Theal Movie Review

Director Harikumar’s Theal is not with its making and structure, but the film manages to be an engaging, impactful tale that grabs our attention with a strong load of emotions.

Theal narrates the story of Durai, a man who works as a collection agent for a loan shark in Koyambedu. Durai is a violent man who will not even think twice before breaking a leg of a person, but his life changes when his mother comes back into his scheme of things, after 30 years since she abandoned him.

The film is based on the Korean drama Pieta, and takes its skeleton from there. But the narrative by Harikumar is packed with emotional moments, gut-wrenching scenes and some commercial elements which act as breathers. Harikumar has a very basic approach to the making structure of the film, and moves on with the narrative by giving us a very shabby look at Durai’s life, and how it slowly gains color and shape. The film’s final run is swift, and it takes place with lots of twists and surprises, ending with a high.

Prabhu Deva has delivered another impressive performance, but this time he has to play it dark with a role that does not allow him to smile or dance. The film has another strong performance in the form of Eeswari Rao, who plays the doting mother to great effect.

The rest of the actors act as supporting cards to these two central characters.

Sathya’s music is a proper technical tool to the film, packed with emotional cues and two dance numbers. The cinematography is dark and shady, but after a point, it also acts as a tone for the film.

On the whole, Theal is a well-narrated emotional drama that gets its heart in the right place and transcends the content well. Theal Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas

Theal Movie Review Rating: 3/5