Theerkadarishi Movie Review

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Theerkadarishi is about a stranger who dials to the police control room to give precise information on crimes that are about to be perpetrated. Actor Ajmal who was last seen in a supporting role in the crime thriller Netrikann is back on screens with his action thriller movie Theerkadarishi in which he has essayed the lead part. Veteran actors Sathyaraj and Poornima Bhagyaraj have portrayed key roles in the entertainer. Directors P G Mohan and L R Sundarapandian have directed the flick. Writer B Sathish Kumar has penned the script of the drama. So, how has the action thriller flick Theerkadarishi come out? Will it aid actor Ajmal to revive his career and establish a bankable lead hero image for himself in Tamil cinema? To know that let us get into the movie review. 

The film opens to a police control room receiving a mysterious call from an anonymous person. He cautions them of a potential crime and shares details of a woman who is about to be a victim. He warns them to act swiftly to avert the transgression. Taking it for a prank call, the cops ignore it. To the shock of their life, a woman is reported to be dead in the exact place that the mysterious person specified. Things get animated when this news reaches the superior officers. In no time, they receive another phone call from the same individual alerting them of another possible crime. Unfortunately, inefficiency of the cops gives way for the criminals to act up on their plan. The media gets the whiff of the news and pressure starts to mount on the department. 

Head of police appoints deputy commissioner Adithya (Ajmal), a competent officer to lead the case. Suspecting the caller to be the perpetrator, Adithya sets up a team to track and nab him. Only to later realize that he is much smarter to cover his trails. But he keeps calling the control room and offers them in advance the details of crimes about to be committed in the near future. The cops act upon it and manage to save a bunch of people. But fail at some instances. Soon the mysterious man gains a public following who praise him as Theerkadarishi. Who is this anonymous person, is he in any way related to the crimes or the criminals that commit them, or is he just an informer or the offender himself, is what makes the rest of the flick. 

To be fair, Theerkadarishi does have an interesting material to build an effective investigative thriller drama. What it lacks is a proper writer with lucid writing technique to keep the audience at the edge of their seat. An unidentified man who is able to alert the cops of crimes beforehand. How well this idea could have been subjected to an engaging treatment peppering the mystic nature of the man to keep the audience lingering in its world. But writer B Sathish Kumar underestimates his audience’s intellect and indulges in convenient writing. As a result, the narrative does not really move very much from the idea. The man calls. Informs of crimes. It happens/is averted. This goes on in a loop. 

Cognizant of the situation the writer rightly places adequate twists and turns in the plot to make things exciting. But then all those amount to nothing as too many logical loopholes sabotage the proceedings. Especially, the easiness in which the offender pulls off his crimes. As if nobody could note his existence. Interestingly, writer B Sathish Kumar has forsaken kollywood’s mandatory romance piece and a series of mini-villains leading to the main antagonist. This tactic has done much good to the flick as it is one vital element that retains the movie in the tolerable zone. Budget constraints could be blamed for the bad production. But even discounting that factor would not make Theerkadarishi a saleable product. As the much-hyped climax also falls flat. 

Actor Ajmal has shouldered his role quite well. But he does sporadically overplay in a few moments to bring about the macho swag. Veteran actor Sathyaraj’s character has scope but has not been fleshed out to its potential. Nonetheless, the actor brings forth his massive experience and elevates his role in a short screen time. Veteran actress Poornima Bhagyaraj’s part does not hold much space to really contribute much. However, the actress has done her part well. Actor Dushyanth Ramkumar is inconsistent with his performance. Actor Imman Annachi draws chuckles here and there. Actor Aadukalam Naren makes his presence felt even in a next to nothing role. Actor Sriman lives up to the purpose of why he was brought on board. Actress Devadarshini does justice to her part. Actor Y Gee Mahendran is effective as usual. Actor Arjunan is functional. Actor P L Thenappan is adequate. Actress Uma Padmanabhan is operational. Actors Mohan Raman, Indumathy Manikandan, Aadhirai Soundarajan, Ambani Shankar, and Charles Vinoth, have all delivered an average performance. 

On the technical front, music director G Balasubramanian’s tracks are not inspiring. Even his background score is jarring, disrupting the mood of the entertainer. Cinematographer J Lakshmanan should have mounted his cameras at right spots to cover the drama. His angles and color quality has a repulsive effect on us. Editor Ranjeet C K to his part has done a mediocre job further dampening the poor work of his colleague. 

On the whole, barring loopholes, with a tighter screenplay, better execution and technical unit, storytellers P G Mohan and L R Sundarapandian’s Theerkadarishi would have been a much better entertainer.