Thalavan

Retired DYSP Udayabhanu narrates the Cheppanamthotta case for a tv series, after being compelled by the reporter. It was a sensational case as it involved CI Jayashankar as the prime accused in the murder of a woman and his subordinate SI Karthik was made the investigation officer. With all the evidences directly pointing at Jayashankar, it is upto Karthik who actually has a rocky work relationship with Jayashankar to be neutral in order to solve the case. In the meantime, Jayashankar gets out on bail to parallely investigate the case. What do the duo reveal in their follow up, forms rest of the story.

Thalavan is indeed a captivating thriller and the investigative procedural has a neat screenplay. The first half starts with introduction of the two main characters and establishes their conflict. The murder is revealed only after this and the director succeeds in maintaining the suspense with Jayashankar getting arrested. It is pretty much an intense first half without any deviation. The second half is where the drama shifts gear with the conspiracy angle setting in and despite their differences, both Jayashankar and Karthik are made to work together. The reveal however did feel stretched too far but then that comes down to the expectations I had, after the first half. I still find it as a compelling watch due to the performances and the entire investigation segment till the third act.

Jis joy has proved he is not only for the feel good movies, he can deal with thrillers as well. From the start to the end, the movie is very engaging and we will keep searching for that culprit. He gives us various of suspects throughout the movie. I want to mention his casting, which is brilliant and each of them perform upto the mark. This is a comeback of Asif ali, after couple of failures recently. The golden combo of Biju Menon and Asif Ali's once again proved what they are capable of. At the end, I felt like would have better if they chose someone else as the culprit. Felt like the motive behind the murder is not strong enough. But it's not too bad. After all it's a good crime thriller I have watched after a while. I recommend you to watch it in theatres, I guarantee you, you won't disappoint.

Thalavan is an engaging film that skillfully blends intense action with emotional storytelling. The lead actors deliver compelling performances, making the characters relatable and memorable. The pacing is steady, keeping viewers invested from start to finish, while the cinematography and background score enhance both the drama and action sequences. Though some plot elements are familiar, the film's execution, intensity, and character depth make it stand out. Overall, Thalavan is a solid watch for fans of action-packed dramas. With a rating of 7, it offers an entertaining and satisfying cinematic experience.

The narrative is skillfully crafted, particularly in the first half where homicide investigation unfolds, creating several gripping moments.

However, as we transition into final segment, the plot begins to lose clarity and focus. As more details start to emerge and significant revelations surface, the storyline becomes increasingly convoluted.

This convolution is further complicated by the two main protagonists, with whom I found it difficult to connect.

This disconnect stems not only from their actions, but also from the insufficient exploration of their personal backgrounds and mental states!

A very neat investigation thriller that is able to be well made with nuanced while being pretty commercial. What I loved the most about the movie other than the perfect pacing of this movie is the theme that all policemen start thinking like criminals. That could raise a lot of questions but it is truly a way of thinking that would help understand and help police in general too. The way the film starts with a "Charithram Enniloode" style show and how the main story is started may not seem the best way to start the movie at first, but it works out great later. The way the film was able to move through so many characters while slowly revealing the small connections throughout was really fun to watch. The intensity brought out by the actors helped a lot too, the acting was really great across the board. The way the movie ended would've made me think they were setting up an unnecessary sequel if they hadn't started the movie they did. Because of how it began and was set up before the actual story began, it was convincing to me that there must be something more to the story even though seemingly everything was tied up. The song felt unnecessary and didn't feel like it matched with how the rest of the movie was going because it directly stood with that character at that point instead of being a spectator. There were a couple of scenes where the editing seemed off, maybe they didn't shoot it keeping the 180 rule, I just noticed that the editing seemed jarring for no reason in those scenes. But these small issues didn't really affect my enjoyment of the film. It's the better investigation movie of the year in Malayalam and I'd be interested in the sequel.