Instead of keeping it realistic, director Ratheesh Reghunandan includes fiction and presents the story like a revenge drama.
Dileep's 'Thankamani' is directed by Ratheesh Reghunandan. (X)
Malayalam actor Dileep’s much-anticipated movie Thankamani is out in theatres on Thursday, 7 March.
The movie tries to portray the tragic events that happened in real life in 1986 in Thankamany, a small village in the Idukki district of Kerala.
While director Chidambaram’s Manjummel Boys—which entered the ₹100-crore club, did the same by adopting a realistic narrative, Thankamani has elements of fiction.
Let’s see if Dileep’s latest release strikes a chord with the audience:
Siddique in ‘Thankamani’. (Supplied)
The movie is loosely based on the Thankamany Case, where a tragic incident happened on 22 October 1986 near Thankamany village in Idukki’s Kamakshy grama panchayat.
A bus permit was given from Kattapana to Thankamany. Thanks to the bad roads, a private bus named Elite ended its services at Paramada. From Paramada, the passengers had to walk around 2 km to reach Thankamany. Interestingly, the passengers were charged till Thankamany.
When a group of students from Thankamany questioned this, an altercation ensued with the bus staff. The angry passengers and students forcibly make the bus staff drop them at Thankamany.
The irate bus owner reached the village with the police who picked up a war of words with the locals. The police then opened fire at the locals, demolished their houses and even sexually assaulted women.
Human rights violations were reported on the intervening night of October 22 and the early hours of October 23.
The shocking incident rocked the Kerala Assembly and K Karunakaran, the then chief minister, resigned from his post owing to the protest launched by the opposition parties.
The movie retells these incidents.
In the film, Abel Joshua Mathan (Dileep), a resident of the village, works in the Gulf.
The story is narrated from his viewpoint, his family and friends. The film depicts his encounters with the police on a tragic day and how his life changes after that.
Neeta Pillai as Anitha Varkey in ‘Thankamani’. (Supplied)
A major problem with Thankamani is the unwanted elevations of the lead character played by Dileep.
Instead of keeping it realistic, director Ratheesh Reghunandan includes several elements of fiction and presents the story like a revenge drama.
Similarly, he could have avoided the serial killer angle. The killing pattern in the film is similar to the recent Malayalam and Tamil psycho thrillers.
There are many actors in the movie, both in present and in flashback, who leave the audience confused.
A lack of good screenplay makes the film just a revenge story.
In the second half, the movie has some chilling moments though.
A major highlight of Thankamani is the village setting. The art department deserves praise for its efforts. The old-fashioned bus used in the movie makes us nostalgic.
The songs by William Francis are good.
Manoj Pillai’s cinematography is another highlight.
Dileep, as Abel Joshua Mathan, gets maximum screen space in the flick. He is decent.
Neeta Pillai, as Anitha—the wife of Abel, has nothing to deliver.
Manoj K Jayan, as Mani Peter—the villain, is good.
Pranitha Subhash, as city police commissioner Arpita, is impressive.
Sudev Nair, as Abel’s friend, is brilliant.
Siddique and Kottayam Ramesh play their parts well.
Final take
Thankamani is marred by a poor script, unnecessary elevations, and fictional elements.
(Views expressed here are personal.)
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