Thuppakki released today amidst gargantuan hype and high fan frenzy. The expectation is high from this Vijay – Murugadoss association which has an acclaimed crew comprising cameraman Santosh Sivan, editor Sreekar Prasad and music director Harris Jayaraj. Have the team succeeded in giving the perfect festival entertainer?

Thuppakki is basically about Jagdish (Vijay), an army captain, who returns to Mumbai for a 40 days’ vacation. He has a loving family, comprising two sisters and his parents, who wish to get him married to an appropriate girl. Along with his romantic escapades, he also has a greater task at hand as he has to eradicate sleeper cells that are out to bomb and terrorize Mumbai across 12 prominent localities. Banking on the ever-dependable Vijay,  this extravagant and stylish entertainer is all about how Jagdish takes on this terror network.

The film gets off to a slow start after Vijay’s mass intro with the ‘Kutti Puli’ number. The romantic episodes with Kajal Aggarwal are bearable thanks to some high-voltage songs by Harris Jayaraj (Alaikaa Laikka and the wildly popular Google Google stand out) and Jayaram’s (playing Jagdish’s senior in the Army) funny interventions.

Kajal is the typical commercial cinema heroine who makes glamorous appearances in the songs and is also there for some comic relief. The tomboyish voice that has dubbed for her, enhances her character. Her stylish costumes and youthful beauty are a nice distraction from the main action packed plot. Jayaram’s legendary comic timing is intact while Sathyan has a commendable and sizable presence in the movie as Jagdish’s police friend. His proficiency in the English and Hindi speaking portions is a pleasant surprise. Vidyut Jamwal looks a million bucks with his long locks, stubble and macho physique. He is a nice matchup for the invincible hero.  

Coming back to our main man Vijay, he looks ever youthful and the V shape that he so painstakingly maintains looks even more tight and muscular in Thuppakki. His prowess at dance and fights is well-known and Murugadoss has packaged and presented the movie perfectly in sync with Vijay’s skills at commercial cinema. While on the one hand, Jagdish is a brainy guy who uses the Rubik’s cube and his apple laptop to decode maps, on the other hand, his brawny side is also prominent thanks to his blazer, glares and a stylish gait. The pre-interval scenes with the twelve sleeper cells and the fight scenes with a sniffer dog in tow in the second half are a royal treat for Vijay fanatics. The star’s comfort level with Hindi and English makes his character as an urban Mumbai Thamizhan appear more genuine and real.

Harris Jayaraj’s songs are a raging hit already and this is a nice score on the whole from Harris.  The music that repeats while Vidyut makes an appearance on screen is pulsating.  

Santosh Sivan’s camerawork is flawless and has captured the raw energy and crowds of Mumbai very well. The VFX for the blast scene at the start could have been better. Sreekar Prasad’s editing is seamless and makes sure that the movie is not boring one bit. Even though the locations in the ‘Vennilave’ song are a treat, the song overall seems redundant and could have been avoided.

Vijay’s costumer and stylist deserve a big round of applause for making the star dazzle in a suave manner with stylish and trendy clothes. His Tees are truly rocking thanks to his toned arms and dashboard abs. 

On the downside, the last encounter between Vijay and Vidyut could have been better given the nice manner in which the movie was laid out for the finale. But, this is just a minor blip in an otherwise wholesome commercial treat. The manner in which Vijay manages to keep his mission wrapped in secrecy from his higher authorities in the Army is another question mark.

To wrap it up, Thuppakki should turn out to be a hugely profitable venture for the makers and a rewarding experience for the audience. The last dialog, about Army men living in tough conditions for 11 months based on the memories of their short vacation, makes Thuppakki’s intentions of being an ode to the Army, a commendable one.

Verdict: A fully loaded festival package from Vijay, Murugadoss and co.