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In focus
One of the biggest reasons for the success of Mankatha, Ajith’s 2011 blockbuster, is its anti-hero, who is unabashedly immoral. Finally, there was a director in Tamil cinema, who didn’t find the need to justify the wickedness of his protagonist. In a typical star vehicle, he would have been the villain. Director H Vinoth’s moral compass, however, points towards the ‘right’ side of things. Hence, Thunivu’s hero, referred to as Dark Devil, ends up with pale shades of grey at best. It’s a problem because the film, for the first few minutes, is a lot similar to the double-crossing gimmick Ajith pulled off in Mankatha. What kicks off as another wicked affair slowly starts treading the path of a generic story about yet-another Robinhood.
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.
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
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