It's been a few years, since I mustered up courage to watch/tolerate a Vijay film ('Nanban' was an exception and was more Shankar driven). Such was the effect 'Azhagiya Tamizh Magan' left on me! At the helm of affairs was A.R.Murugadoss, whose 7-am Arivu was something that didn't suit my palate much either. Enough reasons to be skeptical?!
Egged on by positive comments from a couple of fb friends and with no better films for an alternative, we settled on Thuppakki.
Thuppaakki stars Vijay, Kajal Agarwal, Sathyan, Vidyut Jamwal among others and is the first time Vijay was coming together with A R Murugadoss.
To be fair to Vijay & ARM, this one is far more engaging and entertaining than I expected it to be. To start with, the concept of terrorist sleeper cells and a bunch of army men taking on it when on vacation (homework!) does make for an interesting premise. We also have a parallel track (as always), of the hero and heroine and their encounters which paves way for a few guffaws. Sathyan does his bit in inducing a few laughs and does his part really well, the 'petromax' remark being the high point.
The director manages to keep the screenplay afloat with a careful mix of the afore-mentioned tracks and with the entry of the 'all powerful' antagonist, things only get better. Vidyut Jamwal as the baddie looks all menacing and intelligent, before the climax makes a clown of him.
What really hampers Thuppaakki, are the songs by Harris Jeyaraj. None of the songs make an impact and hamper the flow of the film. 'Poi Varavaa' is the only song that sounded apt, but felt more like remains of a Goutham Menon film. The background score was adequate though and compliments the narrative.
I am told that Santosh Sivan is the cinematographer (he even makes a cameo appearence alongside the director in the "google google" song.. or was it the other one?!). One wonders whether the acclaimed lensman has been used to his potential!
Another talent, whose potential the director has failed to tap is, Jayaram. I fail to understand why Jayaram is in the movie, in the first place. Sad to see such a colossal talent being reduced to a caricature. Jayaram needs to really think about his choice of films in Thamizh.
The climax is a bit of a let down and ARM loses a trick or two in order to please Vijay's fans. Orthopaedic surgeons have a few lessons from Vijay here!
ARM does touch a few emotional chords here and there with the 'army-family photo-sacrifice' sentiment.
Kajal Agarwal looks pretty and does her part(!) satisfactorily..Hee hee..
The screenplay does have its share of loopholes and moments (the car change sequence before the climax for instance) that drag the movie down, but its pacy enough to sustain one's interest.
Coming to Vijay, such roles are a cake walk for him and he does well in a tailor made role. There is nothing that really stretches his abilities (acting or otherwise), but that takes nothing away from his performance as Jagadish. Save for a minor hiccup in the climax, he manages his lines in hindi pretty decently as well.
My Verdict: Its a safe 'DeepavaLi Thuppakki' for Vijay, his fans and Murugadoss. Decent watch this.
Egged on by positive comments from a couple of fb friends and with no better films for an alternative, we settled on Thuppakki.
Thuppaakki stars Vijay, Kajal Agarwal, Sathyan, Vidyut Jamwal among others and is the first time Vijay was coming together with A R Murugadoss.To be fair to Vijay & ARM, this one is far more engaging and entertaining than I expected it to be. To start with, the concept of terrorist sleeper cells and a bunch of army men taking on it when on vacation (homework!) does make for an interesting premise. We also have a parallel track (as always), of the hero and heroine and their encounters which paves way for a few guffaws. Sathyan does his bit in inducing a few laughs and does his part really well, the 'petromax' remark being the high point.
The director manages to keep the screenplay afloat with a careful mix of the afore-mentioned tracks and with the entry of the 'all powerful' antagonist, things only get better. Vidyut Jamwal as the baddie looks all menacing and intelligent, before the climax makes a clown of him.
What really hampers Thuppaakki, are the songs by Harris Jeyaraj. None of the songs make an impact and hamper the flow of the film. 'Poi Varavaa' is the only song that sounded apt, but felt more like remains of a Goutham Menon film. The background score was adequate though and compliments the narrative.
I am told that Santosh Sivan is the cinematographer (he even makes a cameo appearence alongside the director in the "google google" song.. or was it the other one?!). One wonders whether the acclaimed lensman has been used to his potential!
Another talent, whose potential the director has failed to tap is, Jayaram. I fail to understand why Jayaram is in the movie, in the first place. Sad to see such a colossal talent being reduced to a caricature. Jayaram needs to really think about his choice of films in Thamizh.
The climax is a bit of a let down and ARM loses a trick or two in order to please Vijay's fans. Orthopaedic surgeons have a few lessons from Vijay here!
ARM does touch a few emotional chords here and there with the 'army-family photo-sacrifice' sentiment.
Kajal Agarwal looks pretty and does her part(!) satisfactorily..Hee hee..
The screenplay does have its share of loopholes and moments (the car change sequence before the climax for instance) that drag the movie down, but its pacy enough to sustain one's interest.
Coming to Vijay, such roles are a cake walk for him and he does well in a tailor made role. There is nothing that really stretches his abilities (acting or otherwise), but that takes nothing away from his performance as Jagadish. Save for a minor hiccup in the climax, he manages his lines in hindi pretty decently as well.
My Verdict: Its a safe 'DeepavaLi Thuppakki' for Vijay, his fans and Murugadoss. Decent watch this.
