Thiruchitrambalam is a charming film, the story stands out for its simplicity and near real life characters. Dhanush plays the titular role and he is constantly referred to as Pazham, which often means someone who is innocent in Tamil. And who in Indian cinema can sell innocence as sweetly as Dhanush? When the actor plays an innocent, good for nothing guy, there is something austere about the way he does it.
The movie works like a charm and leaves you feel contempt as you step out or the theatre. It’s the close to heart storytelling along with the highly-relatable characters that makes the film endearing and wholesome.
Dhanush plays Thiruchitrambalam aka Thiru, who works as a food delivery boy with no ambitions. His life revolves around his grandfather (Bharathiraja) and his childhood friend-cum-neighbour Shobana (Nithya Menen). He has a strained relationship with his father (Prakash Raj), who works as a police officer. As Thiru navigates through life trying to find love and purpose, he goes on a journey of self-realisation as he mends his bond with his father.
Thiruchitrambalam Review: It is feel-good film and a must watch
Sometimes even the most familiar stories can weave magic if presented well, and Thiruchitrambalam is the perfect example of that. The film, which lets Dhanush shed his hero image, works effectively both as slice-of-life family drama as well as a romantic-comedy.
Mithran R Jawahar puts a delightful spin on the Velai Illa Pattadhari template. This film still follows VIP’s structure and perhaps borrows a few highpoints and Anirudh’s score, but the similarities end there. In fact, it is hard to say if Thiruchitrambalam is a rom-com or a slice of life drama on domestic life. Perhaps it is both. It has the garb and language of a rom-com because it is Dhanush with three heroines. Yet, it is also a slice of life drama about letting go, powered by a terrific Bharathiraja and Prakash Raj.
The “rom-com” is just a layer and never at the forefront. It is, in fact, remarkable how Mithran writes these characters and the respective worlds they inhabit. Pazham tries to pursue his highschool sweetheart Anusha (Raashi Khanna) in the present. He works at a food delivery company and she comes from what looks like the upper class. Then comes Ranjani (Priya Bhavani Shankar) who comes from Thiruchitrambalam’s own village, where she remains firmly committed to her roots. In both these cases, Thiruchitrambalam becomes the beautiful middle guy who cannot climb atop nor down. He is neither here, not there. And there is Shobana (A terrific Nithya Menon. Well, when has she ever not been terrific?) who is just there. Mithran uses Anusha and Ranjani’s background not as an excuse or to make a statement. He just uses it to highlight this: “What you like and what you want are different.”
Nithya Menen, for instance, plays Dhanush’s bestie, and it’s the kind of relationship that’s been rarely explored before in Tamil cinema. Mainstream Tamil heroes are usually seen having male best friends. It was also refreshing to see a family full of men looking after each other and not relying on women to come fix their issues.
Thiruchitrambalam closer to life. Sure, there are bumps in the tone especially for a portion in the second half. I, in fact, felt nervous for an old wound that comes back in the form of a fight sequence. But even the “fight” is still within the framework of the screenplay. We don’t see Thiruchitrambalam fighting a bad guy in that scene. Instead, we see him beating himself and his inner demons of suppression. This is remarkable screenwriting.
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