Thuramukham

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.

Elongated script for a movie that had no true length. Not sure, what the director was even trying to depict, is it the focus on the characters or the poor script. Sheer waste of good talents. Nivin and Dharshana were wasted with hardly a zilch to add much into the story.

The music was one of the worst torment of the movie.. there was absolutely no sync to whatsoever of the scene or the music bring played.. it was as though, the music director was on a rolled out budget, that he blew the music only on a trumpet that was pathetically composed.

There were so many loose ends, that at some point it leaves you wondering, what is even happening.

Please don't watch. Not worth a single dime.

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.

The script of the movie was poorly written and confusing, particularly during the climax. It was difficult to understand what was happening, even if the writers were attempting to convey something meaningful about the chaapa labor system and the associated protests. Unfortunately, the writers chose to focus on a monotonous story that failed to engage the audience from beginning to end.

Despite the weak script, the actors delivered strong performances, with Poornima Indrajith standing out in particular. She played her role exceptionally well and showed a side of herself that had not been seen in any of her previous movies. Credit goes to the director for recognizing her hidden potential and bringing it out on screen.

However, the slow-paced storyline and unremarkable background music made the movie a disappointment overall. It had the potential to be a great movie, but the weak script and lackluster execution failed to do justice to the talents of the actors.

I really wanted to love Thuramukham (The Harbor) for it has a lot of things I generally love in cinema. A hard-hitting intro set in period and monochrome, the old ways of doing things (pre-Independence and immediate post-independence India), poverty, slow-burning plot, and lifelike performances. Yet with all that heavy load, it falters somewhere around the midway as if the makers had lost strength after all that heavylifting. Thuramukham is a film in the "what could have been" category had it evolved out of its documentary-like filmmaking and given a redeeming factor to its characters. As it stands now, the climax makes it feel like all that heavy load was for nothing. I still feel there's a good film hidden inside Thuramukham, and hence is a required viewing.