Making a movie for Ajith and Vijay must feel like balancing on a tightrope while wearing nothing but your shoes, don’t you think? In Thunivu, his third collaboration with Ajith Kumar, H Vinoth manages to walk a narrow line between letting Ajith do what he does best and telling a compelling story about corruption in the manner that he is renowned for. It mostly succeeds.
Ajith Kumar steals the show in Thunivu; he makes a big entrance, shakes his leg frequently, sends goons flying, and moonwalks through this cakewalk of a movie that doesn’t ask too much of him. He also performs a moonwalk in a scene. Ajith portrays Dark Devil, a lone mercenary who works for hire. Dark Devil, Kanmani, and their gang double-cross Radha (Veera) and his gang as they seize possession of a private bank in Chennai. They then make a deal with them. The Police Commissioner (Samuthirakani) assumes control of the situation outside the bank. A bank robbery tale with many twists and turns, letdowns, loads of gunfire, heroic victories, and redemptions starts. Naturally, this implies that, as in most commercial star vehicles, the hero is immediately given a storyline armor, and it is always crucial to justify your actions to a person you are about to kill. Fortunately, it’s simple to look beyond all of it because Vinoth’s screenplay is, for the most part, risqué and taut. To keep you interested, he withholds information and sprinkles just enough surprises.
Thunivu has problems just after the intermission block; initially, Vinoth exploits masala cinema’s famous intermission section in a creative way, but the rest of the movie undervalues it. The only real trump card to play with is the mystery surrounding Ajith’s gang and their purpose, and the screenplay begins flowing with information as it should. We come to understand that they are a successful mercenary gang for hire with exceptional skills. However, the information provided about the gang’s past is unimpressive and leaves many issues unresolved. Ambiguity is not the problem; rather, the scenes here are disjointed and the information provided is unclear. Because the gang’s leader claims that the group is “his family,” for example, we are suddenly obliged to support two of the members.
Given that this movie again stars a frightening Ajith leading a bank heist with double-crosses and the refrain “Money, Money, Money,” it was simple for fans to draw comparisons to Ajith’s 2011 blockbuster Mankatha. The fear is that Ajith’s character may suddenly revert to being a noble guy, turning the movie into something like a sermon. Ajith, however, is not a Robin Hood in Thunivu; rather, he is a motivated anti-hero with few, if any, redeeming characteristics. His morals are flawed; he kills innocent police officers and is only concerned with the bigger picture. In Thunivu, the majority of the characters have grey undertones, and Vinoth sets out to show how practically everyone is selfish in some way. Saying that banks take advantage of people’s need for money is one thing, but demonstrating how corrupt and prevalent that can be through the hierarchy of a private bank is quite another.
Vinoth also makes sure that while recounting this story, the movie doesn’t turn into a sermon. In fact, the fact that we never hear a discourse that specifically mentions the gallery is a triumph. The cheers increase louder every time Thunivu makes a point about the daily horrors of banks and how the system manipulates ordinary people, and it says a lot. It’s also very intriguing to see how he uses the media in this game while criticizing their self-serving goal. This blockbuster movie discusses topics that the average person deals with on a daily basis.
A second flashback is given to us, and it also gives the narrative greater depth. It’s interesting to note that Vinoth here asks us, the moviegoers, about our dislike of celebrities who tell a karuthu that reduces them to mere entertainers in a very self-aware discourse. But the solution is straightforward and can be found in Thunivu; it works when done with innovation, as was the case in the majority of his prior films. In connection with that, thanks to Vinoth for including a scenario that challenges the negative stereotype of migrant workers.
While it’s true that Ajith carries the movie because of his charisma and enigmatic line delivery in Thunivu, the villain instead begs the hero to swear not to kill him, And because he dominates the screen time, no other character has a meaningful impact. She does play a crucial role in the heist, but did this role of a sidekick necessitate an actor of Manju Warrier’s caliber? Manju Warrier’s Kanmani shares the same fate as Huma Qureshi from Valimai.
The poorest part of Thunivu is its third act. Leaving aside the lack of innovation, it even undermines the foundation that has been laid. Even a decisive blowout may have left a better aftertaste if it had been all guns blazing. Despite the chaos and barrage of gunfire, there isn’t a single action scene that fans will remember, despite what Vinoth is known for producing. Even though Thunivu isn’t the director’s best effort, it’s still not a terrible movie.