Two heroines, two phases of life - the instinctive prediction is that it is a typical romantic saga. However, 'ââThangamaganââ' is not the ordinary rigmarole. Velraj is a director-turned-cinematographer who created a revolution in his debut directorial. Does the spirit of VIP sustain through to 'Thangamaganâ' too? Family drama, romantic sweet tale, or a mystery story? Gear up for a roller coaster entertainment that is ' âThangamaganâ. Story: Son of a simple middle class family, Tamizh (Dhanush) is a happy-go-lucky lad, roaming about with his best bud (Sathish) and his cousin Aravind. All is well till Tamizh is smitten by Hema (Amy). While Sathish and Dhanush get along in wooing the lady love, Aravind feels left out and leaves their company hastily but willingly. Over time, Hema and Tamizh fall apart, and eventually Hema gets married to Aravind; Tamizh finds Yamuna (Samantha) and they are two happy families. The happiness cracks down from its pinnacle, one fine morning, when Tamizh's father commits suicide. When no one understands why, the film is the story of Tamizh uncovering truth and finding answers, as a âThangamaganâ. Screenplay: The first forty minutes are spent in fun and romance. Amy and Dhanush share a juvenile, lively chemistry; their rapture is one that captures the spark and energy of first love. The point where it touches you strongly emotionally is their breakup. Highlighting the point where threshold breaks for every young couple, the dispute between dreams and duty is highlighted in its niché in this scene. The family set up is portrayed in Titch reality, in every move of the Radhika-KSR couple. Importance given to the little nothings and the corresponding dialogues paints a complete rosy family portrait. As a dutiful man, questioned of his capacity, Ravikumar plays a realistic confused man. Radhika, a typical warm housewifely lady, acts the mom, like in every household. Sathish plays Kumaran, who aids a great deal in keeping the first half lively; his timing comedy is the perfect relief amidst all the dripping sweet romance. While Amy's role is appreciative in most parts, her strongest comes out only in the second half, as Aravind's wife. Aravind plays one of the baddies; though straightforward and brief to put in words, he does justice to his role in its entirety. From holding a simple grudge, to holding back a sin, his role is one of the strongest in the movie. Jayaprakash plays another strong role, and as always, his presence is powerful in the film. Samantha breezes into the second half, and plays a predominantly supportive role, than grab the limelight as a heroine. Her presence is what adds the emotional in the present to the revenge story. This romance story is mature with age, yet simple in its purity. The protagonist is captured in a different meter this time. Instead of jumping high with adrenaline, Dhanush plays a relatively composed and calm hero, always in control of the situation at hand, no matter how bad be it. This composure is what makes for the style of his on-screen role, as Tamizh. Without much stress on a signature, Dhansuh has still managed to convince as a strong hero. Tamizh is a charm to watch for, truly a golden son. Backstage: At his second attempt, Velraj has carved a spot for himself in the family entertainer sector. The film has a detailed story; however, most of it is pleated in the second half, while the first half is elaborate on the introduction alone. Albeit, this time allows for absorption of the characters, but also keeps us entertained tirelessly. Kumaran's camera is a classic piece of work. His intent in capturing the fine little intricacies has fallen well in their place in the movie. One of the strongest pillars of a movie is music - the album was brief, but the score compensates for the void. Background score by Anirudh is powerful, as would be expected of the rockstar; yet, it inevitably obviously bears resemblance to his previous works. Dialogues are strong and stand alone power-packed in places. Where it scores: 1. The emotional bond between father and son has never been unduly stressed, yet the movie shows how strong the relation itself is. 2. Without too much money on the splurge, a typical middle class, close-knit, cool household is sketched beautifully. 3. Romance scores a point for the film 4. Dialogues hit the bull's eye Where it lacks: 1. The story is impressive, but hasn't been distributed that well across the show time. 2. Characterisation of villains is not as clear as their presence in the story. 3. The film ends rather bluntly, with an unclear conclusion. While his first was power-packed, 'Thangamaganâ' fails to hit the bull's eye, unlike VIP. Setting the disappointment from expectation aside, 'Thangamagan' is a family-oriented entertainer; however, the first half is youth-oriented. Rating: 2.5/5 Verdict: A little something for every audience
After an exciting line of movies this year consisting of Anegan, Maari, Shamitabh, Dhanush finishes 2015, which by the way has already turned out to be a very productive year for him, on a high note with Thanga Magan. Thanga Magan is a survival story of a lower middle class family in a society that is corrupted from the very top till the end of the food chain. That said, the film is not all about the struggles. It has all the required elements to keep the audiences entertained throughout this 2 hour affair. The first half of the story revolves around the family and friends of Dhanush. The incidents and moments portrayed by the inner circle of actors, consisting of Dhanush, KS Ravikumar, Radhika, Satish, Samantha, Amy Jackson and Adith are a joy to watch. Be it the looks and energy of Dhanush, the quirks of Satish, the beauty and the vibrance of Amy, experience and the relatable factor provided elegantly by KS Ravikumar and Radhika Sarath Kumar, the romance brought in by Samantha, all put together the first half is filled with love, laughs and other common emotions. The film takes a U-turn from a breezy tale to an action mode in the second half after an infiltration by KS Ravikumar's boss, played by Jayaprakash and the consequent disturbances within the inner circle. One cannot say the second half is as packed as the first. The familiar scene structures, melodramas and forced punch dialogues in the second half is a downside, mainly due to the deja-vu that it creates. The first half on the contrary is a roll. The romance between Dhanush and Amy and the underlying humour create freshness in the narration. Amy's drunken act and the slaps are particularly hilarious and a job well done, and major share of credits must go to Andrea too, who has dubbed for Amy in the film. Satish also has a lot of scoring points in the first half and does well to make an impact. Samantha strengthens the entertainment value in the later part of the first half. The awkwardness, subtle humour and most of all the practical, sensible structure of the first night sequence of Samantha and Dhanush is one of the most memorable point in the film. Samantha also brings a charm to a comparatively weaker second half. Adith, who plays Dhanush's cousin gets a meaty part and performs well too. Thanga Magan is also a visually pleasing movie. The choice of colours used by art director Vijay Murugan inside Dhanush's house together with simple costumes, has enabled the new cinematographer A Kumaran to put his visual senses into good use. The cinematographer's work in the interval block is noteworthy. Editor Rajesh Kumar also shares credit for the same sequence and the creative cuts in the song Tak Bak. Anirudh's songs show immense maturity and the BGMs are under played, suiting the film. Director Velraj has a knack for good romance and his choice of mass moments seem to work pretty well, despite its over use in Tamil films. However, his screenplay, which keeps shuttling between moods in rapid successions, keep the audiences distracted. Lastly, the driving force of Thanga Magan, Dhanush, as an actor and a producer has done justice to the project. The energy he has brought in the first half and the responsibility he has shown as an actor in the second half of the film is commendable. On the whole, Thanga Magan does justice to its cause, which is to entertain, but doesn't keep the audience engrossed. Verdict: A watchable entertainer, with an enjoyable first half and a stereotypical second half. ( 2.5 / 5.0
Sreedhar Pillai @sri50 39m39 minutes ago #ThangaMagan 3.25/5. 2nd half story slows down, villain motive & action not convincing. Hero’s 1st love falling out reason not strong
Padam kandu from Chalakudy Agastya 6.30 show...status 30% Pazhaya kandu madutha common man story thanne...oru abv avg - avg movie.. 1st half kurch comediesokke kollam, dhanushnte flashbackle chila portionile makeup bore aayirunnu... Amyudem acting atra pora... bt samantha nannayitund... Dhanush pinne onnum parayanilla as usual...punch dialogues comedies ellam nannayitund 2nd half aanu kurach lag vannath, vilianum climaxumoke poraaa... VIP yude aduthonum ethiyilla...2.7/5
