Movie Name: Thudarum
Rating: 2.75/5
Cast: Mohanlal, Shobana, Prakash Varma, Binu Pappu, and others
Director: Tharun Moorthy
Produced By: M. Renjith
Release Date: 26th April 2025
Thudarum (transl. To be continued) is the latest film from Mohanlal after Empuraan. The film is directed by Tharun Moorthy, who wrote the screenplay with K. R. Sunil. The film received good reviews from Malayali audiences, and today it has been released in Telugu. Let’s find out how the movie, Thudarum, has been shaped up.
Story:
The film tells the story of a taxi driver, Shanmugham, aka Benz (Mohanlal), whose car is taken away by police in a small case. He tries hard to retrieve it, but his efforts uncover an unexpected truth, and the rest of the film is about how Benz handles the troublesome situation.
Performances:
Mohanlal delivers a fine performance as Shanmugham, aka Benz. The way he conveys his emotions through his eyes is fantastic. Shobana makes her presence felt, though her character has a limited scope. Prakash Varma and Binu Pappu portray the evil roles with perfection, while Thomas Matthew and Amritha Varshini are apt.
Analysis:
Mohanlal’s Thudarum tries to be an intense and emotionally powerful movie. Director Tharun Moorthy starts the film with an intriguing moment that captures our interest for the first five minutes. Then after he establishes Benz’s character and his family relationships. The proceedings look ordinary for a while, but after a slight turn in the tale, he successfully creates tension leading up to the interval and effectively stages the action scenes in the second half. Tharun uses the eyes of Mohanlal in crucial scenes very well, and the legendary actor lives up to his potential and shows his prowess as an actor, especially in the last half hour.
However, the director lacks sensitivity in depicting police brutality. Although the goal is to evoke pain, the portrayal is overly disturbing with numerous close-up shots of torture and harassment. The well-rooted narration in the first half gets stretched in the second half, as the predictability affects it. The film drifts away from the thriller route to revenge mode, and one can expect the outcome from hindsight itself. Also, the director could have put in a few family scenes that could have raised the emotional factor.
Positives:
- Mohanlal’s Performance
- First Half’s Screenplay
- Last Half an Hour
Negatives:
- Hard Hitting Police Brutality Scenes
- Less Focus on showing the Family Bonding
- Predictable Feel in the Second Half
Thudarum Movie Review and Verdict:
Mohanlal’s Thudraum is a decent family thriller with a few flaws. Mohanlal’s excellent performance, sincere first half, and mass moments driven in the last half hour work well for the film, while the hard-hitting/melodramatic scenes and the predictable nature in the second half work against it.