Thudarum is
a
masterpiece
for
adults,
a
serious
yet
self-aware
piece
of
cinema
that
has
something
for
everybody,
feels
Arjun
Menon.
Thudarum
is
one
of
the
most
anticipated
Malayalam
releases
of
the
year,
in
which
we
were
promised
a
Mohanlal
vehicle
that
would
see
him
play
a
common
man
after
many
larger-than-life
roles.
It
may
seem
like
a
pretty
common
thing
but
anyone
who’s
familiar
with
the
actor’s
filmography
knows
the
cultural
weight
of
this
film.
You
rarely
get
to
see
Mohanlal
play
vulnerable,
everyday
mortals
in
films,
as
he
mostly
takes
on
star-centric
turns
of
crime
lords
and
invincible
demigod
figures.
Mohanlal’s
association
with
Tharun
Murthy,
the
director
of
mainstream
successes
like
Operation
Java
(2021)
and
Saudi
Vellakka
(2022),
also
promised
a
cinematic
experience
that
is
formally
more
rigorous
than
the
star’s
recent
output.
Thudarum
delivers
on
both
promises
and
goes
further
to
deliver
a
solid
family
entertainer
with
suspense
and
heightened
emotional
conflicts.
The
film
does
not
break
any
new
ground
but
tweaks
the
tropes
of
familiar
stories
of
families
into
something
of
a
genre
hybrid.
Thudarum has
Mohanlal
play
an
ex-stuntman
named
Benz
Shanmugham, who
is
now
settled
with
his
small
family
in
rural
Pathanamthitta.
Tharun
Murthy,
as
a
filmmaker,
revels
in
details.
He
sets
up
the
everyday
life
of
his
seemingly
ordinary
hero,
whose
moments
of
transcendence
come
through
his
little
interactions
with
his
family.
Thudarum places
Mohanlal
at
the
centre
of
an
ensemble
drama
that
unravels
with
varying
tonal
and
narrative
plains.
A
police
officer
makes
things
tough
for
Shanmughan,
after
the
cops
take
his
dearer-than-life
Ambassador
car.
This
leads
to
a
bizarre
turn
of
events
that
upend
his
mundane
existence
and
force
him
to
embark
on
a
dramatic
journey
for
redemption.
You
can’t
reveal
much
about
such
a
tightly
wound
screenplay
without
giving
away
some
of
its
most
enjoyable
aspects.
The
film
relies
on
our
familiarity
with
the
softer
side
of
Shanmugham
to
finally
register
the
sudden
flip
in
his
persona
that
notches
up
the
tension
in
the
latter
half.
Mohanlal
is
wonderfully
supported
by
Shobana,
playing
his
onscreen
partner
after
what
seems
like
ages.
The
duo
exchange
glances,
eye
rolls
and
little
secrets
that
come
up
a
lifetime
of
marriage.
Cinematographer
Shaji
Kumar,
known
more
for
his
work
in
big-ticket
commercial
films,
brings
in
a
whole
new
sense
of
lensing
in
Thudarum.
You
feel
the
intimacy
and
interconnectedness
of
these
lives
without
being
overtly
kitsch
or
overwrought.
Tharun
Murthy’s observational
style finds
an
outlet
in
Shaji
Kumar’s
flatly-lit
frames
that
pick
up
the
little
details
without
being
stagey.
Tharun
Moorthy
and
his
co-writer
K
R
Sunil
are
not
eager
to
pack
in
too
much
exposition
or
plot
details
in
a
hurry
to
look
clever.
But
they
deconstruct
the
immediate
surroundings
of
Shanmugham
to
unravel
the
emotional
canvas
and
the
core
of
their
conflict.
Jakes
Bejoy
perfectly
switches
with
the
ever-changing
tonal
variations
of
the
film
and
keeps
the
action
suspenseful.
The
score
and
songs
fit
in
nicely
with
the
everyday
textures
of
this
self-contained
story
world.
The
plethora
of
supporting
performances,
including
Maniyanpilla
Raju,
Irshad,
Farhaan
Faasil
and
Binu
Pappu,
get
the
shorter
end
of
the
stick
when
it
comes
to
screen
time
but
their
impetus
on
Shanmugham’s
arc
cannot
be
underplayed.
The
performances
fall
smoothly
within
the
umbrella
of
Tharun’s
sporadic
vision
of
a
small
town
tale
with
their
character
quirks
and
personalities.
The
film
uses
elementary
visual
motifs
singling
out
Shanmughan
from
his
tricky
situation
to
show
his
predicament
in
the
latter
half,
where
the
performer
in
Mohanlal
gets
a
platform
to
deliver
some
fine
acting.
The
film
makes
him
go
to
some
extreme
emotional
places
that
we
haven’t
quite
seen
the
actor
explore
of
late.
Mohanlal
has
so
much
synergy
with
the
material
that
he
does
not
eat
up
the
explosive
possibilities
of
the
drama
but
skillfully
plays
a
man
subsumed
by
revelations
and
ever-changing
moral
conflicts.
Tharun
Moorthy
has
delivered
the
goods
with
his
low-key
family
drama
that
is
a
character
study
of
a
man
in
conflict
with
himself
and
his
being.
The
film
is
a
refreshing
change
of
pace
for
Mohanlal,
and
we
get
to
see
him
ease
into
the
part
of
a
layman
with
the
necessary
emotional
consistency
after
a
long
time.
The
film
packs
a
lot
of
drama
and
engagement
into
a
routine
setting
with
clever
writing.
Thudarum
is
a
masterpiece
for
adults,
a
serious
yet
self-aware
piece
of
cinema
that
has
something
for
everybody.
Thudarum
Review
Rediff
Rating:
