‘Thekku Vadakku’ Movie Review: This Vinaikaan, Sooraj Venjarmudu comedy-drama tests the audience’s patience
A still from ‘Thekku Vadakku’
An acclaimed writer penning the script and two solid performers go head-to-head in a story that revolves around a long-running conflict: Thekku Vadakku It seems to have everything going for it. Even the trailer gives the impression of an unusual story with a lot of quirky, funny elements. But throughout the film, one is expected to adhere to these first impressions, which ultimately prove to be wrong.
The never-ending litigation over petty quarrels, which was a form of entertainment for some of the older generation, became its central theme. Thekku VadakkuDirected by Prem Shankar. S. Based on a story from Harish’s collection ‘Adam’, it involves Madhavan (Vinayakan), a retired government employee engaged in a legal battle over a piece of land with Shankunni (Suraj Venjarmudu), who runs a rice mill. Their fight, which rarely gets physical, is a scene in which almost everyone in the village is a willing participant.
The makers take a loud, satirical approach to the subject. But when humor doesn’t work and not even a light smile escapes you, this treatment becomes a liability. It was a bit painful to watch the two actors indulge in over-the-top antics and struggle for any laughs. Vinayakan makes drastic changes in his appearance and demeanor compared to his usual roles, but the efforts are wasted and come across as forced. The same things may work in a different picture, but when even one of the wheels stops working, the whole system can break down.
Thekku Vadakku
Director: Prem Shankar
Cast: Suraj Venjarmudu, Vinayakan, Melvin G. Babu, Marine Jose
Duration: 130 minutes
Storyline: Two senior citizens are involved in a long-running legal battle over a piece of land, but the dispute takes a bigger dimension.
The film never once makes you feel the intensity of their conflict, nor does it manage to drag you into the middle of the conflict. For that matter, even their conflict is only vaguely conveyed, as something has been going on for decades. In the short story, this ambiguity about the source of the conflict works, but in the film, it only adds to the lack of conflict and the general absence of anything to grip the audience.
At one point, when one protagonist indulges in a frenzied act in the absence of another, the film seems to be laboring to make a philosophical point, but it’s too late in the day to make any impression. There are at least a few passages that give one the feeling that a good film was not used anywhere inside; It’s a feeling that comes from the engaging short story it’s also based on.
If the intention was to convey the pointlessness of such ego conflicts by making a movie that struggles to make a point, then the makers can consider their mission successful. One needs to have a lot of patience to get this valuable education.
Thekku Vadakku is currently playing in theatres
has been published – October 04, 2024 04:39 pm IST