<i>Thambi</i>

By: Sunil Noronha
Friday, March 03, 2006

The story will prick the conscience of those who don't want to be involved in anything.

When a stranger is hacked to death in the street, he wants to carry the man and help save his life; when delinquents set fire to a public transport bus, he chases them away; when someone tries to rob a lady of her mangalsutra for wages paid by someone else, he chases the miscreants and saves her life...he is Thambi.

Unmindful of his personal safety, Thambi wants to help a society steeped in its own self. If you balance his anger on one side of a balance and his affection on the other, the balance will be equal.

Madhavan has a small business where he gives job opportunities to families affected by anti-social elements.

Madhavan witnesses a murder committed by Biju Menon's brother Shanmugarajan and when he testifies in court, Shanmugarajan is given punishment. In anger, Biju Menon's henchmen destroy Madhavan's family.

In regular films, the hero will usually take revenge on the villains. When you think Madhavan is also going to do just that, director Seeman surprises us with his different treatment.

Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth kind of attitude will only result in never ending violence, so Madhavan tries to reform the villain! Whether Madhavan is successful or not forms the climax of the film.

Instead of his usual chocolate boy image, Madhavan's character is different in this film.

Whether he's boiling with anger over injustice done to somebody, or drowning in pity over someone else's sadness, Madhavan's acting plucks at your heart strings.

Most of us wait for another person to bell the cat, but Thambi...

"Theekuchi irundhaalthaane deepangal!
Yaar theekuchiyaavadhu
Enbadhuthaane prachanai?
Idho naan theekuchiyaagiren" is the first step.
"Naan uyirodu irrukkira varaikkum
Saavu varaadhu...
Saavu varumpodhu
Naan uyirodu irukka mattein" and the fears inside us take wing.
Dhehathula oduradhuthaandaa raththam
Thevaiyillaama theruvila yendaa odudhu...
Paaru paaru un suyanalam
Paththi theriyudhaa paaru..."

If Madhavan talks like this at the scenes of violence, at least one rowdy per street will reform.

The scenes of relaxation are when Madhavan's girl friend Pooja shows her love for him. She understands his volatile nature and his need to do the things he does. Pooja composes a love poem for Madhavan.

Strong plot and the resolution of the screenplay totally fills the viewer with complete satisfaction and thereby there's no need to enforce characters for comedy, romance and villainy.

Cinematographer Balasubramaniam garners the viewers' attention from the very first scene where Madhavan was beaten at the dustbin and dangled on the fence.

Stunt director Vikram Dharma deserves appreciation in adding value to Madhavan's body language. But at the same time, scenes in which Madhavan bends his face bears a similarity to Surya in 'Nanda', and that could have been avoided.

The song 'Ennamma devi jakkamma' in Vidyasagar's music gets into the system.

Instead of giving an action film, director Seeman has given oxygen and thus we feel like treating him with great affection.

Thambi - huge person

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