Thalaivaa Review (Tamil)

Movie : Thalaivaa
Cast : Vijay, Amala Paul, Santhanam, Sathyaraj
Music : GVP
Direction : AL.Vijay

Rating : 3 / 5

Ilayathalapathy Vijay is back with his one and only release in 2013, Thalaivaa. Joining hands with director Vijay for the first time, Thalaivaa stars Amala Paul, Santhanam, Sathyaraj, Ponvannan and many others. Produced by Mishri Productions, Thalaivaa has cinematography by Nirav Shah and music by GV.Prakash.

Thalaivaa is a 3 hour biopic of a common man who turns into a leader.

The movie starts off in Mumbai with Sathyaraj’s character being introduced. It quickly jumps onto Australia, where we have Vijay’s entry with Tamizh Pasanga. The screen is set ablaze with some breath-taking dance moves. Amala Paul and Santhanam make their entry, and the first half moves filled with fun, while looking colorful. There is a hilarious surprise too. The love track is well etched and special credits have to be given to the song picturisations. As the movie moves to Mumbai, more facts are unveiled, with the mother of them all at the interval block.

Into the second half, and Thalaivaa begins to drag around a bit. The unimpressive villain, a few cliché-ridden old fashioned scenes and a needless second heroine all work against the film. But AL Vijay does garner your attention with some brainy scenes and a good climax. Vaangana Vanakangana is an added delight.

Thalaivaa is undoubtedly one of Vijay’s best performances till date. His casual acts as the chic and trendy dancer as well as the spirited leader are a treat to watch. He has truly matured as an actor. Amala Paul fits in her shoes to the T, and is soon reaching out to be one of the dusky beauties of Tamil Cinema. Sathyaraj has a powerful role here, and makes his presence felt while he’s onscreen. Santhanam packs a punch with his one-liners and is sure to put a smile on your face with every appearance. The supporting actors have done justice to their roles,  Ponvannan and Rajeev Pillai stand out among the rest.

Nirav Shah’s professionalism with the camera is felt in every frame. He is one of the lynchpins of the movie and has put in a superb effort. Even though the editing is good, some effort could have been put in to make the movie crispier. Stunts by Stunt Silva are fine, however they are scarce.

AL Vijay always opts for a slow moving screenplay and Thalaivaa is no different. The movie takes its own time to unfold. One does tend to lose interest at some points. Had he worked a little harder on the execution, Thalaivaa would have gone places.

GV.Prakash’s songs might have done wonders, but his BGM is totally out of place. The excitement in some interesting scenes has been brought down by the bland background score. One had to wait long for the Thalaivaa theme, and it has been put to worst use at the climax.

Thalaivaa is not the normal racy entertainer you will expect from Vijay. It is a movie which travels on a slower note, peppered with morale values and lessons to learn. It will entertain you and at the same time, enlighten you. A different Vijay film, by any means.

Verdict : A slow film with a good amount of substance. More class, less mass.