Taanakkaran movie review: This Vikram Prabhu-starrer is an earnest attempt and largely entertaining

3/5

Story: A youngster who aspires to be a dedicated police officer joins a police recruit service. He starts raising his voice against the unfair and cruel ways senior cops resort to while training the newbies. His outspoken and honest nature often lands him in trouble. In fact, other trainees, too, face the brunt of his aggressive behaviour during the training period. With two ruthless cops at the helm of training, will he be able to overcome all the odds and realize his dream? 

Review: It looks like this is a season of police-bashing movies, going by the number of such films made in Tamil cinema in recent times. It was Vetri Maaran's Visaaranai which became a trendsetter of sorts by exploring the atrocities cops unleash on the public who are devoid of power. Kaavalthurai Ungal Nanban, Jai Bhim and Writer were a few other notable attempts made in Kollywood with regard to portraying the brutality of the police system. The commonality among them is the sincerity and realistic manner in which the main plot has been handled. 

Tamizh's Taanakkaran is the latest film to join the bandwagon. Interestingly, the character played by Tamizh in Jai Bhim won accolades for depicting a corrupt and cold-blooded cop. So, one of the challenges for him was to create dubious cops which appear more dangerous and inhuman than the one he himself had portrayed. 

And the filmmaker succeeds in it to a good extent. The movie wastes no time in setting up its premise. A bunch of police aspirants, who belong to different age groups and have pinned high hopes on their future, assemble at a police training camp. After completing the initial formalities, they get excited to begin training under Eshwara Moorthy (Lal), a notorious cop known for his stringent and cut-throat behaviour. 

The 350 police trainees get the shock of their life when they are told that there are only six toilets available for them. To make things worse, all of them are asked to report at the training camp before 5 am in the morning everyday. One of them, aged above 40, one of the senior members in the group, expresses concern on the same to Muthupandi (Madhusudhanan), a senior cop. However, Pandi reduces the number of toilets to five. Though dejected at the unfair behaviour of cops, little did they know that it was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Arivazhagan (Vikram Prabhu), the most educated among the trainees, starts questioning the regressive system followed by the cops there, but in vain. The powerful cops ensured that Arivu gets published whenever he raised voice for the rights of his fellow beings. Chellakannu (MS Bhaskar), an experienced cop in a lower rank, tries to help Arivu and team, but nothing could stop the trainees from getting tortured physically and mentally in the hands of Eshwara Moorthy and Muthu Pandi. 

What stands out in Taanakkaran is the no-holds-barred portrayal of trainees who undergo rigorous practice sessions for months only because they hope to don a khaki in the future for various purposes. For a few, becoming a police officer is the only way to earn respect in the society, for some others, the job is mandatory to earn a living. For Arivu, it was his father's last dream to see him become a cop one day. He has had an unpleasant experience from cops when he was a kid, and his dream is to become a police officer who serves people. Vikram fits into the role easily, physically and emotionally. 

The negative portrayals of Lal and Madhusudhanan are likely to be considered as two of the best written characters in the 'police-bashing' genre, thanks to their convincing performances. MS Bhaskar, in the role of an experienced, but powerless cop, proves yet again why he's one of the versatile actors who can pull off any character effortlessly. 

The film doesn't have a happy ending to please the audience; the filmmaker rather chose to convey that the system is unlikely to change until and unless everyone puts their best foot forward to eradicate corruption. The hazardous training sessions and the parade competition in the climax are a real treat to watch. The cinematography by Madhesh Manickam and editing by Philomin Raj are adequate for the story. Ghibran's background score elevates the mood in many sequences and is one of the highlights of Taanakkaran. 

On the downside, the inclusion of a female lead for commercial compromise looks odd in the overall scheme of things. An unnecessary romantic song could have been easily avoided. The protagonist's backstory, though conveys his pain, should have been a little more effective. Despite some of the well choreographed stunt scenes, the movie lacks the wow factor which stops it from making it a rollercoaster ride. Nevertheless, it is an earnest attempt complemented by strong performances from the protagonist and a few character artists. 

Verdict: Watch it if you're a fan of realistic cop dramas that effectively address serious issues in society. 

Taanakkaran is streaming on Disney+Hotstar.