Thoongaavanam (2015)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Good movie but grossly overrated

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

The film was excellent. There is only one Song in the film at the end but that also very good. BGM was very good in the movie. Kamal Hassan and Prakash Raj acted very well in the film. Its very thrilling and interesting.

A secret service anti narcotic officer (KAMAL HASSAN) ,is in  search of his kidnapped son and a spy from his own department . KAMAL who is punctured due to the damaging effect of gun shot  has to accomplish the task before he looses his life due to the excessive bleeding.The movie has 1. Lots  of action scenes  2. Kidnapping 3. Dance /disco/ gambling  bars4. Suspense5.very little romance 6. Father son emotions If not for Kamal and Trisha the audience would have got bored as the move fails to keep us on the edge of the seat.

Kamal Hassan is a living legend, it is a know fact that he is one greatest Indian actors to step forward on to the Indian celluloid, and this year we have been lucky to see him in two great films those being Uttama Villain, and Papanasam. Its very rare Kamal Hassan releases more than 1 film year if even one, so 3 releases in a year is extremely rare for him,and with his film he pushes the boundaries of greatness with each film, he is a pathbreaker, so with Thoongaa Vanam the expectations were high. Thoongaa Vanam for the most part meets his standards. Hassan is hercules in the film he shoulders the whole film with the relentless act, the man never gives up. The film which is a french remake is based on the ongoings of just one night, and for the most part Thoongaa Vanam is very gripping,the its a sleek and stylish thriller , and almost on par with Hollywood standards. At the core of the film is the theme,that how far can a father go to save his son, and this a very common theme we have seen in a lot of films, but we get a different take in Thoongaa Vanam. But while the first half the film is great things beginning to slip in the 2nd half, but more on that later.Story wise the film is about the son of a Narcotics Department Cop CK Diwkar getting Kidnapped. The cop now has to return his prized of a big bag of cocaine back to the city kingpin who runs Club. Things start getting messy when his colleagues also start chasing him. All in a Single Night.Acting wise Kamal Hassan is at his best in Thoongaa Vanam, at the age of 60+ the relentlessness he shows on screen is very entertaining, his act is pitch perfect believable, and one believes that he will go to no limits to save his son.The way he performs the action scenes is applaud worthy. Hats off to the evergreen Kamal Hassan. Prakash Raj is good as the comical villain. Sampath Raj is adequate. Trisha is very good, and her action scenes are top notch. Thoongaa Vanam for the most part is highly engaging, the first half of the thriller moves at a fast pace, and the the viewer is completely engaged with the sleek and stylish ongoings. Though the story doesn't have much depth, one doesn't mind this blemish because the film is based on one night so there is no time to establish multiple plot points characters etc.Its supposed to be a racy thriller. The films however tends to becoming very slow in 2nd half and film becomes very muddled in its narrative at many points. At times it feels like we are watching the hero walk in circles playing hide and go seek with the villains. One tends to get bored at some junctures of the film. There are also many unwanted characters introduced in the film, for example what was need of the girl Hassan keeps kissing to hid from the villains. Luckily in the 2nd half there are many amazing realistic action sequences, and some good comic punches by Prakash Raj and co, that make up for the films blemishes.The film is at a running time of 2hrs, and the makers can easily cut 15-20 from the running time to make the film better. The climax at some points(son driving car, and girls at hospital scene)was quite comical but unwanted also.Overall if your a fan of the thriller genre or Kamal Hassan you will surely enjoy Thoongaa Vanam.Kamal Hassan's performance alone is worth the ticket price of the film. So on this extended Diwali weekend the Tamil going audience has the choice between the mass appealing Vedalam or the class appealing Thoongaa Vanam. Both the films for me are about the same,in the there respected genres. But I'll be a little biased this time around and give Thoongaa Vanam, .25* more being a Kamal Hassan fan ;).3.5/5* or 7/10

Seems Kamal Hassan's Raaj Kamal International is back into low-budget films made on tight schedules ! Jointly produced by RKF & Sree Gokulam Films on a shoe-string budget and almost shot entirely inside a dance pub,Thoongavanam is a realistic thriller sans any over the top action,unwanted songs,heroic dialogs and other gimmicks that we usually associate with an action thriller from Kollywood Industry.The movie started slow but reached top gear within few minutes with Ulaga Naayagan giving out a top-notch performance alongside Prakash Raj who stole the show at times with his funny counters and one-liners.Neatly packed and utmost realistic,the racy first half went pretty well and ended on an impressive note giving still higher expectations about the second half in store.Unfortunately,the second half in contrary couldn't match the brilliance of the first and was rather snail-paced and over-drawn without much to cheer of,the major reason why the movie doesn't classify for repeated viewing unlike many Kamal films in the past.The climax too was pretty ordinary and easily predictable for one who is into the genre for sometime.The sensible but gripping action choreography by French stunt-men Gilles Conseil, Sylvain Gabet and Virgine Arnaud deserves a special mention in an otherwise lackluster second half without much to rave about.An official remake of critically acclaimed french thriller Nuit Blanche A.K.A Sleepless Night,Rajesh.M.Selva's directorial debut manages to keep entertained with its Hollywood-style narration,technical perfection and a brilliant performance from Kamal Hassan but still gives that feeling of 'something missing' once we are out of the cinemas,which could have been avoided had the second hour been presented better.I haven't watched the French counterpart based on which the movie is made,so at present a comparison is impossible.If there is one simple reason why I would recommend this movie that will be Ulaga Nayakan Kamal Hassan who once again mesmerizes with a brilliant performance as Narcotics Control Officer Diwakar who's desperately on for saving his son from the hands of the drug mafia.Prakash Raj was another pick from the cast and gave an impressive act as Vital Rao,the menacy yet funny drug mafia leader.Trisha Krishnan made her presence in a role unlike that of a usual Tamil heroine.Kishore,Sampath and Yugi Sethu etc too did their part well.The association between Ghibran and Kamal seems here to stay and the young musician manages to give full justice to the narration with a powerful background score that ranges from almost-silent hummings to loud techno beats.The title song towards the end credits came as a big surprise.Overall, Thoongavanam is a sensible one-night thriller that classifies for a strictly average one-time watch.