Thuramukham

Malayalam cinema from the 80s has seen a number of iterations of this same story in a more commercialized package of that time. Even though there are certain nuances and clever subversions here, giving a bit more identity than those films, those never really rise in a cinematic way to reach out to the audience effectively as it could have.

The opening black and white scenes with Joju remain the peak cinematic moments in the film. Almost every cinematic aspect was top-notch for those 10-15 minutes and everything that followed was a bit underwhelming.

Nivin's character arc is laid out in a certain way that reminds you of early iterations of such characters only to show those were films and this is something that wants to show the reality. But the problem is that after around the first hour of the film, it kind of felt a bit disjointed and all over the place.

Despite all these issues, Thuramukham is a solid film documenting the political landscape and the lives of labourers and their families in Mattanchery. There's a lot in the film that I enjoyed and a lot that I thought could have been better which could have made this film really great. I can see why someone would like it a bit more than me or doesn't like it at all.

Even at three hours, it felt evident that there's a lot more that is edited out of this movie. There were a lot of scenes and actors that felt like haven't finished their purpose. I do believe this would have been a really great miniseries with enough time to explore every aspect of it, instead of trying to cram this into three hours.

This is the best performance by Arjun Ashokan I've seen despite him being in every other Malayalam movie last year and Poornima's performance shows we're wasting a great talent by not casting her in a lot more movies. Sudev Nair was also really impressive in showing the difference between the two time periods and still being formidable throughout it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie but it could have been something really greater.

I enjoyed the slow and definitive approach to story telling that the movie has adopted. While there is so much to say, the slow and detailed presentation let the content sink in.

Joju George started the movie off on an excellent footing. Remarkable charisma, acting. Most of the prologue section is shot at night. Excellent camera work.

Nivin Pauly came in after the titles, and there was a slight dip from the standard that Joju had set. Nivin has some limitations in his acting abilities, and while there were a few scenes where the limitations surfaced, there were many that were pleasantly perfect.

Music and lyrics work have been excellent. There is a unique story telling style that Rajeev has adopted in this movie, the scores have aligned very well with that, and there are many remarkable songs with high quality experimentations.

There is a genuineness to the character portrayals. Cinema heroes have a way of being at the right place at the right time, with all the necessary knowledge and skills, and a win-at-anything. Characterizatons in Thuramukham were a welcome contrast and felt very genuine.

Arjun Ashokan has done excellent work as the timid younger brother, with a subdued revolution within him. Played out a lot of undercurrents extremely well.

Many other faces from various Rajeev Ravi movies show up and they have all done excellent work.

Cinematography is excellent. Revolt shots, closeups. Right framing for the right purpose. The movie felt like a master class in cinematography.

Action scenes were stunt directed very well, and felt very realistic. There are a bunch of action scenes, and each one was done well.

The intense emotions in the closeups of so many actors in the crowd scenes were all remarkable.

Script is amazing. There are certain moments that are poetic. There is a shot where Nimisha suddenly wakes up from her sleep and goes back. The context in which that was written was very beautiful.

It is a movie that needs multiple viewings.

It is a slow, drawn out movie, which takes time to tell you what it needs to tell you.

Thuramukham is a movie that portrays the struggles of the working class in a realistic manner.

However, where the movie falls short is in its storytelling. The narrative lacks interesting twists and turns and feels more like a documentary than a feature film. The pacing is slow and at times, the movie feels like it's dragging on.

Overall, while Thuramukham has its merits in terms of its depiction of the harsh realities of life and its commendable performances, it fails to engage the audience throughout its runtime. The movie could have benefited from a tighter script and better pacing.

Better than kuttavum sikshayum.

I was super excited for this one just like any other film enthusiast in Kerala cause of the casting and the continuous delay for the release. All this excitement and delay definitely build up a huge hype around this movie from the day it was announced. However to my surprise the film ain't living up to the hype, i would say the script itself killed this film. The script seems to be one of the most laggy and boring ones i have seen this year or the past. The cast seems to be the only good thing about this film. Joju George, Arjun Ashokan and Poornima Indrajith have all performed pretty well comparing others on this slow pace script. Nivin Pauly seems to be a pretty bad choice for the cast here, feels like he is undermining his former performances. The background scores are dull and depressing to every single scene on this film. The director might have wanted to pay respect to the original story behind the script but the film just doesn't make it work for me. The movie starts off with a little energy and it slowly digs its own grave as the story progresses. By halftime all most everyone in the theatre was like where the hell is this movie going!!! The supposingly second half is way more dull and dead, characters end up here n there with the story going somewhere else. I would only recommend this film to those who are really spiked about the true story behind the script and has got 3 hours to kill. Definitely didn't expect this level of dullness from the director and crew, could've done a lot better!!!

I have to say that it is the worst film I've seen in a long time. There was nothing redeeming about this one. No matter what aspect you look at, the film fails to deliver. The story is dull and uninspired. The film tries to tackle several themes, but it fails to do so with any depth or nuance, making the experience a tedious one.

I would not recommend this film to anyone, as it falls short in every aspect. I am surprised that a filmmaker like Rajeev Ravi, who has been known for his exceptional work in the past, could produce such a mediocre film. This film was a complete waste of time and I would advise others to steer clear of it and choose something more deserving of their time and attention.