Crime drama Thrissur Pooram (Thrissur Fest) goes full revenge mode soon after it starts as a coming-of-age story of a young boy who takes to crime after his mother is killed in front of his eyes. There's a tad bit of novelty surrounding the crime sequences that I liked here even though most of the 150 minutes is made up of action and chase sequences as Jayasurya and his antagonist character fight it out through their gangs in the city of Thrissur. Jayasurya's mass character, accentuated by several slow-mo sequences, is a treat to watch but only the first few times. By the end, you get restless as the plot goes around in circles, not only putting up a cloak that smells of the yesteryear of Malayalam mass cinema but also managing to stay passive all the way. I also liked how Thrissur Pooram shows the state of crime in the Kerala city where youngsters get into the world of crime just for the kick instead of gaining knowledge and hustling, further getting embroiled into the deeper rungs of deadly mafia, smoking pot, and getting killed in the process. Performances are generally mediocre and special minus points for treating the female characters (except for Mallika Sukumaran's) in a way where they are mere puppets to the male action that takes place in the name of ego, vengeance, and business. All in all, an average flick with an ordinary revenge saga as the plot that you can turn on when friends and family get together some evening. Because the focus is going to be on the family and the lively banter and not the screen. Also, there are no sequences involving the actual fest in the film. TN.
