Thangalaan Movie Review: The Film is Quite Intense
A lot of people are curious about Thangalaan after seeing the trailers, and the marketing for the film is quite intense. There has been a lot of excitement about Vikram’s film after a long time.
During the British era, the plot unfolds. All of Thangalaan and Gangamma’s (Parvathy Thiruvothu) children and wife earn a living as farmers. Lord Clement, a British general, approaches the locals and requests their assistance in finding the gold deposits.
Thangalaan realises that this wealth can change his life and the lives of his villagers—they can finally escape slavery with its help. However, the sorceress Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan), as per the local folklore, safeguards the region.
Does the story of Aarathi hold any truth? How do Thangalaan and his people battle for what is rightfully theirs?
All of the actors give outstanding performances. In his role as Thangalaan, Vikram gives a career-defining performance, showcasing his remarkable physical metamorphosis.
- Actress Parvathy gives a superb performance as Thangalaan’s wife Gangamma.
- Daniel Caltagirone gives a respectable performance as the British general, while Pasupathy is superb in his substantial role.
- Malavika Mohanan gives a stellar performance as Aarthi. Everyone has tried their hardest, even the ones in tiny parts.
In terms of technical quality, GV Prakash’s music is passable, with the exception of one particularly strong track. His score serves as an appropriate background score for the film. This film’s cinematography is superb.
The visual effects and production design in crucial sequences seem to be of low quality, while the scenes where gold digging takes place have simplistic production design.
The film drags on due to the careless editing. It lacked consistency.
Analysis of Thangalaan
“Thangalaan” is not your average movie; in fact, its plot is very original. The film dives more into the history of KGF, studying the roots of gold mining in the area and how the miners arrived there, although we have seen films like KGF (Kolar Gold Fields), where miners fight against harsh management under the leadership of Rocky Bhai.
Thangalaan is the latest film by director Pa Ranjith, who is known for politically charged storytelling. The majority of the book is devoted to the gold mining in Kolar, although Ranjith begins by showing how local landlords subjugated lower-class people by taking their land and using taxes as an excuse.
The film primarily follows Vikram and his family as they endure the hardships inflicted upon them by the local zamindar. In a calculated move, the filmmaker has our hero divulge the location of the gold mines. This triggers an exciting reminiscence of the gold mine serpents and the legend of Aarathi.
But as it goes on, the film deals with too many themes at once, becoming disjointed and losing sight of its central subject. In the beginning, the hero views the British as protectors of their tribe because of the promise of honour and a share in the wealth. However, similar to the local landlords, the British wind up misleading and taking advantage of the people. This epiphany lingers for a good chunk of the movie.
The film has some monotonous parts and long narration, but it also has many great scenes, like the one where the women of the hamlet wear blouses for the first time.
Despite Vikram and the cast’s outstanding performances and Thangalaan’s unique plot about overcoming oppression, the film falls short of its initial promise. After a certain point, the story gets confusing, and the film could have used some trimming to make it easier to follow.
Movie: Thangalaan
ibomma Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Vikram, Malavika Mohanan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Pasupathy, Daniel Caltagirone, Hari Krishnan Anbudurai, Sampath Ram and others
Story: Pa. Ranjith, Tamil Prabha
Music: G. V. Prakash Kumar
DOP: A. Kishor Kumar
Editor: Selva R. K
Art Director: S S Murthi
Action: Stunner Sam
Producers: K. E. Gnanavel Raja, Pa. Ranjith, Jyoti Deshpande
Written and Direction: Pa Ranjith
Release Date: Aug 15, 2024
