User reviews

Seems Kamal Hassan's Raaj Kamal International is back into low-budget films made on tight schedules ! Jointly produced by RKF & Sree Gokulam Films on a shoe-string budget and almost shot entirely inside a dance pub,Thoongavanam is a realistic thriller sans any over the top action,unwanted songs,heroic dialogs and other gimmicks that we usually associate with an action thriller from Kollywood Industry.

The movie started slow but reached top gear within few minutes with Ulaga Naayagan giving out a top-notch performance alongside Prakash Raj who stole the show at times with his funny counters and one-liners.Neatly packed and utmost realistic,the racy first half went pretty well and ended on an impressive note giving still higher expectations about the second half in store.

Unfortunately,the second half in contrary couldn't match the brilliance of the first and was rather snail-paced and over-drawn without much to cheer of,the major reason why the movie doesn't classify for repeated viewing unlike many Kamal films in the past.The climax too was pretty ordinary and easily predictable for one who is into the genre for sometime.The sensible but gripping action choreography by French stunt-men Gilles Conseil, Sylvain Gabet and Virgine Arnaud deserves a special mention in an otherwise lackluster second half without much to rave about.

An official remake of critically acclaimed french thriller Nuit Blanche A.K.A Sleepless Night,Rajesh.M.Selva's directorial debut manages to keep entertained with its Hollywood-style narration,technical perfection and a brilliant performance from Kamal Hassan but still gives that feeling of 'something missing' once we are out of the cinemas,which could have been avoided had the second hour been presented better.I haven't watched the French counterpart based on which the movie is made,so at present a comparison is impossible.

If there is one simple reason why I would recommend this movie that will be Ulaga Nayakan Kamal Hassan who once again mesmerizes with a brilliant performance as Narcotics Control Officer Diwakar who's desperately on for saving his son from the hands of the drug mafia.Prakash Raj was another pick from the cast and gave an impressive act as Vital Rao,the menacy yet funny drug mafia leader.Trisha Krishnan made her presence in a role unlike that of a usual Tamil heroine.Kishore,Sampath and Yugi Sethu etc too did their part well.

The association between Ghibran and Kamal seems here to stay and the young musician manages to give full justice to the narration with a powerful background score that ranges from almost-silent hummings to loud techno beats.The title song towards the end credits came as a big surprise.

Overall, Thoongavanam is a sensible one-night thriller that classifies for a strictly average one-time watch.

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.

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

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.

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.

It is not disputed that Kamal is arguably the best in the current generation of actors. He keeps increasing the bar for performances constantly with his every other movie, constantly experimenting and not falling to a stereotype. With Uttama Villain, he went on a indulgent self admiration spree, aided by the admiration of the director Ramesh, it went to funny levels of self appraisal and portrayal by Kamala Hassan. He was back to his elements in Papanasam, (even though I personally attributed the credit to Jeetu Joseph, may be partly). But with Thoongavanam, the Kamal is back with a Bang as we know him. The movie features no frills in terms of Songs, Comedy track, too much SFX or spell binding performances like Dashavataram etc.. The plot and screen play alone keeps the audience gripped, handled nicely by the new director and all round great performances by all the characters. There are movies which only Kamal can make for example Dashavataram, Anbe Sivam etc...this is not one of them, but a must watch for a true Kamal fan. Hope it makes much needed money for RK films and Waiting eagerly for the release of VR2.

Thoongaavanam.... What to say about this film.. This is not just a film.. It is a course for young directors how Indian films should be.. No actor dares to act in Indian film without songs.. Ulaga Nayagan already acted thrice in films which doesn't contain songs are Pesum padam, Kuruthipunal, a man like you and now for the fourth time in Thoongaa vanam. Mass actor with class skills will be always one and only kamal hassan. And once again it is proved in this film. A strong crew consisting Prakash Raj, Kishore, Sampath, Trisha Krishnan, Aasha Sharath enough to make audience to go to this film.. But the bgm score which is the vital role of this film made it to the core.. Action sequences doesn't look like Indian way in which a hero will fought with 100 fighters, flying scenes, etc etc. Excellent stunt choreography made this film an action pack thriller.. An authentic story, screenplay, acting from the team. But Kamal Hasaan the man who stole the show with his marana mass acting.. Trisha, Prakash Raj, Kishore did enough what the film wants. The credits song after the film got over was the real suspense to the audience, unexpected. Very well planned screenplay made it like a kuruthipunal, vikram, vetri vizha which even after 20 years will be fresh for the cinema lovers... Everyone must go and watch in the theaters.. Thoongaavanam- a new path for Indian film makers.

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Thoongaavanam (U/A) TAMIL ---------- Rating: ★★★ MAKES YOU SLEEP

STRENGTHS:- * Kamal hasaan's brilliant action sequences..... * Background score was the best..... * Camera-work was excellent especially shooting a fight sequence in kitchen.

WEAKNESSES:- * Very big cast but seems to be unfit for few scenes... * Screenplay drags a lot....

FINAL VERDICT:- * Overall... it is a one time watch movie with some good performances, story was very simple and takes place within a pub. Few scenes like kissing scene and the climax scene was new. Comedy elements were very good at certain points. Screenplay drags that makes you sleep. Just go for it for one time watch.....

A crooked police officer is forced to improvise when his son is kidnapped by a ruthless drug dealer. Director: Rajesh M. Selva Writer: Kamal Haasan Stars: Kamal Haasan, Prakash Raj, Trisha Krishnan

This is certainly on Kamal's best action movies.The actor is just stepping up his game in every new film.This movie has slick Hollywood style editing as expected.I haven't watched the original version,but this is certainly eye catching.Another thing is this movie does not have songs and the movie is only 119 minutes long.Everybody's performance was very very convincing as they do so in every other Kamal movie, especially the boy.Kamal was just magnificent as a bad-ass cop and great father in the movie.The fight scene between Kamal and Trisha are such that are never seen before between a man and a woman.Overall,this is great movie to watch.I give it 8/10.It's not a perfect movie, but certainly one of the best Tamil action movie.We have NEVER,I REPEAT NEVER seen a Tamil movie this realistic...Hats off to Rajesh Selva and team...

It is very good movie that is really 2 hours story the director was take it in 2 hours very good directing

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

The meaning of the title is practically the same as the original French movie 'Nuit Blanche'. And frame to frame it was almost similar, except a few minor changes in the characters. It is a great remake, especially keeping in mind the Indian audience and the Indian style of story narration. I have seen within India, the movies got remade into other languages which is quite a fashion for quick money making, but recently the International remakes were soaring with the excellent results. That's mean Indian film industries growing rapidly.

The performances were good, but Trisha Krishnan was a surprise that I never saw her before in an action-lady role. The story was simple, a narcotic cop struggles to rescue his son from a drug-lord's captive. Everything happens in just one night in a nightclub building. It is not just a rescue mission, but the fate of many that decided when the daylight breakout. The stunts were much better than the usual Indian standards. It is a 2 hour movie which is a short for an Indian film, especially for not having songs and dances that saved around 15-20 minutes.

I did not get bored of watching the same story for the second time in another language. There's a Hollywood remake is coming, and have to do it again. You can wait for the Jamie Foxx's performance or can try the original if you think you can't wait, but I also suggest this version which is not a bad either. This movie was well received by Indians than the French movie by French audience.

8/10

Thoongavanam (UA)

Genre: Thriller and Crime

I was a fan of Kamal Sir.When he made this movie,I was in Chennai and watched it.Really and awesome thriller and better than the original Sleepless Night.

I suggest to watch it at least thrice.

Thank You Ulaganayagan.

The film was excellent. There is only one Song in the film at the end but that also very good. BGM was very good in the movie. Kamal Hassan and Prakash Raj acted very well in the film. Its very thrilling and interesting.