Vikram's
Thaandavam
is
not
glamorous
but
it
is
rich.
It
does
not
have
masala
elements
yet
it
is
entertaining.
It
has
a
usual
filmi-story
but
a
realistic
one.
In
one
word,
it
is
a
'brilliant'
film.
The
highlight
of
the
movie
is
the
performance
of
Vikram
and
the
biggest
drawback
of
the
movie
is
the
running
length.
On
January
1,
2011,
a
bomb
is
planted
in
Tent
Bridge,
UK,
killing
hundreds
of
people.
In
the
next
few
scenes,
blind
Vikram
commits
a
couple
of
murders.
But
he
is
not
what
you
think,
as
he
is
a
man
with
a
good
heart,
who
doesn't
even
like
to
trouble
an
ant
which
bites
him.
However,
there
is
a
secret
woman,
who
meets
him
at
public
place
occasionally
and
says
something
to
him.
However,
there
is
also
Sarah,
the
model,
who
comes
to
his
life
by
chance
and
fells
for
him
instantly
for
his
kind
nature.
In
the
next
stage,
we
are
told
that
Shiva
Kumar
(Vikram),
a
high
profile
officer
in
RAW
(Research
and
Analysis
Wing),
marries
Meenakshi
(Anushka
Shetty).
But
there
is
no
love-hate
relationship
in
the
beginning
and
they
decide
to
become
good
friends
before
considering
themselves
as
a
husband
and
wife.
At
this
juncture,
a
nuclear
flow
chart,
a
weapon
to
mass
destruction,
goes
missing
and
Shiva
and
his
colleague,
good
friend
Sarath
(Jagapathi
Babu)
start
investigating
the
case.
But
they
fail
in
their
mission
which
cost
them
the
life
of
Meenakshi.
What
happens
next
should
be
seen
on-screen.
There
is
no
exaggeration
in
any
of
the
characters
in
Thaandavam.
The
story
has
a
natural
flow
and
it
has
realistic
feel
in
most
parts
of
the
movie.
Labelled
as
an
action
movie,
there
are
no
unnecessary
fight
sequences.
The
film
has
a
wonderful
story
blended
with
action
and
romance.
It
also
has
good
comedy
scenes.
On
the
flip
side,
the
running
length
of
the
film
might
test
your
patience.
Like
Mugamoodi,
the
slow
progress
of
the
story
may
play
spoilsport.
In
the
first
half,
there
are
some
boring
moments
and
the
placement
of
some
songs,
which
appear
justifiable,
will
irritate
you.
Nonetheless,
Thaandavam
is
a
breath
of
fresh
air
at
a
time
when
most
actions
movies
only
portray
the
heroism
and
made
with
three-fights-four-songs
formula.
Vikram
is
excellent
in
the
role
of
blind,
who
uses
echolocation
to
detect
objects
in
his
environment.
His
actions
and
acting
are
natural.
He
has
proved
again
that
he
comes
out
with
an
extremely
brilliant
performance
when
he
is
given
a
challenging
role.
But
his
fans
will
miss
his
lavish
avatars
and
punch
dialogues
in
this
movie.
Anushka
Shetty
has
given
best
and
Amy
Jackson
is
charming.
But
Jagapathi
Babu
is
not
that
impressive.
However,
Santhanam
as
a
cab
driver
brings
smile
on
the
audience
when
ever
he
appears
on-screen.
Technically,
Nirav
Shah's
cinematography
is
sharp.
GV
Prakash
Kumar's
'Oru
Paadhi
Kadhav...'
and
'Uyirin
uyire...'
songs
are
good.
Editor
Anthony's
scissors
could
have
been
sharper
to
reduce
the
length
of
the
movie.
Verdict:
Thaandavam
is
a
seriously
interesting
affair.