Thanga Magan Movie Review

Cast: Dhanush, Samantha, Amy Jackson, Radhika, KS Ravikumar, Sathish, Adith, Jayaprakash, MS Baskar & others

Music: Anirudh

Cinematography: A Kumaran

Editing: MV Rajesh Kumar

PRO: Riaz Ahmed

Written & Directed by: R Velraj

Produced by: Wunderbar Films & Gopuram Films

Release Date: 18-12-2015

Run Time: 02:01:00

Thanga Magan offers rollicking fun in its simplistic, chocolate-box romance portions though its modus operandi appears plain and unequivocal in the way the familial relations are staged, especially in the second half. 

The film, interestingly, opens with a highly emotional sequence and it is quite surprising to see Velraj get to the story straight away without any elements of posturing, like opening song, to satiate the hero’s fan-base (which happens later). The dramatic opening scene begins with Dhanush, Samantha and Radhika, who visibly relocate to a new home and are reeling in the aftermath of their family head’s (KS Ravikumar) death. Just when you feel perplexed about the fact that the director forgoes character establishment, we are introduced to Tamizh (played by Dhanush) and his teenage love story. Tamizh is the boy-next-door from a middle-class family we are all quite familiar with. His joyously unrestrained passion for stalking is an evident hat-tip to Selvaraghavan. Tamizh falls head over heels for Hema D’Souza (Amy Jackson), an Anglo-Indian, when he observes the first sight of her remarkable beauty in a slow-motion shot.

As clichéd as the love story between a beautiful-looking girl and an average-looking guy may sound, Dhanush reigns supreme and churns out a polished and witty performance alongside Sathish, who plays his friend, and brings the roof down at frequent intervals throughout the first half. The romance portions between Tamizh and Hema are an absolute treat to watch despite the apparent naivety that lurks behind. In her believably cute performance as Hema, Amy Jackson fluently pulls in the teen audience. Also, brownie points to her splendid lip-sync and passionate lip-locks that grace the screen sporadically.

The interval block does set things up satisfactorily and ends up on a high note.

The second half is where the film falls flat thanks to the middling writing. Velraj tackles a bevy of borderline-melodrama moments in the latter chapter with his competent supporting cast that bails the boredom out and keeps the audience invested, but only to an extent. The surprise package of the second half is Samantha’s lovely performance that stands heads and shoulders above all her previous choices. Though her screen time is comparatively lesser than Amy Jackson, she definitely makes it count.

Dhanush, too, shines with a contrasting face in the second half, with a calm and composed portrayal of Tamizh. But what makes the film lose its steam is the lack of a powerful antagonist (played by Adith) and the largely stereotyped cat-and-mouse games that we have been acquainted with in Dhanush films over the last decade or so. The audience-hooting moments to please the built-in fans of Dhanush with mildly unwarranted fight sequences dampen the film’s already dwindling spirits. Radhika is a natural as Tamizh’s mother. The endearing moments between Dhanush and Radhika leave us wanting for more. KS Ravikumar puts up a brilliant show as Tamizh’s father, who suffers from memory loss.

As for the background score, Anirudh leaves his imprint as usual and keeps the DnA reputation intact. A Kumaran’s sweeping close-up shots of the lead actors and the vibrant picturization of songs deserve applause too. Editor MV Rajesh Kumar has done a neat job by keeping the running time at just close to two hours. But even that feels a wee lenient when the long drawn-out climax approaches.

Thanga Magan Movie Review Rating: 2.75/5

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Written by Surendhar MK

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