Tharai Thapattai - Some missed gems amidst Bala' s clichéd second half

A character, which would not be a part even in the wildest dreams of an average film maker..she is a whirlwind as her name suggests.. The way she drinks with her to-be father in law, the violence she exhibits, the vigour she dances with to quench the appetite of her "maama", the expression she shows when her " maama" decides to sacrifice her, is point perfect..the character has life..

2. Amudhavanan and his sister duo...

They are kept out of focus for a long in the movie, but when they exhibit their performance, a cheap and vulgarised form of their "art" for their bread...that's the moment when I forgot the movie till then for that moment...such a terrific expressions filled dance..the form of record dance with "blue" lyrics..that woman (I can't find out her name) steals the screen with her swishy change of expressions.. But I felt the stress required to show why a brother-sister duo had to dance for a "blue" number (conveyed in a dialogue) was not adequate..this line if would have been stretched, should have been a strong subplot..

3. Saamipulavan

A typical bala version of a puritan of his art, who abuses his son for commercializing the art..the bit with syllables which he plays in his introduction, his anger, his pride over his heart, the way he cries like a child when his son spits over his face (this is one of the best scenes of the movie..the father scolds the already frustrated son who had to dance in front of the corpse...in turn, the son blasts him for his hold over the art) the god like pride when he refuses the medal given by Australian governor and the way he says " saamipulavan jeyichittandaa" forms the desired arc of the character..

4. Ilayaraja

Songs, their intensity, the bits in between

These were the gems which got buried under the "blanket" term of the goriness of the movie.. Especially the last half hour can't be witnessed without a disgust..if you have so many subplots and so many gems why to resort to the typical "bala" climax...the gory villain tortures the protagonist' s beloved person and kills for which the protagonist afford a blood bathed death in back...

To me, the film is definitely watchable for its masterly pieces but made bit unpalatable for its goriness... What happens when you make a delicious dish and then add a tablespoon of chilly powder and salt???

-Dinesh

Checkout Tharai Thapptai page on WoodsDeck - http://www.woodsdeck.com/movies/13236-tharai-thappattai-2016