VISITOR COLUMN

First things, first. No Spoilers ahead. Not even a hint of the main plot. 

Guilty as accused! I don't know what kind of bias would one call that, but I did have some expectations for this movie Thegidi (Deception)! You know that feeling right.. when you hear about a film and at once, you know it might be your kind! Might be an instinct... and boy, was I surprised! Walking out of the theater today, I cant say how I felt.. May be I was blown to bits... a bit shaken and speechless for a while! But one thing is for sure; Tamil cinema is in safe hands. In safe responsible sensible hands!
 

Not just a breeze. Not just a wisp of fresh air. Not just a gust of seasonal winds. Its a storm. Young directors of today are taking Tamil cinema to the next level by storm!
 

How do you make a piece of engaging cinema? 
The answer, that has evaded even thespians for years! But debutant director Ramesh tries answering it and gives us a recipe 'Masterchef' style- taking a 'base' of a novel refreshing script, topping it with some ever-lively buoyant and fiery screenplay 'sauce', giving a few clever cool twists and tweaks to the way it is usually made, and finally adding a pinch of a unique tasty 'secret ingredient'. The secret ingredient? - a well panned out guessing game!
 

Shock is a natural reaction to deception. But how will you react when you realize that your perception of the 'deception' is actually not the real deception? The plot of 'Thegidi' is not complex. Its basically one of crime and deceit. But definitely out of the box and exciting. Something, which our producers will surely think twice about making a movie out of! And to do it with conviction, means a lot. You have to keep away from the usual dream and action routine without compromising on the attention and intelligence levels of the audience. Thats a tough ask for sure!
 

A popular film critic, very recently pointed out the basic problems in making a compelling thriller in Tamil - the basic 'must-haves of our movies, the forced routine songs and the stand-alone comedy track. Here maverick producer C.V Kumar and Ramesh join hands to bravely do away with both, thus allowing the gradual escalation of stakes possible, with no loose ends whatsoever! Yes, there are a couple of beautifully picturized songs, but they are shot as montages, which serve well to take the film forward. Yes, the film has a not-so-great romantic track, but the director makes sure it doesn't stick out as a sour thumb! The action sequences, which happen at the heights of tension are so well-executed that the it sucks us into the stress on screen. And finally, a fitting logical climax to the 'edge of the seat' last 10 minutes!
 

Top-notch stuff from the technical department. Editing is crisp. Angles are innovative. Cinematographer Dinesh Krishnan's lighting is natural, and he especially shines in the way, he makes long shots look so easy! But the real hero of the taut suspense drama is the background score of Nivas Prasanna, which catches us off-guard on a number of occasions. The super-charged atmosphere he creates by his highs and lows makes the viewing experience totally engrossing!
 

Yes. There a few pitfalls too- a hero who emotes quite minimally, the pace which slackens a bit pre-interval and the usual cinematic logical ambiguities. But at the end, all these don't make sense at all.
 

Here is a film which again proves that the 'script' is the star. The tense 'unease' and the 'nail-biting' tension in the narration, which the director is able to generate, and sustain in the audience might actually be the real success of the film, the director and the producer.
 

Easily, the most exciting and well-made suspense thriller/drama in Tamil cinema, in recent times!