Thudarum Review: Mohanlal's Crime Thriller Packs a Punch with Thrills and Action

Malayalam superstar Mohanlal has to be one of the busiest actors in India. His latest film, 'Thudarum', is his third theatrical release in the last four months, following 'Barroz 3D' and the Malayalam blockbuster 'L2: Empuraan'. The Thespian of the Malayalam cinema has, for the last few years, been on a bumpy ride, with a few successful ventures but more failed attempts, and no back-to-back hits. Can 'Thudarum' be the stepping stone for Mohanlal to pile up some hits? It certainly has the product to make that happen!

In the picturesque hill town of Ranni within Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district, Shanmugham, known affectionately as Benz (played by Mohanlal), enjoys a blissful existence with his spouse Lalitha (portrayed by Shobhana) and their two kids. He supports them through his work as an unauthorized taxi operator using his cherished black Ambassador vehicle. When misfortunes strike, leaving him temporarily absent, both his beloved automobile winds up at the local police station.

Benz, unable to bear life without his vehicle, frantically attempts to reclaim his car from law enforcement but becomes entangled in complications beyond anything he imagined. How might these events affect him? Can he recover his automobile? And why do the authorities remain steadfastly committed to holding onto Benz’s car? Is there an underlying narrative here? Discovering the responses to these queries forms the core storyline of this movie.

Although I'm holding back details to prevent spoiling this suspenseful movie, you can be confident that it delivers plenty of engaging content. The queries highlighted earlier are merely a fraction of those posed throughout the film. It skillfully integrates intriguing questions within the storyline progressively, ultimately showing that these inquiries lead to an even larger quandary as they unfold over time. As more revelations emerge and solutions become apparent, the picture transcends its initial genre of crime thriller and concludes triumphantly, with Mohanlal navigating through the climax impressively.

KR Sunil’s tale features a narrative that flows effortlessly but gradually becomes more intense as the plot advances. Co-written by Sunil and filmmaker Tharun Moorthy, the script adeptly introduces each character along with their backgrounds and reasons for acting, ensuring that every move made towards the movie's conclusion feels genuine—something viewers can fully support. Although similarities might be spotted between Mohanlal's ‘Drishyam’ and ‘Thudarum’, these films are far from being alike.

As usual, Mohanlal puts forth an outstanding performance in his role as the lead character. Whether portraying a loving and charming father figure or switching to a threatening persona with flair, he excels across multiple dimensions, drawing applause and admiration from audiences. Despite covering various facets throughout the movie, perhaps one of the most appealing portrayals was when he appeared as a joyful, upbeat, and amiable taxi driver. It felt invigorating seeing Mohanlal like this again after so many years; however, unfortunately, those scenes were brief within the broader narrative.

Shobana does a good job as Lalitha, Benz's nagging and stern wife. She shows power in her performance; however, her role wasn't as impactful in the film as expected. It was nice to see the pair of Mohanlal and Shobana together on-screen, especially during the first 45 minutes. The stand-out performer in the film was Prakash Varma as CI George. The famous ad filmmaker, like the iconic Vodafone commercials featuring ZooZoos, delivers a performance that elevates the film to a level where the audience is just as invested as the characters in the film.

One drawback in the film is the run-time being close to two hours and 45 minutes. There were several scenes in the film, especially towards the end, which felt unnecessary. While the first half had a good pace, the second half felt a bit stretched out, with moments that were looping around the same plot point instead of moving forward. Had the edit been crisper in the second half, restricting the run-time to around two hours and 25 minutes, the film would've left a better mark by the end.

The music composed by Jakes Bejoy and the work done by cinematographer Shaji Kumar fall short of making a significant impact; they do not stand out as particularly exceptional. Exiting the theater, one feels let down because the auditory experience lacked the usual flair from Jakes Bejoy, despite the narrative and script holding great promise for evoking powerful emotions through its soundtrack and scoring.

In general, this movie successfully bridges the gap between being a Mohanlal film and one starring Mohanlal, appealing to audiences with differing preferences. Despite some shortcomings, the captivating experience it offers could well outweigh the noted flaws.

Still, due to the unpredictability surrounding the box-office performance of such films in the Indian market, it remains unclear whether sufficient audience interest will lead to 'Thudarum' being chosen, particularly given its modest pre-release hype.