Film Review : Pathu Thala
The much awaited STR starrer Pathu Thala, a comeback film of director Obeli N Krishna, produced by Studio Green, hits screens on March 30th.
The film also stars Gautham Karthik, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Anu Sithara Kalayarasan and Priya Bhavani Shankar with Madhu Guruswamy of Kannada cinema playing Singha, from the original Kannada film, Mufti.
When the TN CM ( Santhosh Prathap in a convincing cameo) goes missing, an undercover cop Sakthivel ( Gautham Karthik) is on the hunt for dreaded don of the sand mining mafia in the deep South, AGR ( STR), and manages to enter his stronghold as Guna. But as he discovers more about him, Guna's impression starts changing. What happens, to the mission he is on? What is the link between the missing CM, the deputy CM (Gautham Menon) and AGR?
The action drama moves as a steady pace, keeping you rivetted. The grand locations , the scenic vistas of the coastal areas and the gripping night sequences on the highway are all well captured by cameraman Farook Basha. The visual grandeur and making are superb.
AR Rahman's BGM is the showstealer which elevates the film to another level.
The highlight is the performance of STR, who enters just before the second half. He brings out the mystery and majesty of his character and an emotionally vulnerable side, with a nuanced, laid back, controlled performance, portraying the shades of grey with panache. Crisp dialogue delivery, regal walk and stylish look in a veshti sattai, all add to the character, all of which will delight STR fans. The action scenes are to watch out for, especially in the climax.
Gautham Karthik shines with a measured performance, impressive in the action scenes and changing to cop mode and romantic boy with Priya Bhavani shankar with equal ablomb.
Gautham Vasudev Menon delivers a solid act as the no- holds- barred politco who will go to any lengths for power. In veshti sattai and local dialect, he lives up to the character. Santhosh Pratap has a well performed cameo while every character is well cast, which keeps you invested in the film.
Watch out for the solid climax scenes involving STR and Gautham Menon.
On the flip side, the story seems to jump fadt forward, in places, leaving blanks to be filled and things to sink in. There are some gory, violence scenes.
With STR's star power, stylish screen presence and restrained act, Gautham Karthik's rock solid performance, a racy screenplay and hi octane action -laced political drama, with rivetting twists, Pathu Thala makes for an engaging commercial entertainer.
Rating : 3.5 / 5
