Review Overview
Performances
Screenplay and Direction
Technical Aspects and BGM
A so-so thriller.
Director Thirukumaran's Gethu is a so-so thriller that doesn't fulfill its lofty ambitions. The film knocks all eyes out with aesthetically appealing live visuals but the writing is comparatively underfed.
Cast: Udhayanidhi Stalin, Sathyaraj, Amy Jackson, Vikranth, Karunakaran & others
Cinematography: Sukumar
Music: Harris Jayaraj
Editing: Dinesh Ponraj
Written & Directed by: Thirukumaran
Produced by: Red Giant Movies
Release Date: 14-01-2016
Run Time: 01:58:00
Director Thirukumaran’s Gethu is a so-so thriller that doesn’t fulfill its lofty ambitions. The film knocks all eyes out with aesthetically appealing live visuals but the writing is comparatively underfed. The unexciting script hits the skids and the sure-fire way of holding the attention of viewers backfires what could have been a competent thriller.
Sethu (Udhayanidhi Stalin) is a warmhearted son. He prefers staying away from troubles; practices yoga regularly and ardently follows vegan diets. On the contrary, his father Thulasi Raman (Sathyaraj), a physical trainer in a local school, is a socially-conscious father and gorges on non-vegetarian food. Thulasi finds himself in dire straits when he lodges a complaint in the local police station to relocate the bar which is situated in the vicinity of his school. It sets a series of events entangling the father-son duo in a tight spot. How Sethu and Thulasi Raman liberate from the issue forms the plot.
Gethu is a much-needed changeover for Udhayanidhi Stalin, who looks comfortable playing the lead role. After a string of laid-back, safe chocolate boy roles, Udhay has taken a calculated decision to make headway into the next league. The film has finely choreographed stunts sans over-the-top-ness. In fact, there are only two stunt sequences although the climax one is a let-down. His dance skills have definitely refined from his last outing and that is one box he successfully ticks off every time as he graduates from a fledgling hero to a been-there-done-that professional.
Sathyaraj does complete justice to his role and fully portrays the role of PET master. Vikranth’s character as a sophisticated sniper stands in need of more fodder and depth for his role than the flamboyant score in the background of a barrage of hazy frames to prove his mettle.
Thirukumaran has cultivated a sense of leisurely pace throughout the movie. Though it works well in a handful of portions, there are scenes that get on your nerves too. The first forty odd minutes of the film just follow the good old template of alternating between romance and comedy. The comedy – courtesy an adequate Karunakaran – is done all right but the romance track hits bottom.
Amy Jackson almost vanishes in the second half, like the major female lead characters in Tamil cinema, but turns up swiftly out of nowhere for songs and to lend her jewelry when the hero is in acute need for money. If you strike out Amy Jackson from the lead cast, it wouldn’t make any thin difference to the storyline. That’s the kind of contribution she extends to the film. Sukumar’s strong sense of visual pattern and Harris Jayaraj’s occasionally good background score don’t succeed in bundling up an engaging thriller thanks to the uninteresting story-telling.
Gethu Movie Review Rating: 2.5/5
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Written by Surendhar MK