Thoongaavanam

I already saw the Sleepless Nights and still went into the movie to see how far they have remade it. I wasn't disappointed. It was a very sincere remake and we could see the effort they have done to pull this off within some 40 odd days. Hats off! Going into the review now.

It was a very smart move to handle this script as it is something rare in Tamizh cinema - events unfolding within a day. So, the casting has to be really really good to make this one a decent picture. The casting is the real strength of this movie. Right from big roles to small characters, the casting was very good. This makes the movie half job done!

Ghibran is the next half job. BGM was a major plus without which the movie would've been a dragging one. His music will keep you engaged all the time.

Screenplay has been adjusted a little here and there which turned out to be pretty successful in adapting to the taste of our audience.

I personally watched out for the stunt sequences as I was really impressed with the original. This hasn't impressed me and didn't disappoint me either.

Kamal Haasan is the stand out performer - once again! Watch out for him.

Trumcard lies with Ghibran who used it perfectly.

Rating - 7.25/10. If not for the final scene of the movie - 7.5/10

This movie really needs your patience ; dramatically suspense and thriller is pretty and cinematography is good as whole movie rounds around a hotel.

Another movie for Kamal and only for Kamal with no songs. A movie which is in par with Hollywood standards that focuses only on the story content rather than any commercial elements.

Casting: A perfect casting and everyone have done their part so well.

Story: As everyone knows that this movie is a remake of the French movie "Nuit Blanche" aka "Sleepless Night", the story and screenplay are almost same which I heard from others as I didn't watch the original version. A normal story for a classy thriller film with a difference being that it travels in a single location.

Cinematography: Pretty decent and doesn't spoil the mood of the scenes.

Music: Gibran's rerecording is good and doesn't irritate or make you feel amateurish. The song which is placed at the end credits is good too.

Lady Lead: Good role for Trisha after so many years and she has done it well except for the stunt sequences. She looks good too in her costume and way better than she is looking in the textiles showroom advertisements. It's time for her to take such roles or a matured mother character like jyothika did in her last few films.

Stunts: I should definitely mention about the stunts in the movie as this movie has one of the best stunts that have ever filmed in Tamil cinema. They are so realistic which are similar to that of the stunts in the Hollywood's Bourne series (Not exactly though). I wish all Tamil movies follow these kinda stunts henceforth even in mass commercial masala movies.

Screenplay & Direction: Didn't know whether the screenplay had been altered to Tamil audience or not, but it is so engaging throughout the movie and there will not be any scene where u will feel to move out your eyes from the screen. Also screenplay has been done by Kamal Hassan himself. Yet another movie with the name of the director is being replaced with someone else's name ( Rajesh M Selva ) instead of Kamal Hassan himself I guess as the style shows (Not Sure though).

Hero: ULAGANAYAGAN Kamal Hassan, what else do you wanna know, you can feel his presence in each and every frame. He looks ten years younger with his rugged look as well as classy in his blazer throughout the movie. His ruggedness suited him so well in the stunts sequences 'Semma Thoranai'. Unlike Papanasam, there is no much scope for delivering his acting skills in this movie but still there is a scene where he talks with his kidnapped son in phone and you can see a glimpse of his trademark reactions for a second. It's absolutely his screen presence which makes this movie at this level. If you are a fan of thriller movies, this movie is one good choice.

I doubt whether the movie will have a good box office run at the B and C centers as the movie will satisfy only the audiences of A centers.

As a die hard Kamal fan, I would like to say that I love this movie. But it pains me to say that, from a critical point of view, this movie is just a slightly below the average "thriller". The first half hour of the movie is too slow and has character development for people who have really small roles. Kamal seems to have robbed center stage from all the big actors in the movie. The screenplay is something that one would not expect in a thriller. It is not as gripping as I thought it would be. It is a well-known fact that Kamal Haasan is extremely well rounded in all of the fields. But I feel that he needs to take a break from writing screenplay. Prakash Raj did well as the villain, as usual. but in the end, he was a bit of a comedy piece. Kishore also performed really well. Moving on to Diwakar (Kamal). This character was so easily and nonchalantly portrayed by Kamal, that I bet he could have done it in his sleep. This role is in no way challenging for the veteran. As a result, his expressions are great and he has a booming screen presence. Yugi Sethu's role is thoroughly disappointing. It felt like half boiled rice. His acting seems to been worsened since his absence in Tamil Cinema, and he felt like a mismatch for his role. Ghibran seems to be improving at a very fast rate. The BGM suited the theme of the movie well and made sure that the audience didn't doze off during the slightly boring sections of the film. Thoongavanam would have fared better without the subtle comedy. It felt unnecessary and ruined the momentum of the movie by making the audience burst to laughter. The movie seems to be a bit confused because its trying to be a serious thriller as well as a comedy. You can't always have your cake and eat it. Half-way through the movie, it became way too easy to predict what was going to happen. All in all, this movie is one that you can watch only once. Its just a speck of dust when compared to movies like Vishwaroopam and Dasavatharam. But, for die hard Kamal fans, this is a MUST watch.

This is based on the French movie called Nuit Blanche. Don't want to summarize the story so that I don't give anything away, but the production is well done that actually makes this look more "international". The director keeps the pace moving well, and the actors deliver good performances. There are several twists and turns that will keep you interested. However, there are some parts which are kind of silly which makes you roll your eyes. But overall, it is a good movie to watch and would recommend.