Thira (2013)

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The main feat in this film that made me write a review is the screenplay of this film. The story is based on Human Trafficking. Right from the first scene, the film carries into a deep thriller which would hook up any viewer. The characters are well-designed and they do what they're told. The plot is as any usual thriller and there is nothing new in this film as far the story is concerned but the screenplay is well executed.'Maayi' is the name of the lead character who's a independent strong women. A humanitarian, a cardiologist and a wife who fights to bring down the guys who were responsible for her husband's death. Her character is one of the main things to watch out for in the film. The role of the other main character 'Navin' is about a guy who has lost his sister in broad daylight starts searching and proves that he would go to any extent to save her. His acting was acceptable and nothing seemed negative.The relation between the two lead characters is very neatly portrayed. This cannot be considered as any regular film as the logic seemed intact in almost all the scenes and it is really difficult to find a film without any glitches especially in thriller genre. The flow was really smooth throughout the film and none of the parts were boring.Overall verdict : If you want a decent thriller with expected twists and turns, then go for Thira. Do not expect too much cause you might be disappointed.

90% of the thriller films have some "fabrication/"fictional element/ploy in their plots so as to set the connections right in the screenplay/narration. The best ones are those which do not let it show. Thira shows all its fabrication nodes vividly while displaying a bold array of ruthless imaginary contexts on current affairs.Starting off with a complex, fast-paced dialog delivery b/w Shobhana and a minister, the plot gives away little as to what happens next but more as to what will happen in the second film of the trilogy which Thira is a part of. After complicating things for an average audience, it tells stories of different girls being abducted. Then new characters start barging in, like people do in clubs during happy hours. Not talking about character depth, everything in this film works with dialogs. They talk about the plight of these girls and we are supposed to visualize (great!), they talk about a journalist-cum-spy-cum-writer-cum-bachelor in cryptography-cum-hero-cum-social activist-cum-genius who paves the way and we are supposed to worship him, they say a cardiac surgeon is a brave-heart, ironically we are supposed to think she is lady God or "Mai." Terrible! Characters meet & dispatch and then meet again so easily in this terrible screenplay, I wonder they all use jet-packs.After creating a web of theories, the cardiac surgeon and a nobody, played finely by Shobhana & Dhyan, carry out westward investigation and try to almost crack the case. As a result, I lost interest in the plot. What was becoming a suspense thriller turned out to be so predictable, the f-word I was talking about flashed on the screen. Music is fine and so is the art/setup/locations.Nothing is actually displayed in this film, but told and made-believe by the characters. That is not cinema!The minor twists failed to impress me as they were all weak in enactment and towards the end, giving hint at a sequel, the film ends abruptly like it just did a wonderful job. Catching the cold from Hollywood studios on how to make easy money by creating anticipation, Vineeth Srinivasan disappoints. Everyone who watched Thira might be eagerly waiting for the second film, but not me, because I cannot take pretentious idiots fooling around with cameras and scripts and stuff..BOTTOM LINE: Maybe a one-time watch. Typical Malayalis may wonder over the thrills. Cinema aficionados can take a hike. 5.1/10!

In a day and age where domestic violence and violence against women are at large and far-flung, topics like rape, assault and sex trafficking are still considered to be a taboo on screen. Agreed, its a sensitive topic to be visually presented but its high time that the mold be broken, especially in Malayalam cinema. Pardon, my knowledge regarding Malayalam movies tackling similar topics, but I found it amusing that Thira handled the genre pretty well.Directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, Thira tells the story of Dr. Rohini Pranab who's on a race against the clock when some of the girls she'd taken under her wing, gets abducted. Herself caught neck-deep in a conspiracy and accompanied by Naveen whose sister got abducted among the girls, the plot moves at a brisk pace from start to end.A ravishing Shobana makes a come back in the shoes of Dr. Rohini Pranab. Shobana effortlessly plays the character which screams for an applause. From a sincere doctor, to a caring social activist and at times adorning shades of power and intimidation, Shobana does shine in her role. There was this particular scene where Rohini, amidst all the troubles she's in, returns to the hospital for a surgery. While the distinct line ain't anything new, it tremendously reminded me of a scene from Sangeeth Sivan's Nirnayam. Vineeth's sibling, Dhyan Sreenivasan, despite the initial and occasional nuances of a newcomer, stands out with a commendable débutante performance. While Deepak Parambol who played the very amiable youth communist, Manoj in Thattathin Marayath was menacing and nefarious as ever as in this one.The visuals were all exquisitely shot and is worthy to be labeled 'grim and elegant'. While the movie had tense moments, it lost some in its second act and the chases were a little less adrenaline pumping but it served the purpose of thrilling you. Complemented by an excellent soundtrack Thira is bound to keep you on the edge of the your seat till end.My only qualm was regarding the linguistic choice that happened throughout the movie. I take it that it was to make it accessible for a wider audience that Hindi was prominently used, but its ever too hard to digest when localites as well as other characters spoke such fluent Hindi.Just like Vineeth's previous Thattathin Marayath, Thira doesn't break any new grounds but a Malayalam movie almost on the same page as a Hollywood thriller is something that deserves more than a clap, a standing ovation maybe? Being the first in a planned trilogy and ending in a cliffhanger, it remains to see if the sequels would pack the same punch, nonetheless Thira was an entertaining ride from start to end. I watched this just after Philips & The Monkey Pen and I am rather glad at how Malayalam movies are getting out of their banal, cozy family soap/romance couches.

The movie is a winner. You will stay riveted to the seat for the whole movie. Pretty fast paced. Nice camera work that conveyed the general mood of the movie very well. Stylized violence using good back ground score and nice camera techniques / choice of colors / settings etc. Good launch for Dhyan Srinivasan , Vineeth's brother. Dhyan has acted pretty well -no obvious mistakes.Story does not take you back to any other movie. It is pretty original and has quite some meat in it. Situations in the movie are pretty hard thought out especially given such a young crew of makers. Lot of work and passion has gone into making the screen play.Direction is excellent. There is hardly a dull moment in the movie. There are a few pieces here and there that don't work but as a whole , I imagine that the direction/making must have happened with complete commitment and great synergy and teamwork. Background scores and cinematography has synergized excellently. Shobhana has done good justice to her role which essentially is that of the protagonist closest to the film maker, the one who drives the story and who gets to know what happens next first from the playwright.It is very easy to setup a round table and question various aspects of the movie. Questions like 'how can this happen given that?' , 'that doesn't sound feasible,does it?' On the other hand, the movie predicts a lot more good movies from this team pretty soon and also hopefully real masterful movies a few tens of years down the line. Craft has definitely improved over 'Thattaththin marayaththu'. Vineeth has definitely learned a lot more than he knew when he made 'Thattaththin marayaththu' and he has executed much much more than his earlier flick. I really love the way the young team is forming up , much like the slightly senior young directors from the Maharajas college team led by Amal Neerad/Aashiq Abu etc.