Thangalaan : Glitters in Concept, Performances and Making

The long awaited 'Thangalaan' marking the coming together of the thespian Chiyaan Vikram and maverick filmmaker Pa. Ranjith has finally arrived on screens.  The socio-fantasy-action-adventure boasts of solid acting performances and making.  But does it possess the fuel to penetrate the general audiences hearts to become a commercial success remains to be seen.

The majority of the story of 'Thangalaan' is set in the 18th century British India. Thangalaan (Chiyaan Vikram), his wife Gangamma (Parvathy Thiruvothu) , their three daughters and two sons reside in Veppur amongst their aboriginal tribe.  The Zamindar has seized the lands of the entire tribe including Thangalaan and has enslaved them. Thangalaan revels in remembering his grandfather (Also Vikram) who felled the mysterious demi goddess Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan) to capture a mountain of gold and defied a king in the process.  Meanwhile Lord Clement (Daniel Caltagirone) learning about the gold in the Kolar area offers Thangalaan a job to lead him to it in return for dignity to his tribe and the recovery of their land.  The rest of the multilayered screenplay, transcending centuries, deals with how Thangalaan battles with nature, the demon within and outside and the treachery of the British to discover the Kolar Gold Fields aka KGF.

The biggest highlight of 'Thangalaan' is the stellar performance of Chiyaan Vikram who inhabits the triple roles of Thangalaan, his grandfather and the 5th century tribal leader. Its a huge treat for the audience to watch the thespian  speaking the tribal dialect, treating his wife and children with utmost love and affection, battling with the demon goddess in the mind and in reality and finally finds his true self.  The multiple award winner steals the show in the physically demanding action sequences and the volcanic eruptions of emotions he displays whenever wronged.  Parvathy Thiruvothu sparkles as the middle aged wife and mother of five displaying her own array of emotions.  The romantic scenes between these too are realistic and enjoyable for that reason.   Malavika Mohanan is a revelation as the symbolic character Aarathi the goddess who rings terror whenever she appears.  The rest of the cast including Daniel Daniel Caltagirone, Harikrishnan, Preethi Karan and Pasupathi have all owned their respective characters to bring the director's vision to life.

What works best in 'Thangalaan' is its multilayered storytelling mixing genres of socio politics, fantasy, historical and action adventure.  The film convincingly transports the audience to different eras thanks to the hard work of the cast and crew.  The plight of aboriginals facing discrimination from every invader and the so called high caste and finally being relegated to slums is captured brilliantly.  Through Aarathi's characterization (a personification of mother nature) Ranjith conveys with authority that her resources can be plundered only at the cost of gutting her and turning the terrain into a river of gushing blood.   The final realization of the protagonist as to who he is and which side he belongs to is told ingeniously.   There are hard hitting dialogues about self respect and loyalty to one's roots that resonate throughout the film.

On the downside the computer graphics work is a big let down especially the black cat sequences (It wouldn't make a difference to the story if completely removed).  Emotional dialogues in many scenes are inaudible and the loudness of all the characters could cause a headache after a point.   Though the story telling is ingenious the film could have had more reach if some of the crucial scenes were simplified.  There are a few glaring lags and logical loopholes apart from the lack of a more menacing antagonist than Lord Clement.

G.V. Prakash Kumar has captivated the audience with his background score using the sounds of the centuries past.  A Kishor Kumar's cinematography captures the essence of the various time periods while Selva R.K. has provided a smooth flowing edit that goes a long way with regards to the engagement factor.  Art director S.S. Murthi's props and sets is what makes the film so authentic.  Studio Green K.E. Gnanavelraja has spared no expenses to bring 'Thangalaan' to life.  Pa. Ranjith has once again proved that he is at the very top of his game in his toil to give the audience thought provoking at the same time engaging films.  He has cleverly embedded his politics into the screenplay and delivered his core message strongly as well.

Verdict : Go for this multilayered multi genre action adventure with top notch performances from the cast