‘Pathu Thala’ movie review: Simbu sizzles, but this gangster drama lacks any real punch

Silambarasan in a scene from ‘Pathu Thala’ by T.R. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

One of the most striking aspects of filmmaker Narthan’s 2017 Kannada film plain dress It thus unfolds the world of crime through the eyes of a cop sent undercover to hunt down a notorious mafia don. Right from the beginning, the shadow of the crime lord played by Shiva Rajkumar loomed large over every scene till his grand final appearance. Before we saw him, he became a myth, a ghost, a godfather-like figure, and the anticipation was real.

In plain dresstamil remake of Pathu Thala, Silambarasan TRCrime lord AG Raavanan aka AGR, gets a grand entry halfway through the film, but director Obeli N Krishna chooses to feature him in one shot right at the beginning. Some mystery remains. And though the story still follows undercover cop Sakthivel (Gautam Karthik) who infiltrates AGR’s gang, how much he does about it and the role he plays in the film gets diluted. This isn’t really a put down; In fact, much of the original material and the big ideas have been deliberately toyed with, some improving the story and some mercilessly killed off, making Pathu Thala A film on its own.

We launch in the midst of a tense political battle within Tamil Nadu’s ruling party; Arunmozhi (Santosh Pratap), the Chief Minister, and Nanjilar Gunasekaran (Gautam Vasudev Menon), the Deputy Chief Minister, who is influential enough to topple the government, do not see eye to eye. In a surprising turn of events, the Chief Minister gets kidnapped, and all eyes turn to AGR, the notorious mining mafia chief in Kanyakumari. As all efforts go in vain, Gautam Karthik’s Shakthivel (as Gana) is sent to find out more. Most within the party suspect Nanjilar’s hand in the CM’s disappearance, and this only adds to their anger over the AGR.

script of Pathu Thala is tightly woven – more so than the source material – but the pace of this film has a lot of issues. None of the characters manage to make an impact, and everything feels rushed. Selvam (Teejay Arunasalam), along with Sabari and Singa, are AGR’s right-hand men; The film makes them important but doesn’t care enough to give them any importance in the story.

Even that romance involving Gautam Karthik doesn’t sit well. Right at the outset, we are told that the newly appointed Tehsildar of Kanyakumari district, Leela Thompson (Priya Bhavani Shankar), is Sakthivel’s ex-girlfriend. Leela has a confrontation with AGR’s men, and both the crime lord and Sakthivel know about it. If you are an undercover cop trying to catch a gangster who has killed over 40 such detectives, wouldn’t you rather see your ex in the same city, let alone join the issue Leave, as a loose end should be taken care of? There is never a conversation between us about his involvement in the mafia.

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There are also some startling tonal differences in director Krishna’s writing and execution of the emotional scenes. For example, Pathu Thala At the center is the story of a brother and sister; AGR’s sister Samudra (Anu Sithara) refuses to talk to him after an unforgivable betrayal on his part. Why doesn’t she go to the authorities about it and the logic behind every action she takes in the script should be solid, but Pathu Thala He doesn’t provide all. On the other hand, the same film doesn’t go for the classic flashback sequence for the siblings, opting to handle it subtly through a single shot that says a lot about the house they live in.

It’s time Tamil directors stop overplaying the film hero-ish Robinhood-figure trope. Simbu’s AGR is introduced as a man who does mining for the poor. “It takes a bad face to do something good,” he says. It largely works and makes way for some good punchlines that keep Simbu fans on their toes, but the same good-doing sense gets a bit tiresome when repeated.

Silambarasan, however, is always a delight to watch when he starts up, and his palpable, explosive on-screen energy is once again on spectacular display. Gautam Karthik is the surprise package; He really comes out on top with a commendable performance. However, both the leads disappoint due to the script and Gautham’s character is made less smart as the story progresses, while Simbu doesn’t get enough substance to power this collective persona.

The only brilliantly shot action sequences in the second half that give the film any energy are the brutal reveals that could put any 21st century technological advancement to shame. Pathu Thala This is also one of those rare cases where the background score helps the film’s energy in one scene, while killing it in another.

it is unfair to compare plain dress And Pathu Thala, However, this remake is a good case study of how it’s not enough to put much innovation on paper if the same doesn’t translate on screen.

Pathu Thala is running in theaters now