Thalavara movie review: Arjun Ashokan’s heartfelt slice-of-life tale brims with hope

Thalavara story: Jyothish, who works in a local supermarket, takes most challenges that come from belonging to a lower-class family, head on. But he has no control over how society perceives living with vitiligo. Will he surrender to the fate that many around him believe he is destined to, or will he create his own?

Thalavara review: In a sequence in the latter half of director Akhil Anilkumar’s Thalavara, its protagonist, Jyothish, waits for a passenger outside a lottery store, before the next scene has him crossing paths with a film director - someone whom he had once believed could change his fate. How the two shots are woven in, also portrays the transition of Jyothish’s mindset - from someone who is complacent about his life to being open to taking big risks and then finally, taking control of his own destiny - only to be teased again with something more aspirational.

In a way, those five minutes, would surmise the essence of Thalavara - a beautifully scripted and acted movie about a youngster living with vitiligo that keeps brimming with hope.

Jyothish (Arjun Ashokan) belongs to a lower-class family. His father couldn’t make much out of his life chasing his dream to get into the movies, and his mother, a Haritha Karma Sena worker, is perennially frustrated at that and wants her children to amount to something. Amid this, Jyothish has been constantly battling his own as well as society’s perception of him. To get anywhere in life, he must overcome these.

You would think that that would be the main theme of the movie. But that’s where Thalavara manages to surprise you and even move you several times. The script, by Akhil and Appu Aslam, keeps throwing spanners into Jyothish’s life - and every challenge, including an unexpected tragedy, is a lesson that lends him more hope.

Thalavara would join the list of films that revolve around its protagonist’s acting aspirations, but what sets it apart is how the makers use the cinema industry and its people as a mirror — not just to expose its harshest beauty standards but also the winds of change — all by being authentic in its storytelling and portrayal.

Arjun Ashokan, who has been on a roll lately, puts forth his most affable performance yet as Jyothish. Every time he faces the camera, you feel his jitters and insecurities surface, and that’s probably why every jibe hurts even more. You wouldn’t realise that Thalavara is a beautiful underdog story till the denouement.

And it’s not just Arjun who shines, the supporting cast of Ashokan and Devadarshini Chetan, who play Jyothish’s parents, are excellent in their parts, along with Sarath Sabha and Athira Maryam. Revathy Sharma, who plays the female lead Sandhya, a Tamil girl who walks into Jyothish’s life and sees him for who he truly is, is another standout performer in the film, which benefits from crisp cuts by editor Rahul Radhakrishnan and, most importantly, soulful music by Electronic Kili.

Thalavara verdict: Though Thalavara might have come sandwiched between two big other-language films and Onam releases, this Arjun Ashokan-starrer will leave you with moist eyes while also filling your heart with hope. And that’s a big sign of a winner!