THUPPAKKI MUNAI MOVIE REVIEW CLICK TO RATE THE MOVIE

Thuppakki Munai is Vikram Prabhu's latest film to hit the screens. Directed by Dinesh Selvaraj, it has Hansika Motwani as the female lead, while MS Bhaskar, Vela Ramamoorthy, and Abhirami of Ratsasan fame play crucial roles. Produced by Kalaipuli S Thanu under the banner V Creations, LV Muthu Ganesh has composed the music and Rasamathi has handled the camera for the film.

The film revolves around a reckless encounter specialist who reopens a case file after a long time. The case brings emotional changes in him, and how he solves it forms the crux of the story.

Thuppakki Munai opens with a shot of Vikram Prabhu facing the sea. His face is away from the audience, and voice over plays in the background. The first half of the film follows suit. The film seems to move away from the audience due to the packaging and a non-linear screenplay. Miraculously, the film resurrects itself in the second half, as it picks up the pace and doesn't look back thereafter.

While Vikram Prabhu and Hansika play their roles subtly, MS Bhaskar, once again, comes up with a stellar performance. This role reminds us of his performance in 8 Thottakkal due to the similar character arcs, but a twist at the end makes all the difference. We can go on to say that he is the unsung hero of the film.

Abhirami plays the daughter of MS Bhaskar and her combination scenes with the veteran actor work out really well. The writing is brilliant in those portions. For example, the scenes where the girl plays carrom board on the sand, or the one where the girl shaves the father's beard are heartwarming.

That is also the problem with the film. Had the writing been like that throughout the film, the experience would have been much better. While some scenes are too good, there are a lot of places where asking the question 'Why?' might not give us answers.

On the technical front, LV Muthu Ganesh's background score doesn't help the film. It seems out of place in various portions. The songs are in total contrast to the score. Especially, the Poovendru song by Sriram Parthasarathy is an ear-worm. Had they been more popular, this film could have gotten a better reach. Usage of the song as a montage is a huge plus.

The cinematography isn't out of the world, but Rasamani does enough to capture the essence of Rameswaram and the script. Being a commercial potboiler, there could have been more effort put in the stunt sequences. Throughout the film, Vikram Prabhu doesn't get hurt at all and comes out on top at all times. When there is no serious low point created, the enjoyment factor in the high points is reduced.

Thuppakki Munai translates to gunpoint. If this were a real-life situation, the film holds a criminal at gunpoint, but the criminal doesn't take the situation seriously after a point of time. The gunshots are fired. Even though the shots are not fatal, the film does enough to seriously injure the criminal. That's how Thuppakki Munai is. The message it carries doesn't hit your head right away, but it does leave an impact.