Thilagar Movie Review
Director: Perumal Pillai
Cast: Kishore, Dhruva,'Poo' Ram, Mrudhulla
Music: Kannan
Films based on caste system is a favourite among directors in Tamil cinema and debutant director Perumal Pillai has chosen the 'Thevar' community and raw violence as the two important aspects in Thilagar.
The film begins with at a prison where four juveniles are convicted in a gory murder case and a seven year old kid who was believed to be the witness comes to the jail to identify the murderers. If the kid identifies, the juveniles will slaughter him but to their fortune the small boy chose to not point his finger for some reason.
Cut to the flashback, we are shown Bose Pandian (Kishore), a respectable village head and his foe Ukkirapandi (Poo Ram) who is unhappy with Bose Pandian's progress in the society. At one point of time, things get ugly as Ukkirapandi and his sons brutally assassinate Bose, the rest of the film tells how Bose's innocent brother Thilagar (Dhruva) takes revenge, also the relationship between Thilagar and the seven year old kid.
Director Perumal Pillai has got a knack for portraying gritty violence that all the action sequences are top notch, he has also authentically registered the orthodox Thevar community in Thirunelveli backdrop. The action sequences are not over the board and the actors are not shown as super heroes but as believable characters who could be murdered with a proper plan.
But what prevent Thilagar from being a classic is the unwanted romantic track, loud melodrama and abrupt ending. Had the director concentrated in the above said areas, the film would have been even more enjoyable. Also the film gives a heavy deja vu of yesteryear classics like Thevar Magan, Virumandi and Subramaniyapuram.
Kishore has once again proved his versatility as the powerful Bose Pandian and he looks majestic in the white attire. Poo Ram is a revelation and he could be a perfect cold blooded villain in Tamil films. Dhruva impresses with his looks but the actor struggles hard to emote and he should work on his dialogue delivery as well.
Kannan's songs are just okay while his background score raises the tempo. Also raw visuals of Rajesh Yadav and Kola Baskar's editing help the movie. Overall, Thilagar is a tailor made film for the south Tamil audiences but for others it is yet another community glorifying violent film with all kind of cliches.
