What’s it about?
The story takes place in 1850, during the British era. Thangalaan (Vikram) and their villagers suffer at the hands of their village landlord. The landlord seizes Thangalaan’s land documents due to their failure to pay taxes.
To escape from this tyranny, Thangalaan (Vikram) and a few more men from their village agree to guide British general Clement (Daniel Caltagirone) to find gold.
Thangalaan knows very well that Aarathi, the sorceress (Malavika Mohanan), never allows them to dig for gold and draws blood to secure the land’s possessions. Additionally, Aarathi’s visions haunt Thangalaan. Despite all this, he leads the way to dig gold for a better future for his entire village. Will he succeed?
Analysis
Director Pa Ranjith, renowned for “Kabali” and “Kaala,” specializes in portraying narratives from the vantage point of marginalized communities. He consistently incorporates politics and Dalit perspectives into his stories. His latest “Thangalaan” (meaning “son of gold”) deviates from conventional movie narratives with its plot. The film talks about the migration of laborers to Kolar in order to excavate mines in that region, which subsequently became recognized as KGF (Kolar Gold Fields).
Undoubtedly, Pa Ranjith has crafted a story that remains mostly unexplored in Indian film. Furthermore, he employs the technique of magic realism to convey this tale. Although the implementation of this magic realism narrative approach is effective in certain places, it eventually becomes overly intricate and hinders the overall coherence of the storytelling, rendering the movie challenging to comprehend.
But for movie lovers, the film offers many brilliant episodes. The performances are superb. Vikram once again demonstrates what a great actor he is, providing an example of realistic portrayal. Additionally, the film features a few poignant sequences. One example is when Vikram gets the chance to wear a shirt and pants. It reminds us of a scene in “Django Unchained.” In fact, the basic plot has similarities to this Quentin Tarantino’s film. Then there is another episode where the women of the village celebrate when they first get the opportunity to wear blouses. This entire stretch is filmed in a touching manner.
The flashback episode involving Malavika Mohanan’s character and Vikram’s grandfather is another beautiful sequence. Voila Davis’s “The Woman King” appears to have inspired Malavika’s appearance.
A major part of the film captivates our interest and allows us to appreciate the actors’ performances, as well as Pa Ranjith’s storytelling. However, as previously mentioned, as the story progresses, it gradually loses its pace and also lacks coherence. The film’s screenplay is too esoteric, potentially not appealing to all.
The duration of the runtime is extremely lengthy.
In addition to Vikram’s exceptional performance in the film, Parvathy Thiruvothu’s acting is also remarkable. She performs exceptionally well in her role. Malavika Mohanan shines in her limited role. Preeti Karan, portraying the character of Anasuya, delivers a fine performance.
The technical elements of the film, including the soundtrack and background score by composer GV Prakash Kumar, are good.
Bottomline: “Thangalaan” incorporates elements of magical realism to depict the tale of Kolar Gold Fields, the miners, and their tales of oppression. The film showcases a remarkable performance from Vikram and has several deeply moving sections, yet it suffers from excessive length and lack of clarity. The film is too hard to follow at many places. The film works only to limited section of audiences.
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Rating: 2.75/5
Movie: Thangalaan
Cast: Vikram, Malavika Mohanan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Pasupathy, Daniel Caltagirone, Hari Krishnan Anbudurai, Sampath Ram and others
Story: Pa. Ranjith, Tamil Prabha
Music: G. V. Prakash Kumar
DOP: A. Kishor Kumar
Editor: Selva R. K
Art Director: S S Murthi
Action: Stunner Sam
Producers: K. E. Gnanavel Raja, Pa. Ranjith, Jyoti Deshpande
Written and Direction: Pa Ranjith
Release Date: Aug 15, 2024
