Vikram's Thaandavam is not glamorous but it is rich. It does not
have masala elements yet it is entertaining. It has a usual filmi-story
but a realistic one. In one word, it is a 'brilliant' film. The
highlight of the movie is the performance of Vikram and the biggest
drawback of the movie is the running length.
On January 1, 2011, a bomb is planted in Tent Bridge, UK, killing
hundreds of people. In the next few scenes, blind Vikram commits a
couple of murders. But he is not what you think, as he is a man with a
good heart, who doesn't even like to trouble an ant which bites him.
However, there is a secret woman, who meets him at public place
occasionally and says something to him. However, there is also Sarah,
the model, who comes to his life by chance and fells for him instantly
for his kind nature.
In the next stage, we are told that Shiva Kumar (Vikram), a high profile
officer in RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), marries Meenakshi (Anushka
Shetty). But there is no love-hate relationship in the beginning and
they decide to become good friends before considering themselves as a
husband and wife. At this juncture, a nuclear flow chart, a weapon to
mass destruction, goes missing and Shiva and his colleague, good friend
Sarath (Jagapathi Babu) start investigating the case. But they fail in
their mission which cost them the life of Meenakshi. What happens next
should be seen on-screen.
There is no exaggeration in any of the characters in Thaandavam. The
story has a natural flow and it has realistic feel in most parts of the
movie. Labelled as an action movie, there are no unnecessary fight
sequences. The film has a wonderful story blended with action and
romance. It also has good comedy scenes.
On the flip side, the running length of the film might test your
patience. Like Mugamoodi, the slow progress of the story may play
spoilsport. In the first half, there are some boring moments and the
placement of some songs, which appear justifiable, will irritate you.
Nonetheless, Thaandavam is a breath of fresh air at a time when most
actions movies only portray the heroism and made with
three-fights-four-songs formula.
Vikram is excellent in the role of blind, who uses echolocation to
detect objects in his environment. His actions and acting are natural.
He has proved again that he comes out with an extremely brilliant
performance when he is given a challenging role. But his fans will miss
his lavish avatars and punch dialogues in this movie. Anushka Shetty has
given best and Amy Jackson is charming. But Jagapathi Babu is not that
impressive. However, Santhanam as a cab driver brings smile on the
audience when ever he appears on-screen.
Technically, Nirav Shah's cinematography is sharp. GV Prakash Kumar's
'Oru Paadhi Kadhav...' and 'Uyirin uyire...' songs are good. Editor
Anthony's scissors could have been sharper to reduce the length of the
movie.
Verdict: Thaandavam is a seriously interesting affair.