THOOVANAM – FILM REVIEW

The film opens as a flashback, where Karthik hearing of Anu’s accident, comes down to see her, and reminisces about his past roller coaster relationship with her.The plot may offer nothing new. But it’s in their presentation that the debutant director-duo of Haricharan and Newton try to give a different feel.What is appreciable is the effort to give an entertainer sans overt glamour, mindless comedy and the frenzied fights that are so much an integral part of a regular formula flick.
The earlier scenes depict the encounters between Karthi, an interior designer and Anu, a foreign returned lass, she striking an easy friendship with him and his friends.The narration steady for the most part, tends to lag a little here with a bit of a monotony setting in. The antics of Anu’s father is a bit overdone, the character a stereotype of the foreign returned guys we get to see in films.But thankfully the actors playing Karthi’s friends, Maurya, Tushara, Ponnumani and Suraj Krishna are naturals, and not the comic irritating bunch we normally get to see.The flow continues in a smooth pace with Karthi falling in love with Anu and egged on by his friends, professes his love to her. Shocked by her rejection, the dejected lover takes a drastic step which brings about a change of feelings in Anu. But there are a couple of twists in the tale, the narration pepping up here. It’s cinematography (Madhu Ambat) and it’s lilting tunes (Isaac Thomas) are the film’s plus points. And though there are the dance numbers, an effort has been made to make them seem more situational.This is Aditya’s (aka Kaushik) first lead role, after having acted in TV serials and played Dhanush’s friend in the Balu Mahendra-directed Athu Oru Kana Kaalam. Aditya plays Karthi with casual ease, his expressions natural and spontaneous.For a debutant, Nethra (a student of MOP Vaishnava College) is comfortable with the camera, handles her role with confidence, her eyes expressive.
Reminding you of a cross-over film in its pace and in its scripting and narrative style, Thoovaanam, is an honest attempt to strike a different chord within the parameters of commercial cinema