Thunivu reeks of ignorance, what’s Ajith Kumar doing in this movie?

Theeran was set in the early 90s. The procedural drama shined a light on a period when there was no centralised system for the cops to share information between jurisdictions and in turn it derailed and slowed down the process of identifying the criminals who committed crimes outside their neighbourhoods. The film grippingly captured the infuriating callousness of the police department, the role of self-serving politicians and the frustration of honest cops who want to protect the lives of people from senseless crimes. It makes us feel the restlessness of Theeran Thirumaran (Karthi) as he searches for notorious armed robbers holed up in North India.

Karthi in Theeran Adhigaram Ondru.

Theeran invoked a visceral response from the audience. It made us fear for our own safety, and kept us on the edge of our seats. We could feel the hopelessness of Theeran but we rooted for his resilience, grit and determination to stop the gang of dacoits.

Where is Vinoth, the filmmaker, who so successfully tapped into our fears and manipulated our emotions with such dexterity? It’s not pleasing to witness the regression of his talent. Theeran was not just about data points that Vinoth collected in his research. It narrated a story and explored an unknown side of the culture of the country’s dark underbelly. That kind of vision is missing in Thunivu.

Thunivu tries to present Ajith as an adorable action hero, with a bunch of fight sequences thrown in that are strangely devoid of all emotion. Everything happens on the surface level. There is no depth to this please-all approach of Vinoth as he struggles to stage this heist movie. Big explosions and gun fights at regular intervals don’t make a movie engaging; they only serve as a temporary distraction from the director’s lack of good material.

Thunivu tells the adventures of a gang led by a notorious gangster, who goes by the street name, Dark Devil. The gang takes control of a bank in the heart of Chennai. At first, it seems the Dark Devil wants to just rob a bank, but there is a noble reason behind his actions. The flimsiest subplot does nothing for the film, other than make us feel that Vinoth himself was ashamed of the backstory and wanted to rush through it for obligatory reasons. Even before we could learn the names of the characters that influence Dark Devil to stage such a blatant attack against the country’s banking system, the story is over. We don’t care for any characters in the movie, except for Ajith’s stardom. What’s he doing in the movie?

Thunivu puts Ajith in an awkward position and it doesn’t properly define the personality of his character. It’s confusing as Ajith was not in sync with the motivations of his character. The film assumes that it’s presenting Dark Devil as a playful, stylish, middle-aged man with a passion for theatrics. But, it’s not. All of Ajith’s antics in the movie feel forced and unnatural. If Vinoth thought that Ajith’s looks could mask the lack of good imagination, he was wrong. Manju Warrier’s talent is also wasted in this film. Like others, she has also not emotionally invested in her performance.

Vinoth also lacks clarity about the complexity of the subject he’s dealing with. The film tries to explain how when companies go bust, the founders get rich, but the retail investors bear the brunt and lose their investments. The catch is the film seemingly has no clue about the problem it’s trying to address. It dumbs down the most complex issue and presents it through the prism of black and white. It doesn’t explore the banking culture, the loopholes that allow the rich to get richer, or the fragility of the system and the important roles the banks play in protecting and growing public wealth.

In the second half of the film, when the hostage situation turns into some version of a sitcom, the Dark Devil says something to the effect of, “The money would have been safe in a piggy bank, instead of an actual bank.” It reeks of ignorance, no?

MONEY MONEY MONEY💰💰💰#ThunivuHugeBlockbusterWorldwide 💥💥💥#Thunivu #ThuvinuPongal #NoGutNoGlory#Ajithkumar #HVinoth @zeestudios_ @bayviewprojoffl @redgiantmovies_ @kalaignartv_off @netflixindia @sureshchandraa #RomeoPictures @mynameisraahul pic.twitter.com/V5phV09Oa8

— Boney Kapoor (@BoneyKapoor) January 17, 2023

The value of money is decided purely by its purchasing power and it keeps fluctuating owing to various reasons. Even the big banknotes can lose their value overnight, as the government’s demonetisation gambit showed. Or the strengthening of dollar value can depreciate the value of the Indian rupee affecting its purchasing powers. So keeping money safe in a piggy bank won’t help the people much. The film should have highlighted the need to fix the loopholes in the banking system and create a fair playing ground for individuals to invest and grow their wealth. Instead, Thunivu treats the share market fraud perpetrated by a bank like a chit-fund scam.

In the process, Thunivu unnecessarily demonises the banking sector without carefully considering what effect it might have especially on the unsuspecting and impressionable members of the audience. And it gives a very unrealistic solution to this gigantic problem. Not everyone can hijack a bank to bring wealthy and powerful to justice. The series of plot contrivances further handicap an already ill-researched and ill-conceived movie. The backstory involving the Dark Devil’s crew especially is tacky. There is no onscreen chemistry between the characters played by Amir and Pavani, and important characters dying lacks any emotional beat.

Thunivu (courage) and Valimai (strength) are not the only pertinent qualities to make a movie. One also needs Vivegam (wisdom) to make a clever movie that honours the Viswasam (loyalty) of the die-hard fans.