#Samudrakani – Gopal's views

Thalaikoothal is about Pazhani (Brilliant Samuthirakani) looks after his bedridden father and how the people around him compels him to do the ritual.

what makes Thalaikoothal different from other films (KD- which is a satire and Baaram- which is a social drama) narrating about the same ritual, is that Director never tries to give a strong buildup around the ritual. We get to see the situation of each members in the family. Pazhani had to go for a security job to look after his father. His wife and other relatives looked clearly dissatisfied with the situation. In parallel, we see Pazhani’s father, Muthu living in his dream. Along with Pazhani’s family, we also see Pazhani’s friend getting involved in the situation.

Director succeeded in conveying the affection of Pazhani towards his father. In a scene, Pazhani’s friend says, “I don’t know about rebirth. If there is one, I wish to be your father in the next birth “. Pazhani replies , “Never, he will be my father in every life”. There are many such instances of Pazhani and his daughter showing the affection to Muthu. In parallel, Director Jayaprakash Radhakrishnan traverse through the romantic world of younger version of Muthu. Top notch visuals and heartfelt background score makes the flashback portions more compelling. Visuals shown from the perspective of Muthu’s eyes looked impressive.

Coming to the writing of the characters, Jayaprakash gives ample screen space to the major supporting cast also. Some of the punchlines of the character of Aadukalam murugadoss were spot on. Backdrop of his character also looked authentic.
Performance wise, Samudrakani puts up a compelling performance as Pazhani. He managed to convey the pain of the character. The actress who did the role of his wife also performed well enough. Special mention to Kathir to excel in the flashback scenes. Some of the actors in minor roles looked bit amateurish initially.

Coming to the drawbacks, though the magical realism worked well for some portions, it looked like used unnecessarily in some portions. Some scenes towards the end felt bit lagging and story moves bit slowly. Cuts needed better rework. Predictability backfires the engaging factor in the movie.
To sum it up, Thalaikoothal is a moving tale that opens more about the ritual and how people are forced to do it.

Watch link: https://www.netflix.com/title/81606171

We have seen many cop thrillers in different type: Action Hero Biju, in which a central character resolves all small issues, Visaranai and Kavalthurai ungal nanban, that explores the police atrocities. Writer differs from these in the core theme and the way of portrayal of few characters and their backstories.

Thangaraj is an experienced cop and he worked as a writer in writing crime scenes. As he says to a character, he barely hits anyone or uses gun. He gets the duty to look after a guy named Devakumar in a lodge. Who is devakumar and how will Devakumar’s case change the life of Thangaraj? That forms the crux of the story.

The main positive of this movie is that it neglects the usual elements in a cop story. Initially, we are shown the family dilemma of Thangaraj. Then we move to police station where Thankaraj explains to a rookie about case file details and the ‘adjustments’ to resolve cases. Then comes the core issue of the necessity of police union and Thankaraj’s fight for it.

Writing of meaty characters and their sub plots is yet another merit for this movie. For instance: Thankaraj’s companion Raja shares his story with Thankaraj where he wanted to change his life but the cops never let him to do it. The way of writing that scene and the narration that creates an emotional connect with the character elevates that scene with limited time.

Along with police atrocities, this movie highlights the importance of mental health of cops: How their indefinite work time affects their lives and their families.

Special mention to dialogues as well. For instance: Thangaraj says to the rookie in a scene:”Policele adhikarathile illatha ellarume adiyal than”. Such strong dialogues strike the right chord.

Samudrakani fits pitch perfect to Thangaraj. He portrayed the helplessness, fight and the final fierce attack with atmost conviction. Iniya was fine as Saranya in the impactful flashback portions. Special mention to background score in the chase sequences. Cuts could have been better in Devakumar’s flashback portion. The flashback seems to be stretched a bit and loses the steam.

Writer deserves a watch for the core topic it tries to discuss, Samudrakani’s intense performance and technical fineness. Do try it.