Thalaivaa Movie Review

Cast:

Vijay - Vishwa / Vishwa Bhai

Amala Paul - Meera Narayan

Sathyaraj - Ramadurai (Anna)

Abhimanyu Singh - Bhima Bhai

Santhanam - Logu

Ragini Nandwani - Gowri

Nasser - Rathnam

Ponvannan - Ranga / Chithappa

Y.Gee.Mahendran - "Vakeel" (Lawyer) Radhakrishnan

Suresh - Narayanan

Sam Anderson (as himself) - Special Appearance

Supporting Cast

Fresh from the success of the blockbuster "Thuppaki" comes a "Thalaivaa" having a tagline time to lead. Going by the tagline one might feel that the movie deals with politics but at the end of the movie it is quite evident that it has nothing to do with politics or with our Illaya Thalapathy's political ambitions. The movie was marketed as a full fledged entertainer and it almost lives up to its promise. 

Being a die hard Thala fan, I went to the movie with no expectations. For those who haven't watched the movie, SPOILER ALERT!!!

The movie begins with the death of Varadaraja Mudhaliar's death leading a rampage in Dharavi Mumbai in 1988 where Nasser and his son Logu (played later by Santhanam) are attacked by mobs. This is where Ramadurai (Sathyaraj) comes to his rescue. In the following scenes it is shown that Nasser wants to retire from his leader of the masses role. Though Ramadurai is initially reluctant to take Nasser's position he accepts so as to protect the Tamil's in Mumbai. Later that night Ramadurai's wife (played by Rekha) is shot dead. Keeping that in mind, Sathyaraj sends his son Vishwa (played later by Vijay) along with Nasser to Australia. Sathyaraj later becomes the leader for the Dharavi Slums and fondly called Anna.

Then, we come to the year 2013 where we see Sathyaraj doing thithi for his wife. When the priest asks if there are any sons/daughters Sathyaraj says No. Then the scene shifts to Australia where, in a dance competition our Illaya Thalapathy gets introduced. I guess this is one of the most subtle introductions for the star after the movie Kaavalan.

Following the scene, Comedy Superstar Santhanam is introduced as Logu and his "bro accent" rocks the theatre. Tamil Pasanga song showcases the dance talent of Vijay and he is definitely one of the best dancers Kollywood has seen. The next scenes introduce the heroine Amala Paul and love blossoms slowly between the lead pair. The comedy scenes and one liners really make the first half of the film lively and entertaining. The song "Yaar intha Saalai oram" is a awesome song and the "Ecstasy of Dance" shows the great chemistry of the lead pair. Though the first half is entertaining, you feel after 70-75 minutes of run time, that the story is still yet to go. That's when Amala Paul's father (played by Suresh) suggests Vijay to go to India to talk about Vijay-Amala's marriage to Sathyaraj and that they will accompany him. 

Once Vijay comes to Mumbai, he understands that his father is doing some sort of wrong business and is confused, leaving a bad impression about his family to Suresh. Then Vijay meets Sathyaraj and asks him as to what he does and why police is after him. Then Sathyaraj tells him everything, Sathyaraj decides to talk to Suresh for his son's marriage and that's when there is an unexpected twist in the movie. That's when the movie takes a big turn having Sathyaraj arrested. Before we come from the shock of the 1st twist there is immediately a second shock before the interval block that leads to Sathyaraj's death. It is then found that Sathyaraj is killed by the villan played by Abhimanyu Singh. How Vijay avenges his father's murder forms the second half.

Positives:

Vijay's onscreen presence and charisma. Santhanam's one liners and comedy (especially the special appearance of Sam Anderson) are just too good (makes the crowd burst into laughter). Sathyaraj is fantastic and does justice to his role. The lead pair's onscreen chemistry. The interval block twist. The second heroine Ragini Nandwani is a refreshing find. Dialogues in the second half. Vijay's outburst at the hospital is heartwarming and comes with a message. The climax twist (though quite predictable). Songs "Yaar Intha Saalai Oram" and "Vaangana Vanakanganna". The theme music is awesome and would probably be ringing in our ears even hours after the movie is over.

Negatives:

Dragging second half. No depth in characterization. The father-son sentiment quotient seems to be less or missing. We are not able to see the emotional connect when Sathyaraj dies going by the fact that director A.L.Vijay is good at handling emotional scenes such as in Kireedam, Deiva Thirumagal, Madrasapattinam, etc. Screenplay is rather sagging in the second half and becomes predictable. The stereotypical climax fight scene (But thats too much to blame as almost all movies featuring big stars have the same stereotype).

Finally, the verdict - the movie will definitely turn out to be a Box Office hit considering Vijay's Star Power and Santhanam's comedy, but many will be disappointed on the treatment of the script, it's novelty and it's lengthy run time.

"Thalaivaa - Time to lead" probably takes too much time. 

Rating - 3/5