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Thudarum (transl. To Be Continued) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language drama thriller directed by Tharun Moorthy, with a gripping story penned by K. R. Sunil and a tightly woven screenplay crafted by Moorthy himself. Together, they have created an outstanding, heart-pounding thriller, elevated further by Jake Bejoy's electrifying background score and visually stunning cinematography.

Stories have been told countless times in cinema, and bringing something truly unique is a daunting task. But true artistry lies in presenting even simple stories in a way that keeps the audience hooked - and Thudarum does exactly that. While the story is straightforward, it's the brilliant screenplay that transforms it into a gripping, edge-of-the-seat experience.

The narrative starts off as a simple family drama, but just before the interval, a stunning twist jolts both the characters and the audience, shifting the film's tone into an intense thriller. The transition is seamless, thanks to the strong, well-structured writing.

Mohanlal, as Benz, delivers a masterclass in acting. He effortlessly brings out a range of emotions with breathtaking authenticity. One particular bathroom scene left me absolutely awestruck - only an actor of Mohanlal's caliber could have performed it with such finesse. Much like his portrayal of a movie buff in Drishyam, here too, he adds depth to his character with the background of being an ex-stuntman - a subtle yet powerful detail.

Jake Bejoy's background score deserves special mention; it sets the screen ablaze and heightens every emotion tenfold. In a theatre packed with Malayalam-speaking audiences, we were just four non-Malayalees - and yet, the emotions transcended language.

Apart from Mohanlal, special applause goes to ad filmmaker Prakash Varma (of Vodafone ZooZoo fame), who plays the antagonist. His performance is so convincing that he draws visceral hatred from the audience - making the hero's eventual confrontation with him immensely satisfying.

Black ambassador car and dog becomes important characters as well.

In every way, Thudarum is a triumph - a brilliant blend of storytelling, acting, music, and visuals.

My rating: Solid 10/10.

Maharaja (2024) Tamil movie Review: All I knew was that this movie is from the director of "Kurangu Bommai" that had been released in 2017, though it was a good thriller it didn't do that well. This is Nithilan Swaminathan's second movie after a gap of seven years. However, you get a feeling that this 50th movie or so of this already veteran director. Also, this one is in fact 50th movie of Vijay Sethupathi whose fan I had become after watching his initial movies starting from "Pizza". This one should be a case study of how screen play of movie should be written taking simplest of stories and how characters should be developed in the script. Any movie would be great if it doesn't allow you to guess what is going to happen next? The suspense should not only be edge of the seat, but it should have many wow moments that is beyond audience's wildest imagination. Also, it should be more than engrossing and not just that, it should take you along as the story unfolds on the screen. In such a way that you end up feeling that you are part of what is happening. Finally, it should make you think long after you return home. Maharaja does all that and becomes one of the best Tamil movies of this year and the best 50th movie for Vijay Sethupathi. Take a bow to the director Nithilan Swaminathan for creating magic with amazing screen play from a simple story. You will think it is just another simple story only when you get to decipher the complete plot of this amazing movie. And you may have to see this movie more than once to get everything that you witnessed in the first view. I am really glad that this movie just came when everyone thought Malayalam movies are doing great even with Tamil audience and everyone started asking, what had happened to Tamil movie makers as they couldn't cater to the requirement of Tamil speaking audience? So much was the impact that old movies were re-released in the theaters due to lack of any good new movies to compete with Malayalam to Tamil dubbed movies. Technically this movie is brilliant in all ways. The major technical success is the wonderful BGM by Ajaneesh Loknath of KGF fame. I always associate him with loud BGM that not only vibrates chairs of theater also makes you buy a bottle of Amurthanjan/Headache balm. However, this one is an exception and crisp editing by Philomin Raj. Coming to performances, Vijay Sethupathi stands out both playing the younger version (Whom I like most) and the older version with good make up and even mannerism. You will feel nostalgic about his character in the movie "naduvula konjam pakkatha kaanom". It is nice to see Anurag Kashyap's amazing performance though there is no lip sync at many places. That is just a minor glitch as you can't think of anyone else in that role. However, taking a comedian and make him play one of the lead bad guys speaks volumes about the director. Singampuli is just amazing, and you start hating him to the core. I can't take all the names as it would make this review still longer one. Yes, you can't forget the girl who plays Vijay Sethupathi's daughter in this movie. This one is one amazing movie of this year and perfect choice for Vijay Sethupathi's 50th movie. Very Highly recommended. Every Cinephile should watch this one.

My rating is solid 10/10.

One humble request :- Please don't reveal about the plot to anyone. Let everyone watch it and experience it themselves!

Cha wu Ci xin ( The Abandoned) (2022) Taiwan movie review : THE ABANDONED on Netflix is a crime thriller from Taiwan (org. Title: Cha wu ci xin). This movie is a serial killer mystery and it is well made. I had seen it in original language with English subtitles. It is definitely worth to remake in other languages as it is character driven story of a police officer Wu Jie who is about to end her life on the New Year's eve, but is distracted in the last moment when the body of Thai woman is discovered by her with missing ring finger and heart. Wu Jie goes after the serial killer to live another day and thus finding her purpose to live. The movie held my interest from start to finish. Her newly assigned subordinate is a quick learner and does her bit quite well. Wu Jie reminded me my favourite character D. I. Kim Stone from Angela Morsons crime series, I need to get back to reading those books. In the end, one gets all the answers and a feeling of watching a good thriller. Janine Chun-Ning Chang is perfect playing the part of investigating officer who has been through personal trauma and pain, she is well supported by her subordinate Ca Wie-Shan played by bubbly Chloe Xiang. What I liked in end was Wu Jie gets to keep the dog of the bad guy. A dog is a dog, no matter what his owner is or was, right? I ended up liking this I had watched on the New Year's eve. My rating is 10/10. It has nudity as we Wu Jie has to deal with bodies and post morten. Highly recommended.