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Tharunam Movie Review: Kishen Das-starrer is an inconsistent thriller never attempting to be close to reality

Tharunam Movie Review: Directed by Arvindh Srinivasan, the film struggles with unrelatable characters, weak chemistry, and shallow writing

1.5/5rating
Tharunam Movie Review: Kishen Das-starrer is an inconsistent thriller never attempting to be close to reality
Tharunam

Last Updated: 07.27 AM, Jan 14, 2025

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Tharunam Movie Story:

Arjun (Kishen Das) is a CRPF officer who is on a sabbatical, and meets Meera (Smruthi Venkat) at a wedding. As romance brews between them, on the sidelines, Meera is dealing with overtly one-side romantic advances from her neighbour Rohit (Raj Ayappa). During one such instance, Meera loses her control and harms Rohit, hitting him dead. Now, it is up to Meera and Arjun to cover up the murder.

Tharunam Movie Review:

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Tharunam, directed by Arvindh Srinivasan, and starring Kishen Das and Smruthi Venkat, attempts to be a smart film, with a cat-and-mouse chase like screenplay in the second half. But what the film manages to be is a half-baked attempt of being a sleek thriller.

The problem with Tharunam begins with its unrelatable characters. We are introduced to Arjun as a CRPF officer who carries a smudge in his profession due to an event that happened during one of his missions. As much as we are made to believe he is a smart cop, the visual translation to portray the actor as one, is a letdown. On the other hand, much like many films, we don’t really know what Meera is doing apart from she works at an office where Arjun’s friend (Bala Saravanan) is also working. After a meet-cute like situation, and as the couple are gearing up for their engagement, a sudden circumstance with Rohit makes them squabble for solution without getting caught. A major issue with the first half is how the film never attempts to connect with you, nor do the leads. The chemistry is lacking, and audience seldom do want the couple to come out safe from what the second half in store for them. Kishen Das also falters in carrying himself as a cop, by both in his demeanor and performance.

The film turns into a thriller in the second half, and we wish to support the lead pair in covering up a crime they did. There are a bunch of incidents as part of a cleverly sketched plan by the hero. Things seem to be moving on a fast pace, but Tharunam is shallow in its writing and the nail-biting experience is missing. To add on to this, there is a twist in the ending which does not bring any value addition to the table. There are also slivers of comedy inserted, and if that was done to salvage the flat-lined narrative of the film, it feels irrelevant and half attempt to save the film. The screenplay also tries to mix in many issues, that it forgets to make a connection with the audience. The film feels like a missing puzzle that it seems to be a misfit in the missing narrative.

Tharunam Movie Verdict:

Tharunam wants to be a genre-shifting film that makes you get invested in romance from the first half, and a thriller of sorts in the second. But barely is the Kishen Das and Smruthi Venkat-starrer able to do it. With its shallow writing and far from reality storytelling, Tharunam becomes a drab watch.

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