Thoongaavanam Movie Review - (Sleepless Night) - Orchestrated thrills!

Kamal had to bounce back after the ‘Uthama Villain’ debacle. For Kamal it’s not the question of when he would bounce back, but how. With an illustrious career dotted with so many hits and a handful of misses, Kamal certainly knows the knack of pulling things off his sleeves whenever needed. And that too if it’s from his own production house, certainly a minimum guarantee is on the cards. Thoongaavanam, being a remake of a successful French flick Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night), had to be tailored to suit the Indian senses for it to sail through the rough tides in the Indian Ocean. Debutant Rajesh M who has been an assistant director for Kamal for quite sometime has made sure that this aspect was taken care with utmost diligence and believability, though Kamal nudges past the authentic threshold quite a few times just to stamp his presence.

Revealing the story of this movie certainly wouldn’t be a spoiler for people who are yet to watch it as the thrills are felt in the way the scenes unfold, leading from one to another with fluidic ease but with utmost predictability. An officer with the narcotic control bureau, Diwakar (Kamal) along with his subordinate Mani (Yugi Sethu) manage to seize a huge amount of cocaine that belongs to the drug mafia leader, Vittal Rao (Prakash Raj), who in turn abducts Diwakar’s son to get his goods back. It’s a no-brainer to predict whether Diwakar managed to rescue his son. But the screenplay was fast paced and made it a decently orchestrated thriller that made us even laugh at times with some wryly written lines, thanks to Suka.

Kamal’s role could have been reprised by anyone. However the liveliness and agility that Kamal brings to the table is something exquisite. It’s like tasting a pasta in Italy by a specialist chef. Also one can warm to the fact that Kamal’s cinematic age has increased by a good 10 - 15 years. With a salt and pepper look (thanks ‘thala’ for paving the way), without an iota of guilt of not having a heroine to shake legs with, Kamal’s role was quite well etched. His troubled life as a father and husband was very well portrayed with a few dialogs exchanged between his wife and son during various scenes. There was no melodrama but very subtle references to what could have led them to part ways. Good bit of writing.

There were far too many in the supporting role who just appeared in a few scenes. That includes Trisha as an upright cop, Kishore as another tough cop, Asha Sarath as Kamal’s wife, Chams as the troubled chef, Somasundaram and Jagan as the villain’s cronies and Sampath as a gangster. Of these many, only Chams and Somasundaram stood out for their rib tickling slapsticks and one-liners. For Prakash Raj this was the umpteenth time he is playing such a role. Asha Sarath who was awesome in Papanasam was given hardly any space to perform. And one more, Madhu Shalini (who was last seen in Avan Ivan) was used to assist Kamal with his trademark lip-lock scene to please Kamal’s fan base.

BGM by Ghibran was a huge pillar of support. Though there were no songs and 90% of the movie’s story happens to unfold at a nightclub over a period of say 12 hours, the music was played through the narrative in order to take the proceedings forward without much delay. Also the editing was chic without employing any fancy techniques. Sanu John Varghese, the man behind the camera has done a great job in order to capture the uninitiated tension and action that unfolds on screen spontaneously.

Though this isn’t a Kurudhipunal or a Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, it can be watched for it’s tight packaging and careful execution with some engaging thrills that keep us hooked almost till the end.

Rating: 2.75 / 5

Verdict: Above Average