Film Review

Thirutu Payale: An outstanding Tamil film

Karthiga Rukmanykanthan

CINEMA: Directors have started digging more into untold stories to capture the minds of the audience. It is clear from the outcome of the films that were released recently that audiences only prefer the films that have something substantially new in them. Therefore some clever film makers have started thinking about untold stories.

Thirutu Payale depicts how a child becomes a pervert and the consequences of misguided childhood. Jeevan who plays the antagonist in ‘kaaka kaaka’ plays the lead in this film. The film starts showing a frustrated Jeevan brutally injuring his younger brother.

The director moves the story with the same heat creating curiosity. Director Susi Ganesan had also given a different view about friendship in his first film ‘Five Star’. He has a unique style which has been again reflected in his second film.

When the film begins one might wonder whether this is a story of a wife who betrays her husband. But as the story moves on, the director clearly gives the importance to his theme eliminating unnecessary scenes and focusing on the characteristics of the lead role. The film just follows the same old methodology of screenplay but it is the message that has made the difference.

Jeevan protrays the pervert who has learnt nothing in life except blackmailing. He uses his skills in blackmailing he had learnt in his childhood to obtain money from the wife of a multi-millionaire who has an illegal affair with her husband’s friend. Jeevan sees this as the only short-cut to get rich and continues to obtain money with a piece of video cassette that he made while she was with the man.

Malavika plays the rich man’s wife and has been given a rare opportunity to perform a character rejected by other actresses. Malavika plans her best to get rid of Jeevan but fails in all her attempts. The film even moves to Australia with the continuation of the tete-a-tete between Jeevan and Malavika. Finally, Malavika finds out that the only way to get rid of him was to fall in love with him.

For all his provocative acts, there has to be a flashback. The director does this well. Jeevan is shown as a smart student who scores the highest marks in his class but it is his father who guides him in the wrong path. The film conveys the message that it is the way the parents nurture their children.

Jeevan is a suitable actor for this role and he has carried out his part well. Sonia Agarwal plays the role of his lover and she has limited her performance to her importance in the film as priority has been given to Malavika.

Although Malavika has been provided with an opportunity, it is questionable whether she has made full use of it. She has let herself down in most of the scenes where she could have shined. Manoj K. Vijayan who plays the role of her husband has given a spontaneous performance by portraying himself like a millionaire. Vivek has made a come back provoking a sense of humour, this time by imitating the sri Lankan Tamil accent.

Background music is an additional score to the film, but it is the art work that brings out a proper milieu for the story. The luxurious design for the millionaire’s house and the golf ground add value to the art design by Thota Tharani. Stunt scenes, especially in the horse racing ground and the field, have some innovation with some remarkable special effects.

The uniqueness is maintained by keeping a romantic blue light for the background and the story towards its irony rather than to a happy end just for commercial benefits.

The rich man destroys all the evidence that could cause disgrace to his reputation and his wife using his opulence. The director thereby reflects the selfishness in the affluent community. Thirutu Payale has certainly made a difference among the recently release films with its distinctive script that had never been touched.

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