Thunivu review: A festive treat for Ajith’s fans but offers little to moviegoers

Director Vinoth’s Thunivu is an action thriller that impresses in parts. The film is all about a bunch of crooks who hatch a plan to rob a bank.

They know that the bank they are planning to loot is holding on its premises a sum of ₹1,500 crore, as against the permissible limit of ₹1,000 crore.

And hence, they believe that the bank will not lodge a police complaint if they pocket this illegal sum.

However, when they attempt to rob the bank, they are in for a nasty surprise as they realise that somebody else is already in the process of looting it! What happens then forms the story of Thunivu.

As is evident, the movie revolves around a bank heist. However, it can best be described as a film that equally belongs to both its director Vinoth H and its lead star Ajith Kumar.

The first and second halves

The first half has as much action as the second half. However, there is a major difference between the one before the intermission and the other post-intermission.

The first portion belongs to Ajith Kumar. It focuses more on putting the hero’s character on a pedestal and thereby looks to please his fans. While it is sure to thrill his fans, it has very little to offer the common audience.

However, the second half is what makes Thunivu what it is. In fact, the second half saves the day for it. It is interesting and clearly bears the stamp of director Vinoth’s class on it.

Also, it is the second half that shows the director’s ability to research well and his understanding of complex economic issues. It shines the light on financial scams and makes it easy for the common man to understand how financial institutions can con them.

#thunivu ❤️ pic.twitter.com/I1Ok30Tnfi

— Manju Warrier (@ManjuWarrier4) January 11, 2023

Celebrate #Pongal2023 with #Thunivu Releasing Worldwide from Tomorrow💥

🥁Thakkida thakkida thakkida thak💥#ThunivuFromTomorrow #ThunivuPongal#Ajithkumar #HVinoth@zeestudios_ @bayviewprojoffl @redgiantmovies_ @kalaignartv_off @netflixindia@sureshchandraa #RomeoPictures pic.twitter.com/2CWRtA7y5L

— Boney Kapoor (@BoneyKapoor) January 10, 2023

Noteworthy performances

There are four outstanding performances in Thunivu. Ajith as the villain, for the most part in the film, impresses. He, particularly, scores in the scenes where he is seen questioning the bank chairman on live TV.

Manju Warrier as Kanmani delivers a powerful performance. She has little to do but impresses whenever she appears on the screen.

The third impressive performance comes from Bucks aka Bagavathi Perumal who plays a police inspector named Rajesh.

Bucks and well-known orator Mohanasundaram, who plays senior journalist Mai Pa, provide some much-needed comic relief in the movie.

Samuthirakani as Commissioner Dayalan, too, comes up with a neat performance. So does John Kokken who plays villain Krish.

Thunivu has a lot of action sequences but most of it is just fancy stuff that is aimed at glorifying the hero’s character — Dark Devil.

The background score is loud and adds to the cacophony on quite a few occasions.

Verdict

In short, the film works in parts but the parts that work come at the end of the film. If you have patience for it, Thunivu can be a reasonably rewarding affair.