan put their best foot forward in their limited roles, the other peripheral characters, key to the film’s development, fail to act in its favour.

In the end, Eleven tries to light up the screen with its innovative premise, but like its own killer, it gets lost in the shadows of predictability and missed opportunities. At the heart of a great thriller is the ability to keep audiences on edge, not just for the twists, but for the emotional ride. Eleven has the pieces but forgets to connect them. In a genre built on suspense, sometimes the greatest crime is failing to keep the audience intrigued.

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‘Maargan’ movie review: Vijay Antony, debutant Ajay Dishan steer an impressive genre-blender with a faltering finish

Director Leo John Paul’s ‘Maargan’ is an ambitious supernatural investigative thriller that convincingly sells its wacky ideas but falters due to a didactic climax.

Editor-turned-director Leo John Paul’s Maargan is the kind of genre-blender that shouldn’t have worked theoretically — who would take a crime investigation seriously if there’s a lesser-known supernatural element in the mix? Sure, we have seen investigations surrounding ghosts or mythical creatures and monsters, but seldom with the supernatural aspect in Maargan. The film is an ambitious, whimsical mix of genres, and even imagining how the story would have been conceptualised and pitched to lead star and producer Vijay Antony feels fascinating. Many wacky ideas in the film don’t make sense outside the world of the film.

Take, for instance, the supernatural element at the centre; debutant Ajay Dishan’s character 

(the actor is impressive in his debut) Tamizharivu is a talented young swimmer with an eidetic memory. His biggest flex, however, is a superpower of sorts — he can access and swim through the astral plane, a metaphysical realm where the logic of our physical world does not apply. Sounds confusing?

Move on to the next paragraph to avoid the following spoiler-y analogy, but this is fascinating, to say the least. Say you had a bland sambar rice at your office canteen yesterday but missed checking out the other options available at the counter; if you were like Tamizharivu, you could relive the memory of your lunchtime from yesterday, and then perform an astral projection of sorts and swim through that reality at that point of time, and even go into the canteen kitchen without anyone noticing your astral body. Only here, the character has an agenda far more serious than lentil stew.

If Tamizharivu’s powers are far-fetched, he is also suspected to be a serial killer with an unnerving modus operandi:

injecting young women with a mysterious drug that blackens their bodies and kills them instantly. This case is being investigated by Additional Directorate General of Police, Dhruv Korak (Vijay), who, after having already crossed paths with the killer, is left with half his body blackened and under medication. So picture an investigation with a cop who is a living reminder of the fate of the victims.

But here’s the surprise: despite such wild ideas in the mix, Leo John Paul’s Maargan impressively brings it all together to a large extent, becoming a thoroughly engaging thriller. The film’s attention to detail is what first makes you sit right up in the initial portions. Before Dhruv gets a call informing of a murder of a similar modus operandi in Chennai, the cop lies wasted on the floor of his Mumbai flat. Signs of a bleak night all around him, he is lying down on the left side of his body, positioned in such a way that when he wakes up, the camera reveals the blackened left side of his body. But here’s the detail a less serious filmmaker would have missed out on: in a passing moment, as he’s about to open a text, he relies on his right hand to move his left, a sign of a limb that fell asleep from numbness after supporting the weight of his body overnight.

This might seem like a frivolous, even obvious, detail, but it is this meticulousness that grounds us in the world of Maargan. Everything Dhruv does and approaches feels real — when he realises an interrogation might take six hours, he orders lunch and coffee for his team, which includes Kaali (Mahanadhi Shankar) and Sruthi (Brigida Saga) — and this allows the audiences to buy Dhruv’s surprise when he witnesses the supernatural aspect of the story. The key to a gripping investigative thriller is how it pulls you into its world from the beginning, and Maargan excels in that regard, also thanks to the background scores and a colour grade that adds to the atmosphere. It helps that, unlike most usual investigative thrillers, the crux of Maargan’s story begins after a rather intriguing suspect is already in custody. Of late, the problem that has plagued many Tamil thrillers is how contrived some set-ups and pay-offs feel; here, you like how a button camera or a magazine cover or a detail about chlorine-filled water recur later on.

While Maargan does a great job of framing its own logic for the supernatural world and sticking by it, there are quite a few lapses in the real-world logic in the film. The meticulousness in detail gets lost as the story progresses. For instance, you wonder how the people Dhruv meets in his investigation — including acquaintances he hasn’t met in a decade — do not seem perturbed or surprised by the visible decolouration in his body. Moreover, the whole section revolving around Tamizharivu’s ex-girlfriend feels tacky, and you wonder if the purpose could have been achieved more effectively. Also, is it necessary for cops to have suffered a tragedy to take a case seriously? Sure, a troubled cop gets the creative liberty to do as he wishes, even operate outside the yellow lines if needed, but this pattern does get a bit exhausting, especially if the tragedy is related to the case in hand.

Now, what might come too close to turning the tide against the film is how the final act is written and treated. The director ties the ends by going after a sitting duck that one could see coming from far away, and even if this was the whole point of the story, you wonder if it could have been handled in a less didactic fashion.

On the face of it, Maargan could’ve been any other serial killer investigative thriller, if not for the supernatural aspect that elevates it into something more. Which is why it’s impossible to settle for the blunt reality it forces upon us towards the end. If some real-world ideas in the investigation could use a supernatural twist, you wonder why the other real-world ideas spelt out in the climax weren’t treated similarly without turning didactic. The film fails to do so despite having all the necessary ingredients for it.

If anything, Maargan is an amusingly paradoxical representation of what Tamil cinema could do more of with — stars experimenting with genres — as well as what it could do away from. We don’t need to end all films with an in-your-face moral lesson ( and we don’t need one that can’t even get its ‘isms’ right).

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Vithaikkaaran is a film that works best when the comedy and drama elements are intertwined. The film suffers when it gets into full-on serious mode, as these portions don't work as well as its dark comedy moments and meta-jokes.

Vithaikkaaran Movie Synopsis: 

A magician-turned-thief finds himself in danger as he is suspected of stealing a diamond in a heist. In the midst of it all, he suffers a temporary memory loss. With gangsters after his life, how will he get out of trouble?

Vithaikkaaran Movie Review: First and foremost, Vithaikkaaran deserves praise for its single-mindedness. Director Venki has made a film that remains focused on telling its story without any extra fluff. Throughout its runtime, the film hardly goes off track in the name of entertainment.The film does provide certain laugh-out-loud moments that are worthy of appreciation. But it's not until the very end that the thriller elements really come together. It's unfortunate that by then, it's already too late.Vithaikkaaran is a film that works best when the comedy and drama elements are intertwined. The film suffers when it gets into full-on serious mode, as these portions don't work as well as its dark comedy moments and meta-jokes.It doesn't mean that none of the serious moments in the film work. A scene in which two men are talking about a woman they both loved at two different points in life is truly a beautiful exchange between two grown men.An evident problem with Vithaikkaaran is its abrupt and hurried editing. Take, for example, a scene shot on a metro train. The scene in itself is intriguing, but the makers have a little too much fun with the editing. The same scene could have easily had a better impact without any of this fuzz. The music by VBR is also largely underwhelming.Speaking of the cast, Sathish fares much better when he is in casual mode, but the actor fails to make a mark in the emotional moments. The supporting actors do their parts well, but Simran Gupta feels like a miscast in the film's setting.It also has to be said that Vithaikkaaran really picks up towards the end. The portions set in the airport are a clear highlight. If the other parts had also been made with such precision, then we would have gotten a solid entertainer.

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