Thoonga Nagaram’ Movie Review

A team of youngsters have come together to ensure the movie is bubbly and breezy all through.Barani does his part well, while Nishanth and Gaurav excel in their respective roles.He captures Madurai in a different colour while Suresh’s editing is crisp.Directed by debutant Gaurav and produced by Dhayanidhi Alagiri for Cloud Nine Movies, the film unfolds in the temple town and it’s woven around friendship, love, emotions and revenge.He reminds one of Umapathy of ‘Agni Natchathiram’.However, one event changes the course of their life.Three cheers to Dhayanidhi Alagiri and his team.

Did the baddie succeed in his mission is the crux of the story.They are callous youth, who go hammer and tongs to make both ends meet.Vijay Ulaganathan's camera work deserves special mention .Vimal continues from where he left in ‘Kalavani’.He is impressive playing a fun-loving youth in first half.

On the whole, ‘Thoonga Nagaram’ is racy, riveting and entertaining too, but for some déjà vu feel.He would have been easily tempted to go the gory way like in any other film set in the town.The surprise element in the pack is Chidambaram.The youth’s father (Kamala theatre owner Chidambaram) finds out the men behind the attack on his son.A group of four friends (Vimal, Barani, Nishanth and Gaurav) live lives in their own way in Madurai.She is cool, simple and suave in her porrayal.Joining the list is ‘Thoonga Nagaram’, one of the most commonly referred name for Madurai meaning the city never sleeps.The director has ensured that these characters reflect reality and etched them out well.If the first half is breezy and entertaining and speaks about friendship, it slowly takes turn towards the latter part which is filled with suspense and thrilling moments.Anjali seems to be maturing as an actress in every movie of hers.Vimal, a wedding videographer comes across his childhood friend Anjali, who is a compere in a local cable TV channel and love blossoms.Sundar C Babu’s music is foot-tapping and a song on Madurai which has Vadivelu making a cameo is peppy and racy.Kalavani’ fame Vimal, ‘Nadodigal’ Bharani, Gaurav, ‘Renigunta’ fame Nishanth and Anjali play pivotal roles in the movie.In the second half, he gets serious and has taken the role in his stride to play it well with consummate ease.The Madurai Tamil and new faces that resemble people from the heartland of Madurai add credibility to the script.He hatches a conspiracy and ensures that the friends themselves turn foes for each other.But he has carefully avoided violence in this otherwise action-packed flick.Madurai is the toast of Tamil cinema and almost a majority of movies set around the town has managed to leave an impact at the box office, besides winning critical acclaims.Vimal bashes a youth for taking obscene video clippings of a girl and blackmailing her with ulterior motive.Three cheers to Gaurav for making a taut screenplay that is engrossing from scene one.Their life, struggle, survival and emotions makes up the movie.He is soft but oozes menace in his eyes.In the meantime, it’s time for Vimal to tie the knot with Anjali.