Thangalaan Movie Review: Vikram shimmers in Pa Ranjith’s tale that talks about reclamation

3/5

Thangalaan plot

It’s 1850 CE and somewhere in Veppur village of North Arcot. A group of tribals headed by their chief Thangalaan (Vikram) are employed by British officer Lord Clement (Daniel Caltagirone) to the trace of gold in their village, which is now known by the name KGF (Kolar Gold Fields). However, in the process the group earns the wrath of the local sorceress Aarathi (Malavika Mohanan), resulting in a conflict between the tribal group and the mystical force.

Thangalaan review

In Pa Ranjith’s Thangalaan, a unique blend of commercial films and distinguished language of art house cinema, the tribal community of Thangalaan gets soaked in a day full of song-and-dance celebration. Why? Because the men have brought their womenfolks saree blouses that can cover their chests, a luxury that these ladies were denied of so far. Ranjith also manages to include a portion of romance and a tease of sorts between Thangalaan and his wife Gangamma (Parvathy Thiruvothu) in the process, which makes for a beautiful and powering message. The basic emotions remain the same, whether they are lowered or upper.

In another instance, Thangalaan features a scene, where a British man is hailing Jesus, Thangalaan is alleged to be a Satan, and there is a head of a beheaded Buddha statue. Ranjith conjures up scene after scene which perfectly sits on the sweet spot between the largeness of mainstream cinema and the innovativeness of tasteful filmmaking.

Also Read: Chiyaan Vikram shot for Thangalaan despite suffering a major injury, reveals Pa Ranjith

Thangalaan is the tale of traces, the traces left behind by ancestors, traces left by passed-down folklore and myth on its people, and traces of reclamation still incomplete. A Buddha statue appearing in Ranjith’s film is a no-brainer, but the filmmaker converting a beheaded statue into a tool symbolising what is yours will definitely find its way back, is where Thangalaan works as a powerful weapon. In this process, the film begins to humanise its characters, that for most parts you look at them beyond as mere black and white characters. The two best examples of this are characters essayed by actors Pasupathy and Daniel Caltagirone. While the former, embraces Brahmanism as a way to earn respect and dignity in a society he will be still chided for wearing the sacred thread, the latter’s Lord Clement is a man who doesn’t come across so well-off, despite being the oppressor. 

As time goes by, you see Clement being far poorer than Thangalaan, as his search seems to be unfulfilling of his larger needed. Clement and Thangalaan have parallels running in the stories. Both of them lose their children in the process of finding gold, both of them seem to be far cut off from their motherland despite owning every ounce of it, and moreover, there is a strange empathy and unsaid thinking they share. An example of the last point would be, Thangalaan calling out an upper-caste mediary for his wrong translation of Clement’s thankfulness to the protagonist. In this process, Thangalaan is a story of sons of the soil, one who left the land to claim others, while the other comes back to claim what is his. Ranjith also handles his antagonists in the most realistic way possible. Those, who would think Clement is the primary one, can rethink and perhaps revisit when the filmmaker stages that is always an insider versus the insider. It is an intermediary caste man, who looks down upon Thangalaan and his tribe than Clement. Ranjith packs a lot of dialogues that talk about ownership and subjugation, most of which still holds true, sadly.

The world of Thangalaan is dusty, rugged, and harsh. It is beautiful to see Ranjith employing experimentation while operating within the commercial cinema space. If his Rene from Natchathiram Nagargiradhu is a story about a Dalit woman reclaiming her art and space in the society, Kabilan from Sarpatta Parambarai rising from ashes to become a celebrated boxer, Thangalaan takes a premise that is very much in the Ranjith space, but introduces magic realism to talk about power and oppression. Malavika Mohanan as Aarathi is very much an apparition in Thangalaan’s mind. She haunts him, and is the first obstacle in him finding the gold. The haunting drives him crazy, and even injures him at times, but there is a payoff that completes the cycle of Thangalaan and Aarathi’s existence. Had Ranjith explored this more, Aarathi’s connection with the shimmering soil, the film would have been able to deliver a more powerful punch than now.

Vikram and Parvathy as the couple Thangalaan and Gangama steal the show. Their performances drive the narrative, and the evolving relationship between their characters is a force that constantly pushes Thangalaan to know the ambitions of other characters, while also giving some respite in the form of romance and comedy.

Thangalaan has certain drawbacks to mention, one being the team’s decision to go for sync sound dubbing. This coupled with the choice to make the characters speak Tamil with a unique dialect not so common, hinders at certain portions, especially if you do not have a deep knowledge of the language. The VFX effects, and a few convoluted portions bog down the film further. Thangalaan feels rushed in certain places, and almost like a world that is nearly perfect but vanishes like a mirage.

Thangalaan verdict

Pa Ranjith being a voice to stay is long established. His identity as a filmmaker who voices for the oppressed is the most talked about feature of his. But past that, Ranjith is also a filmmaker who certainly knows how to push boundaries in his craft, while operating with the space that commercial cinema provides its creators. Paired with Vikram’s performance, Thangalaan is a shining armour, which may have some dents but all that one can say is to be proud of the war it once fought. Thangalaan is blood, sweat, and everything powerful.

Also read: Thangalaan actor Daniel Caltagirone Interview: On shooting with Vikram, playing British in Indian films, Pa Ranjith being Spike Lee of India