Thunivu review: Ajith stars in a decent heist film that is weighed down by generic tropes

Right from the first frame of Thunivu, Vinoth starts setting up the story because he has a bit of a complex one to tell. A gang, with the help of a police officer, plots a bank heist to steal a huge sum of money, which is illegally stored in a bank. Everything goes as per plan on the big day until the Dark Devil’s entry, who hijacks the plan. The ‘why’ of it is kept as suspense throughout the film, and this is where Vinoth triumphs. Though we are kept in the dark, Thunivu doesn’t make you impatient because there’s no time for it as there’s something happening in every frame.

Like its hero and robbers, the film also wears a mask. Thunivu is basically a social commentary that masquerades as a heist film. Suddenly, we find ourselves in the Sathuranga Vettai zone (Vinoth’s debut film). Vinoth’s criticism of the media, police, politicians, and even the public is witty and street-smart. The characterisation of the corrupt journalist and his dealings with an equally corrupt police officer are funny and worrying at the same time. Everything in the film happens in the broad daylight, but they are all pretty dark. The senior journalist and the policeman keep discussing a college girl, and whatever they say about her is problematic. What’s more worrying is the casual tone in which they talk. That’s exactly the intention of the film: to show the real crimes that happen right under our noses.

Yet, sometimes all of this commentary comes at the cost of the film becoming pedestrian and didactic. The style and the mystery of the first half quickly fizzle out post-interval, and the film starts telling one sob story after another, which is incongruous with the cold and dark nature of the film. You can’t expect one to laugh at some morbid jokes of the protagonist one moment and then bleed for hapless victims in another. On top of that, it is also unsettling when you realise that all this criticism comes from the protagonist, who is basically a contract robber. The character arc of Dark Devil is a bit sketchy and unclear. You don’t know where he is coming from, and that makes it hard to completely root for him.

All said and done, Thunivu is largely entertaining as long as it stays cold and dark, and as long as Ajith walks, dances, and screams like a maniac. The moment it sobers up, it loses its wicked charm. H Vinoth is aware of this, and that’s why there’s a dialogue in the film that goes something to the tune of, “People always like the ones who entertain them, and not the ones who keep delivering messages.” Maybe, that’s true of films as well.

Thunivu movie cast: Ajith Kumar, Manju Warrier

Thunivu movie director: H Vinoth

Thunivu movie rating: 3 stars