Thaanaa Serndha Koottam

For those that haven't watched special 26, this is one ride of a movie, but for those that did, the movie has so many unexplained scenes and stories which are left to the imagination of the viewer. The set up from 1987 seemed to be logical and refreshing to bring in old actors like Karthick, Sendhil but so many loopholes existed where a modern CCTV Camera is shown and said to be from 1987 and so many other little things which would have gone unnoticed to the normal viewer. Karthick's acting seemed a bit too forced and unnatural and the jokes were a bit too cringy. Sad that R.J Balaji didn't get much on screen time. I would recommend the audience to watch the original Special 26. Good for the mindless "MASSS" seeking kollywood audience. Keerthy Suresh's involvement in the first scene is left unexplained. Overall screenplay was not so smooth as it was all too rushed and jumbled up. Unnecessary elements were brought in,maybe to amplify the intensity of the scene but proved useless overall.

Imagine a Shankar's vigilante film blended with strong humor. That's what Vignesh Shivan's Thaanaa Serndha Koottam offers. Being the remake of Special 26, the film is definitely intriguing with its elements that gather all types of audiences. Suriya looks charismatic and energetic as usual. His performance doesn't need any further explanation because it's quite satisfying. Apart from him, we have very strong supporting actors with each and everyone has an equal share of screen space. They are able to lift the film along with Suriya with their performances. The only criticism would be for Keerthy Suresh. She doesn't have a purposeful role and she is less impactful. Technically, Thaanaa Serndha Koottam sounds really loud and it's worth mentioning that the recreation of the 80s period was a major strength for the film. Anirudh's album and background score are really intense and delightful. Okay! It's time to talk about Vignesh Shivan. As a filmmaker, he proved his strengths through Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. One might notice that Vignesh Shivan has strength in transforming a supposed to be serious film into a complete comedy riot. In Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, we have a typical Shankar kind of social issue that is treated as hilarious as possible. That's why Thaanaa Serndha Koottam is a fresh new experience. The kind of efforts that he used to build the environment and the characters are probably not much in the screenplay. There are so many ups and downs in the screenplay that might distract our attention from the film. Every character in the film has a backstory which is the reason why the film doesn't keep us on track. Just like a Shankar film, the hero has a motive to justify his con act. This is mostly one of the aspects that we have seen in every vigilante or social issue-based film. Except for the comedy aspect, Thaanaa Serndha Koottam lacks emotional impacts and surprising elements. Even the twist, in the end, seems to be not so attention grabber because it becomes somehow predictable to the audience. Overall, this heist comedy is a fun watch.

When you watch Special 26, you will feel that there is no single protagonist in the movie. Every character in the movie was given a importance of a leading role.

Unfortunately in the Tamil version everything revolves around the hero. Its very sad state of affair. Movie should have been named as Surya :). I am not sure if directors have to compromise for the star dom.

Vignesh knows the trick to convert a serious movie to a commercial masala movie. The whole essence of the original movie is the essence of the real life feel. Not a single moment of the movie you will feel real.

Cinematography... is a consolation from Dinesh

On the one side creators produce next generation movies like Aruvi, Aramm and on other hand this is what you have got is this.

Thaanaa Serndha Koottam (2018) :

Since I watched Naanum Rowdy Dhaan,I was impressed by Vignesh Shivan's skill of blending humor in serious plots.So even when it is revealed that TSK is remake of acclaimed Bollywood film Special 26,I have huge expectations on how Vignesh would blend humor in such serious non-fictional events.SO did Vignesh Shivan impress again?

Plot:

Tilak(Surya) is a frustrated guy who fails to get a job in CBI because he could not pay the bribe. He forms a gang with Jhansi Rani(Ramya Krishnan) and few others to take a revenge by performing fake raids on several people in the society. In the process, the real CBI officers come to know about this and they start chasing down the same. Will the real CBI officers catch this Gang? What happens in the end ? Forms the story of the film.

My Review:

TSK has a core plot that is pretty similar to the Hindi film Special 26. It must be noted that they have acquired the rights to the Hindi film and Vignesh ShivN has modified the screenplay completely to suit the local audience. TSK actually looks like a highly original product that is sure to get recognition from local audience who haven't watched Special 26.

Like in Bollywood version, the film's events happen in 1987. The setting is Karaikudi in Tamilnadu. TSK doesn't turn serious at any time unlike its original; it is packaged with fun elements. The director has done most changes in the first part and some characters. He has introduced Ramya Krishna's character here, which was originally played by actor Anupam Kher. By bringing Ramya Krishna on board, the director has also used lot of comedy. The underlying humour though is director Vignesh Shivn's signature style. Throughout the film, it is the understated sarcasm that wins audience over.

But despite all of the fun,the movie gets bit dragged even for such crisp duration of 2hr12min.Vignesh Shivn constantly tries to be 'fun' and 'serious' and ends up not achieving both. There are places where Thaanaa Serndha Koottam catches us off-guard.Climax lacks logic.

Suriya is a proven actor who can do justice to any kind of role. For this character, he has turned very lean and looks much younger than his age. He has many scenes to showcase his multiple variations effectively. It looked odd in the trailer, but the star has done a commendable job as far as dubbing in Telugu is considered. With an ingeniously layered role and a brilliant act, Ramya Krishnan truly "steals" the show.The seasoned actress that she is, brings on the finer nuances of her character with a lot of dignity and understatedness.When real CBI catches Ramya Krishna, she gives the best performance. She is also quite natural in this.Suresh Chandra Menon is apt in his role.

Anirudh delivers a mixed bag. Sodakku is a chartbuster but other songs are just decent. It is the same with the background score as well which has its moments but is mostly uninspiring.The director has created '80s look and feel with his choice of locations and perfect art work. Cinematography is decent.

SO,Thaana Serndha Koottam may amuse those who didn't watch Special 26 but to those who watched the original,this comic version feels bit odd.

My Rating 6.25/10

It's a remake alright. But that's probably the reason the movie falters. The remake has been "altered" to "suit" Tamil audience and hence slips into the boring category at times. The director is confused as to what direction he must be taking this movie in - movie with a message or a con-comedy movie. Unfortunately that weighs down the screenplay. The con scenes are well executed but the backstory and the message attempt fail to impress. Could have been much better has it been a con-comedy.