“Tharunam” Film Review

A good thriller needs to have credible, rounded characters in a plot that is unpredictable, yet grounded in logic. For this to work, the script and screenplay need to be carefully mapped out to ensure that the finer details are not ignored. Tharunam is a romantic thriller that works because it has all these ingredients and more.

Kishen Das and Smruthi Venkat play the lead roles, supported by Raj Aiyappa, Bala Saravanan, Sreeja Ravi, Geetha Kailaasam, Sujatha Babu, Vimalraj, Sarvodaya, Shri Chezhiyan and Rebecca.

Arjun (Kishen Das) and Meera (Smruthi Venkat) meet at a wedding and this chance meeting paves the way for their two lives to intertwine later. Both are smarting from failed relationships and personal challenges, but love does begin to bloom against the shadow of Meera’s friend, Rohit (Raj Aiyappa). Rohit’s intentions in his “friendship” are soon exposed, it leads to a dramatic series of events.

What works in Tharunam is the strong characterisation blend into the well-crafted script. What works even more is the organic comedy that runs throughout the film and this is not limited to the delightful comedic timing of Bala Saravanan who plays Arjun’s friend, Vishwa.

For those who want to see this film, I strongly recommend avoiding reading reviews, unless – like the Sigaram reviews- they are spoiler-free. I will also recommend not reading the screen blurb on the film if you’re streaming it on Tentkottai. This is to ensure that you enjoy the mystery and suspense as intended by the writer and director, Arvind Srinivasan.

Tharunam has some very strong acting performances from its entire cast. Kishen Das shows great maturation while the role of Meera, I believe, could have been better cast, Raj Aiyappa as Rohit shows a great deal of promise while Bala Saravanan is a sheer delight in every one of his scenes.

Ashwin Hemanth’s background score supports the film without overpowering the visuals while Darbuka Siva’s songs are enjoyable and from varied styles.

Cinematography by Raja Bhattacharjee is outstanding, especially in his creative use of light. His framing is equally impressive as are the many long shots. The one major blight in the visuals is the one motorbike scene shot indoors – but blame for this must be shared with the director.

While the film does not have a rapid pace, there is no drag in the screenplay and this is largely due to the way each scene is scripted. As a thriller, it delivers exactly what it sets out to do – for which Arvind Srinivasan must be commended.

Tharunam scores 7 points out of 10.