Writer: Ramesh

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Watch this if you liked: “Ghajini” & “The Fugitive”

After providing audiences with memorable films like "Madasapattinam" and "Deiva Thirumagal", director A.L Vijay tries his skill in making an action thriller through his latest offering "Thandavam".

The film starts with a series of murders that take place in London with police officer, Veerakathi (Naseer) investigating the cause. All clues lead to a blind man, Kenny (Vikram) an orphanage who does social work in a church. He is assisted by Geetha (Lakshmi Rai) and attracts beauty pageant model, Sarah (Amy Jackson) for his good heart. A flashback reveals that Kenny is actually Shivakumar, a special agent from India. Shivakumar is married to Meenaskshi (Anushka), an eye surgeon. Shivakumar works with Sharad (Jagapathy Babu) on a special mission, which takes them to London, but soon Shivakumar is double crossed and framed as terrorist. What happen next forms the rest of the story.

Vikram carries the film on his shoulders as a blind person on a mission of vengeance. His shady and moody character adds a new dimension to his performance. With limited screen time, Anushka shines through her natural character. Amy Jackson on the other hand does some convincing performance as a beauty pageant model. Although Sandanam's comedy may not get you laughing sky high, still he manages to add some smile onto ones' face. Not forgetting, Naseer too does a commendable job as investigation officer.

The romantic-thriller storyline may sound similar to films like "Ghajini" and "The Fugitive", but a little difference is noticed, as here, you may find the lead character using 'echolocation' to detect objects and his surroundings. Told in backwards, the story also has a light romance between Vikram and Anushka which adds flavor to the film. Nirav Shah's camera works wonders for the film. G.V. Prakash's music is catchy, but lacks to leave an impression on ones' mind.

Drawbacks come in the form of unnecessary song sequences, a lengthy duration and lack of trail after each murder, which stands for the hard to understand logic of the film. Despite all this, "Thandavam" is still a good watch, especially for Vikram fans.

Cinema Online, 30 September 2012