Thirumanickam : A Well Intentioned Movie With a Strong Moral Message

Tamil cinema of late has been dishing out movies that have excessive violence most of which is uncalled for .  'Thirumanickam' is a departure from that as it deals with the idea that a man of virtue will gain respect even in the modern world.  Will this old fashioned film strike a chord in this fast paced world remain to be seen.

Manickam (Samuthirakani) runs a lottery shop in Kumily, near the Tamil Nadu - Kerala border.  His wife Ananya is in debt due to the pressure of running the family.  One of their two school going daughters, is speech impaired and lakhs of money is required for her treatment which is beyond their means.   In this situation an impoverished old man (Bharathiraja) with his own family problems buys a lottery ticket from Manickam but cannot pay for it as he had lost his money.  The old man requests Manickam to keep the lottery ticket promising to come back and pay for it.  As luck would have it the ticket that Bharathiraja picked wins the hefty sum of One and a half crores.   Manickam's wife and family members ask him to cash in on the lottery ticket that will solve all their problems. What decision the morally upright Manickam takes and what problems he faces because of that is what 'Thirumanickam' is all about.

Samuthirakani has always been the go to man to portray the protagonist who lives at the height of honesty.  Thirumanickam is also one such role that is tailor made for him and as usual he excels in.  It's a strong comeback for 'Nadodigal' Ananya who is terrific as the strife ridden wife and mother determined to uplift her family even if it requires to take the wrong route. Bharathiraja brings to life the poverty ridden old man while Ilavarasu, Chinni Jayanth and Karunakaran are the other known faces in the cast. Thambi Ramaiah and Sriman appear in forced comedy roles managing to evoke a few smiles at the most. 

What works best in Thirumanickam is the thriller angle added to the moral story that provides momentum to the proceedings.  The backstory of Manickam before he became a straight forward man is quite convincing.  The twist involving the cyber crime cop is interesting.

On the downside the very premise of the story is questionable and hence the hero's obsessive journey on the moral route is not easy to route for.  The narration is more on the lines of a TV serial and several tropes in the screenplay are outdated.

Sukumar M's camera has captured the eye pleasing fauna of the western ghats to perfection while Vishal Chandrasekhar compliments him with his background score. GPRK Cinemas has bankrolled the project with neat production values.  Director Nanda Periyasamy is always known for coming up with novel ideas but his executions could be a few notches higher.

Verdict: Go for this clean family drama with a strong moral message