THUPPAKKI FILM REVIEW

THUPPAKKI (2012)

Director: A.R. Murgadoss
Casts: Vijay, Kajal Agarwal, Vidyut Jamwal, Sathyan
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Language: Tamil
Genre: Action Thriller

The wait has finally come to an end as the most anticipated movie of the year has finally hit the screens. Vijay is known for his excellent screen presence and energy, having the core aim to entertain. And A.R.Murgadoss is known for his intelligent thriller who colours commercialism convincingly. When both of these entertainers join hands, the expectations hit sky high especially with such profound talents such as Santosh Sivan and Sreekar Prasad packaging it. 

So is Thuppakki worth the wait?

Synopsis

Jagdish (Vijay), an army captain, returns back to Mumbai for a holiday to be with his parents and two sisters. They want him to get married and finds a bride Nisha (Kajal Aggarwal) for him. After the usual bickering’s the couple fall in love. Meanwhile Jagadish an intelligence officer in the military has a mission to crack down on terrorist sleeper cells in Mumbai.

How Jagadish moves around as an ordinary person using his brain and brawn to track down the person behind the national threat forms the crux of the story.

 

Story Screenplay

A.R.Murgadoss who is known for his sensible and racy screenplay, does not disappoint us here. He injects a neat message through a game-like objective driven screenplay. He stacks the story with neatly placed twists with sprinkles of shocks here and there. This time he seems to be very focused on what he wanted to convey and what he wanted the film to turn out to be.

The characters are interestingly designed, especially Jagadish’s, who is casual, witty and also focused when it comes to National Security. The patriotic element and the message about the Army men have come out convincingly. Especially during the last scene, every man could feel the true meaning and value of patriotism.

On the flip side, even though the comical antics between Vijay and Kajal are fun, it somehow slows down the thrill of the film.

In overall, A.R.Murgadoss appears to have known the strength of Vijay well and have utilized most of it. Nevertheless, he keeps his inventive imagination running by, coming up with a neat commercial flick without trying too hard to impress.

Casting & Performance

Vijay with his toned physique looks tailor made for a casual Army officer. The way he translates his body language according to the film’s mood is commendable. He blends well with this story driven flick and oozes with versatility. Kajal Agarwal as ‘Boxer’ Nisha suits the film well and we can safely say that she is one of the few female leads in recent times who does humour so convincingly. Vidyut Jamwal impresses with his subtle delivery and menacing eyes while Sathyan is a scream. A.R.Murgadoss has introduced many debutants in the film and all have impressed.

On the other end, Jeyram stamps his experience, even with a brief role.

Technicality

Santosh Sivan’s calibre has been proved so many times in many films but in Thuppakki he shoots a commercial film with artistic touch. He captures Mumbai in two colours; one being the bright clean chapter of Jagadish and Nisha chapter and another being the underworld terrorists. The most talked about Arri Digital enhances the action sequences, by capturing the minute details vividly. Editor Sreekar Prasad’s fast cuts certainly give an extra boost to the already racy screenplay.

Harris Jayaraj’s songs is apt for the film and his epic BGMs especially the theme music, really adds the icing to the cake. However the placement of ‘Vennilave’ song is seriously misplaced, especially when it come during the pre-climax.

In overall, A.R.Murgadoss has packaged his film in a prefect colour by collating brilliant heads for the technical department.  

   

Conclusion

As recent big films falling out for too much gimmicks and tedium, Thuppakki sets a new bench mark for commercial cinema by keeping focus and true to itself, without trying too hard to impress.  With A.R.Murgdoss’s sharp direction and Vijay’s ever dependable dedication, Thuppakki works big time, firing with the right sound for this Deepavali!

Rating: 3.5/5