Thittam Irandu Review: The film's twists and turns culminates in a climax which is only partly convincing

2.5/5

Vignesh Karthik's Thittam Irandu, a whodunit, begins with a killer who commits a spine-chilling crime on a rainy night. Though the plot initially appears to be a cat-and-mouse game between the protagonist and the killer on the loose, with twists and turns at regular intervals, the story has more to it. The director touches upon social issues as well - while some of them are quite familiar to us - the one around which the plot is woven isn't explored much in the regular potboilers. This under-explored subject does bring novelty to the film, but the way the filmmaker deals with it leaves the attempt as a half-baked effort.   

We are introduced to the protagonist, Athira, (Aishwarya Rajesh), a cop who is on her way to Chennai to take charge in the city. She bumps into Arjun (Subhash Selvam), an aspiring actor, with whom she travels to Chennai, and develops a liking for him, thanks to his chivalrous behaviour. They become close gradually after unexpectedly meeting a few more times. Athira's life turns upside down when her childhood friend Surya's (Ananya Ramaprasad) husband seeks her help to find his missing wife. After realizing that Surya has been killed, she starts investigating the case with her team and creates a list of suspects, which include Surya's husband Kishore (Gokul Anand). A few days later, another murder takes place in the city, and Athira feels that the homicide has a striking similarity with Surya's case. How she solves the mystery behind her friend's assassination forms the rest of the story.

The proceedings in investigation and the way Athira's team takes the case forward with the help of intriguing clues engages the viewers thoroughly, thanks to the lack of unnecessary deviations. The topics of women's consent in relationships and forced marriages are addressed in the film in an organic manner even as the director ensures that viewers are hooked to the murder mystery. Aishwarya manages to carry the film on her shoulders single-handedly and it is her earnest performance which makes it for a decent watch. 

The appealing twists and turns culminates in a climax which is partly convincing, not just to the viewers, but also to the protagonist. The staging is such that you become confused as to whether you should sympathize with what Surya went through or disagree with her for deceiving Athira. The film tries to look at certain things from a transman's perspective. The sequences involving the transman's character arc is narrated interestingly, and Ananya pulls of a laudable performance. The conversations between the character and his life partner are also impressive to a good extent, but the momentum falters towards the tail end. What could have been a one-of-its-kind thriller because of some enthralling sequences, goes on to become a one-time watch entertainer, thanks to a slight misjudgment associated with the way a sensitive character is handled. 

Subhash Selvam impresses with his acts in the latter half and Gokul Anand is convincing as the dubious husband. Pavel Navageethan excels in the under-written role he has to play. The cinematography by Gokul Benoy stands out, especially in the sequences shot in the night. The background score by Sathish Raghunathan, too, acts a catalyst for the suspense-laden storyline.    

Thittam Irandu is currently streaming on SonyLIV.