Thandatti review: Director Ram Sangaiah’s film is rooted in reality

Director Ram Sangaiah’s Thandatti is a romantic drama that works in parts.

To those unaware, “Thandatti” is the name given to a pair of heavy gold earrings that elderly women in Tamil Nadu wear.

Synopsis

Subramani (Pasupathy), a duty-conscious constable loathed by other members of his department for his sincerity, is on the verge of retirement.

He has 10 days left to retire when one fine morning, a boy and three women come one after another to the police station to lodge a missing complaint.

Initially, Subramani thinks that a series of elderly women have gone missing. However, after questioning everybody who has come to complain, he realises that they all are looking for the same person and that all the complainants are from the same family.

The person everybody is looking for is Thanga Ponnu (Rohini), an elderly woman who has left home of her own choice.

The women who are looking for her are her daughters, while the boy is her grandson.

While the cops don’t evince interest in registering a complaint and offering help to the complainants, as the village they hail from is known to be hostile to policemen, Subramani chooses to be different and steps forward to help.

Acceding to the request of the grandson, he agrees to accompany him to the village and search for his grandmother.

As they ride back to the village, the boy tells the cop that all his aunts are looking for their mother, not because of the love they have for her but for her “Thandatti” or golden earrings, which could be worth a fortune.

He also says that each one is secretly looking to pocket those earrings that could be worth a fortune. What happens then is what Thandatti is all about.

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Rooted in reality

Thandatti starts on a light-hearted note and tries to remain a comedy for the most part. However, towards the end, it turns into a romantic drama.

Although the humour appears forced in some scenes in the film, it does manage to keep the audience entertained.

To his credit, Ram Sangaiah tries to present a story that is rooted in reality. He showcases how children today are ungrateful and are more worried about the properties they are likely to inherit than losing their parents who have spent their all to bring them up.

Thandatti also shows how casteism, in the past, denied women the right to marry a person of their choice. It gently, yet firmly, narrates how women were forced to marry an individual chosen by their families for the sake of false prestige.

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Logical lapses

While the message that Thandatti looks to send across is quite strong, and noble, how it is conveyed isn’t very convincing.

There are some glaring logical lapses. For instance, the age difference between the two partners involved in the romantic relationship doesn’t quite add up.

Giving out any more details on this front could spoil the suspense for viewers and therefore, I shall stop at this point.

Also, the lackadaisical manner in which Subramani behaves when the woman’s son So Pandi (Vivek Prasanna) chops off a person’s tongue is just plain unacceptable.

Factors like these dent the credibility of the story.

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Performances

Thandatti has some impressive performances coming from its lead actors.

Pasupathy, who has not been seen on the big screen for a while, makes a sterling comeback with this film. He is at ease playing the part of the duty-conscious cop, who is patient for the most part but turns ferocious when he has to.

Vivek Prasanna as the drunk, irresponsible son of Thanga Ponnu also impresses.

Veteran actress Rohini, who plays the central character of Thanga Ponnu, delivers a neat performance as always.

KS Sundaramoorthy’s background score is apt, though the songs aren’t mellifluous enough to make an impact.

Final take

Despite all its shortcomings, Thandatti is still a noble attempt at telling a very compelling story from the rural heartland of the State.

(Views expressed here are personal.)