“Thalaivan Thalaivi” Film Review

Pandiraj’s latest directorial – Thalaivan Thalaivi brings together Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen in the lead roles, supported by Kaali Venkat, Yogi Babu, Roshini Haripriyan, Deepa Shankar, Myna Nanthini, Chemban Jose Vinod, Saravanan, R.K. Suresh Aruldoss, Vinod Sagar, Sendrayan and Chithra Lakshmanan.

Thalaivan Thalaivi is a family story infused with lots of comedy and a fair amount of action. Told within a non-linear screenplay, it focuses on the turbulent relationship between Agasaveeran (Vijay Sethupathi) and Perarasi (Nithya Menen) and how their frequent spats soon involve the entire extended family.

The premise is a good one and Pandiraj had some good ideas on how to handle the subject but the end product is too flawed to be taken seriously. The first 30 minutes of the film is engaging, fresh, witty and funny – but the movie, already teetering on the age of melodrama, soon falls into the abyss, to be rescued only in the last 15 minutes of the film. The relatability of the events in the first 35 minutes and the credibility of the characters give a promise of an outstanding film, but Pandiraj has failed his audience.

It is not the thinness of the story that makes the film falter, but the prolonged events to what is a largely predictable story. Apart from the slow pace of the film, the noise level reaches a point where the loudness of the characters are no longer cute or charming, but becomes jarring and annoying. The film is so cacophonic that it makes a Hari film sound like a Mani Ratnam film by comparison.

The screaming dilutes the performance of the actors, not the least of which are Vijay Sethupathi and Nithya Menen.

Vijay Sethupathi, despite the limitations of the script and its handling, plays his role superbly, with his acting skills shining through the murky handling. Nithya Menen also her acting skills and depth in her role as Perarasi.

Kaali Venkat is, as always, brilliant in his portrayal while Malayalee actor Chemban Vinod Jose makes an imposing presence, quite unlike Saravanan who is in a surprisingly subdued performance.

Roshini Haripriyan and Myna Nandhini, but Deepa Shankar loses her charm soon after her introduction.

Sendrayan as the hapless barber is memorable while Yogi Babu is in a delightful role.

Despite its many flaws, what saves the film is the very witty script that has a lot of humour and satire. However, what is more impressive is Pandiraj’s characterisation. Each of the film’s characters is severely flawed and with varying degrees of weirdness or insanity – and it is this touch that makes the film, with all its migraine-inducing noise, still charming to some extent.

Santhosh Narayanan’s songs provide an interruption to the narrative and are not well placed. His background score is good, but wells short of his own high standards.

M. Sukumar’s cinematography provides one of the film’s highlights. Apart from the many sweeping and tracking shots, the unorthodox filming of the second fight scene is one of the film’s many cinematographic highlights.

Had Thalaivan been one third of its length and less noisy, it could have made a huge impact. Its relatable plot and relatable characters are unfortunately muddied by the length of the screenplay and its treatment. Despite that, the opening 35 minutes and closing 15 minutes make this film well worth a watch.

Thalaivan Thalaivi scores 6 points out of 10.