Thuppakki

Synopsis: Captain Jagadish D (Vijay) comes home to Mumbai to spend his holidays. His parents want him to get married or at least select a girl before he leaves, but he inadvertently gets embroiled in a plot by terrorists to target the city.

Movie review: It was a masterstroke by director A R Murugadoss to locate 'Thuppakki' (gun) in Mumbai, racked as it has been by numerous attacks on its business district and financial hotspots. Not only does it draw the attention of the public to the serious problems posed by terrorists to the country, it also adds to the authenticity of the story and its settings.

It is also good that filmmakers are dedicating movies to the army men(and also their families), but it would be even better if they move beyond tokenism, do their research properly and don’t portray members of the armed forces as caricatures. Most Hollywood films hire military experts to get their act right, but obviously none was on board for this film. And so, there are bloopers galore, the best example being the interactions between Vijay and his senior, played by Jayaram. A little more attention to detail and a little research could have helped avoid such mistakes, which are jarring in a movie by such a senior director.

But if you are ready to ignore goofs like these and some gaps in logic, the movie is an enjoyable watch because of Vijay’s powerhouse performance. The movie has already taken a stupendous opening, and is the next in his ever growing list of hits after ‘Kaavalan’, ‘Velayutham’ and ‘Nanban’. He dances like a dream in song sequences (watch out for ‘Google, Google’) and packs quite a punch in action sequences. There is a quiet confidence in the way he delivers his dialogues and in the way he carries himself throughout the movie.

The other strong point of the movie is the screenplay by Murugadoss and the tight editing by Sreekar Prasad. Not for one minute do they allow the movie to sag nor do they allow any dull scenes to impede its flow. And with the superb work behind the camera by Santosh Sivan, the audience will find it difficult to move their eyes away from the screen.

Kajal Agarwal has a light role and makes the best use of it. Her chemistry with Vijay in the comic sequences adds to the fun component of the movie.

The ending of the movie has been left open, and it may have been intentional with Murugadoss eyeing a sequel. That may or may not be so, but one thing is sure: ‘Thuppakki’ will definitely be picked up by a big Bollywood star for a remake. For, the gun was bang on target.