Friday, March 11, 2022

Etharkkum Thunindhavan: "Daredevilry only in name not in execution of the content!!!"

After a forced hiatus of more than a couple of years, Suriya finally has a theatrical release courtesy of Pandiraj's "Etharkkum Thunindhavan". However, in the interim period he had OTT releases like "Soorarai Pootru" & "Jai Bhim" which were praise worthy projects. His latest is based on the 2019 Pollachi sexual assault case & from the look of the trailer, it  seemed to be a mix of masala & intense emotional drama. For some reason, it didn't quite give me vibe of it being something that would be unique; though with Pandiraj calling the shots there was still some lingering hope. 

Kannabiran (Suriya) had committed a series of seven murders & had called on the forces to surrender. But how did a upright lawyer & responsible citizen become a murderer? Apparently, he hailed from Thennaadu & in recent times, many girls had been murdered and family suicides were reported from his village and the surrounding region. Kannabiran decided to dig up the truth behind these incidents & uncovered a network that was much more extensive and powerful than what he had expected. 

Pandiraj burst into the scene with "Pasanga" which achieved both regional & national acclaim. However, since then he hasn't consistently lived upto those expectations except for a couple of projects. In his latest venture, he has chosen to pen an incident that shook the region & added mass elements to it. The basic thread is about emphasizing the importance of the female gender, the threats they face & victimization for no fault of theirs. It is relevant and in sync with the times, but the execution was pretty ordinary and does not offer anything that would make the audience sit up & take notice. As for the technical aspects, they are average at best.

Though the screenplay might be trite, there is no doubting the effort and sincerity that Suriya has brought to the character. The same also applies to Satyaraj & Saranya Ponvannan while Priyanka Mohan as Aadhini was ok. As for the antagonist, Vinay Rai was average & one of the main reason for that is the poorly etched character sketch.

Verdict: Suriya's earnest performance is the only saving grace in an otherwise average flick that offers a relevant thread but a pretty worn out screenplay that we have come across in other flicks!!!

Rating: 2/5

Regards...Ben

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