Theerkadarishi review: This investigative thriller raises more questions than it answers

Directors PG Mohan and LR Sundarapandi’s Theerkadarishi (A Prophet) is an investigative thriller that works in parts, provided you choose to ignore the logical lapses that occur throughout the film.

Had the logical lapses been addressed, the film would have gone on to impress.

However, the makers seem to have faltered on that count. They seem to have failed to work on the finer details about logic and that hurts the movie big time.

Synopsis

The story begins with an anonymous man calling the police control room to warn that a woman staying alone in a particular region of the city is in danger and she could be killed if they don’t act fast.

The cops think it to be a prank call as the caller refuses to identify himself. However, to their horror, they realise that it’s a genuine call as a single woman is found murdered the next day in the same place that the caller mentions.

Just as the control room officers begin to feel the heat from their higher-ups for not acting on the warning, they receive a second call from the same person. This time, he warns the cops of another crime that is to happen in another part of the city.

The police fail to stop the second crime as well.

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With pressure from the public and the politicians mounting, the police top brass transfers the case to an efficient officer, Deputy Commissioner Aditya (Ajmal).

Aditya initially suspects the anonymous caller to be the criminal and goads his team to go after him. They try to trace him but don’t succeed.

Meanwhile, the anonymous caller keeps alerting the police by giving crucial tips on crimes that are about to happen. His information helps the cops invariably and they manage to thwart some crimes. However, on several occasions, they fail.

With time, the public begins to trust the informer and starts hailing him as a Theerkadarishi — a prophet.

Eventually, Aditya thinks that the caller is an innocent man with extra sensory perception. But who the caller is? Is there more to what meets the eye? Theerkadarishi gives you the answers.

#Theerkadarishi from Today

An inventive investigative thriller @saravanaafilms @actor_ajmal @jayadusshyanth@jaiwanth_vg #PgMohan @Lrsundarapandi1 #LaxmanDop @sathish4641 @actorsriman @ranjeetckedit @balamusician @deepandeep99 @teamaimpr @CtcMediaboy pic.twitter.com/viQ1UIx3jg

— sri saravanaa films (@saravanaafilms) May 5, 2023

Illogical scenes

The film’s plot is refreshingly new. However, the way it has been developed and delivered is where the problem lies.

It appears interesting when the anonymous caller informs the cops of a possible crime. But as the calls become repetitive, the story becomes boring and redundant after a point.

This could have been pardoned had the directors paid attention to the lapses in logic and fixed them.

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For instance, in a scene, a criminal manages to enter the Commissioner’s office dressed as a janitor. He manages to kill a top police officer by manipulating the electrical connections in one particular urinal in the officer’s restroom! There are several such logical lapses.

Another drawback of Theerkararishi is its background score.

G Balasubramanian’s background music is heavy throughout the film. It is so heavy that it drowns the dialogues being spoken by the characters.

Meet the characters from #Theerkadarishi #Devadarshini as Devadarshini#Arjunan as Vignesh (Cyber crime)@ActorSriman as Srinivasan#YGMahendran as Dr. Iniyan (Psychiatrist)

In theatres from tomorrow @saravanaafilms @actor_ajmal @jayadusshyanth@jaiwanth_vg #PgMohan pic.twitter.com/GRyovDHslF

— sri saravanaa films (@saravanaafilms) May 4, 2023

Commendable performances

However, the movie has strong performances coming from some gifted actors.

Sriman, who plays the officer-in-charge of the control room, delivers a commendable performance as always.

Ajmal, who plays the lead, looks and lives the part of Deputy Commissioner Aditya. He comes up with a convincing performance that adds immense value to the film.

Sathyaraj, who plays the Theerkadarishi, makes an appearance only towards the fag end of the film. Nevertheless, he scores yet again.

The film has no heroines. Laxman’s cinematography is neat and impressive.

Verdict

To sum it up, Theerkadarishi could have been a lot better than what it has turned out to be.

(Views expressed are personal.)