In a period when action thrillers or horror thrillers have increased in popularity, director Mithra Jawahar has braved a complete breakaway in his latest film, Thiruchitrambalam. It is the simplest of stories with the simplest of plots, featuring only a few characters but the effect of watching Thiruchitrambalam lingers long after the end credits role.
Dhanush plays Pazham who is no longer on talking terms with his father but enjoys a delightful closeness with his grandfather – brilliantly portrayed by Bharathiraja. Pazham’s closest friend is Shobhana – played by Nithya Menen and they enjoy a closeness that is the envy of many people. Will this relationship change when Pazham finds his true love, or is it a bond that transcends other relationships?
As is evident, there is nothing earth-shattering about the plot. There are no expensive CGI effects or fancy locations. There are no expensive sets and not much of a fight sequence…yet Thiruchitrambalam reaches deep into one’s soul and lingers there for a long time, drawing its viewer closer and closer to its world until it is impossible not to empathise with the characters.
The characters are realistically fleshed out, flawed, intense and often unpredictable – all infused with naturally flowing humour without a hint of vulgarity. The relationships are realistic and beautifully developed through a screenplay that is unhurried but deeply absorbing.
This is all helped along by marvellous performances from its cast. It is a long time since Dhanush has played a soft role like this and, if nothing else, it accentuates the depth and variety of his talents. Nithya Menen is in one of her most delightful roles to date as Pazham’s best friend, while Bharathiraja is in his best acting role to date in a role that has to have him in contention for an award next year. Raashi Khanna and Priya Bhavani Shankar are both memorable in highly charged but totally different types of performances. Prakash Raj is in scintillating form. Revathi makes a brief special appearance.
Munishkanth as Dhanush’s uncle, Sriranjani as Shobhana’s mother and VJ Pappu as Shobhana’s younger brother are the best of the others.
Anirudh Ravichander unveils another dimension to his music in Thiruchitrambalam with his background score neatly complementing the narrative in an unobtrusive manner and his songs elevating the film a few notches. In particular, Mehgam Karukaathaa Yenna in its tune and picturisation remains with the view even days after seeing the film.
There are some outstanding examples of creative framing in Om Prakash’s cinematography, with an equally impressive use of low light in the indoor scenes. Prasanna GK’s editing is neat and without any frills, much in keeping with the rest of the film.
This is the fourth film of writer-director Mithran Jawahar whose earlier hits, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Kutty and Uthama Puthiran were all remakes of Telugu films. This is his first original script and screenplay and if this is any indication of his talent, there is a lot more to look forward to from his future films. It is therefore no wonder that the film has gone briskly to become Dhanush’s most commercially successful film to date.
Like any commercial film, there are some minor glitches. There are some cinematic liberties with the logic factor in some scenes and the solitary fight sequence is longer than it should have been, but Thiruchitrambalam remains one of the most enjoyable films to emanate from Kodambakkam in recent times
Thiruchitrambalam scores an impressive 9 out of 10.