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Admirable film.

A Major Disappointment

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Thira is a crisp thriller movie that stands true to its genre with no pretensions. Nothing is contrived and nothing forced as the movie sets off on an unwavering course at breathtaking pace from start to finish.Premises are dark, and the theme brutal, as women trafficking forms the crux of the film; where the lowly protagonists cross swords with the powerful giants in shadows. The versatile veteran Shobhana leads the pack of actors with an inspiring portrayal of Dr. Rohini Pranab, while the débutant Dhyan pleases with a mature performance, that was unexpectedly and most surprisingly not lost in the shadows of a much acclaimed actress. Casting is superb with generous array of new faces, that fits even little roles like a glove. The camera, the colors and the music (Splendid work by Shaan Rahman) blends seamlessly with the film adding to the atmosphere.On the downside the film though fast paced, is merely a point to point chase with directions at each point for the next destination; and barring a semblance of a curve; lacks genuine twists or turns. On a lesser note, Shobhana's hoarse whispering and exhalations do tend to tire ones ear towards the end. The brilliant screenplay and exemplary direction carries off the movie with aplomb and the ones who looked in for a taut thriller are left savoring a chilling recipe with content.

What else can you expect from a great thriller like this which grips you within its every frame. Director Vineeth Srinivasan comes with a socio thriller after directing a spate of hit films (Malarvadi Arts Club/2010 and Thattathin Marayathu/ 2012), which despite few having draggy moments and extra emotional quotient, scores and successfully grips you. The film's taut screenplay by Rakesh Mantodi brilliantly builds up the suspense and makes you grip along with the beautiful cinematography by Jomon. T. John and editing by Ranjan Abraham which pumps up the suspense well and adds beautiful visual touch within every frame and the music score by Shaan Rahman compliments the film's pace beautifully. Coming to the performances, Shobhana: Take A Bow, for her classy act repeating her excellence in films like "Thalapathi" and "Mitr: My Friend", debutant Dhyan Srinivasan is another great discovery of Malayalam Cinema where he successfully delivers a great performance and Deepak Parambol and the rest are good. Srinivasan's narration, despite a bit slow pace in between, makes a brilliant cinematic roller coaster ride worth of your ticket. My rating would be: 4/ 5

90% of the thriller films have some "fabrication/"fictional element/ploy in their plots so as to set the connections right in the screenplay/narration. The best ones are those which do not let it show. Thira shows all its fabrication nodes vividly while displaying a bold array of ruthless imaginary contexts on current affairs.Starting off with a complex, fast-paced dialog delivery b/w Shobhana and a minister, the plot gives away little as to what happens next but more as to what will happen in the second film of the trilogy which Thira is a part of. After complicating things for an average audience, it tells stories of different girls being abducted. Then new characters start barging in, like people do in clubs during happy hours. Not talking about character depth, everything in this film works with dialogs. They talk about the plight of these girls and we are supposed to visualize (great!), they talk about a journalist-cum-spy-cum-writer-cum-bachelor in cryptography-cum-hero-cum-social activist-cum-genius who paves the way and we are supposed to worship him, they say a cardiac surgeon is a brave-heart, ironically we are supposed to think she is lady God or "Mai." Terrible! Characters meet & dispatch and then meet again so easily in this terrible screenplay, I wonder they all use jet-packs.After creating a web of theories, the cardiac surgeon and a nobody, played finely by Shobhana & Dhyan, carry out westward investigation and try to almost crack the case. As a result, I lost interest in the plot. What was becoming a suspense thriller turned out to be so predictable, the f-word I was talking about flashed on the screen. Music is fine and so is the art/setup/locations.Nothing is actually displayed in this film, but told and made-believe by the characters. That is not cinema!The minor twists failed to impress me as they were all weak in enactment and towards the end, giving hint at a sequel, the film ends abruptly like it just did a wonderful job. Catching the cold from Hollywood studios on how to make easy money by creating anticipation, Vineeth Srinivasan disappoints. Everyone who watched Thira might be eagerly waiting for the second film, but not me, because I cannot take pretentious idiots fooling around with cameras and scripts and stuff..BOTTOM LINE: Maybe a one-time watch. Typical Malayalis may wonder over the thrills. Cinema aficionados can take a hike. 5.1/10!

In a day and age where domestic violence and violence against women are at large and far-flung, topics like rape, assault and sex trafficking are still considered to be a taboo on screen. Agreed, its a sensitive topic to be visually presented but its high time that the mold be broken, especially in Malayalam cinema. Pardon, my knowledge regarding Malayalam movies tackling similar topics, but I found it amusing that Thira handled the genre pretty well.Directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, Thira tells the story of Dr. Rohini Pranab who's on a race against the clock when some of the girls she'd taken under her wing, gets abducted. Herself caught neck-deep in a conspiracy and accompanied by Naveen whose sister got abducted among the girls, the plot moves at a brisk pace from start to end.A ravishing Shobana makes a come back in the shoes of Dr. Rohini Pranab. Shobana effortlessly plays the character which screams for an applause. From a sincere doctor, to a caring social activist and at times adorning shades of power and intimidation, Shobana does shine in her role. There was this particular scene where Rohini, amidst all the troubles she's in, returns to the hospital for a surgery. While the distinct line ain't anything new, it tremendously reminded me of a scene from Sangeeth Sivan's Nirnayam. Vineeth's sibling, Dhyan Sreenivasan, despite the initial and occasional nuances of a newcomer, stands out with a commendable débutante performance. While Deepak Parambol who played the very amiable youth communist, Manoj in Thattathin Marayath was menacing and nefarious as ever as in this one.The visuals were all exquisitely shot and is worthy to be labeled 'grim and elegant'. While the movie had tense moments, it lost some in its second act and the chases were a little less adrenaline pumping but it served the purpose of thrilling you. Complemented by an excellent soundtrack Thira is bound to keep you on the edge of the your seat till end.My only qualm was regarding the linguistic choice that happened throughout the movie. I take it that it was to make it accessible for a wider audience that Hindi was prominently used, but its ever too hard to digest when localites as well as other characters spoke such fluent Hindi.Just like Vineeth's previous Thattathin Marayath, Thira doesn't break any new grounds but a Malayalam movie almost on the same page as a Hollywood thriller is something that deserves more than a clap, a standing ovation maybe? Being the first in a planned trilogy and ending in a cliffhanger, it remains to see if the sequels would pack the same punch, nonetheless Thira was an entertaining ride from start to end. I watched this just after Philips & The Monkey Pen and I am rather glad at how Malayalam movies are getting out of their banal, cozy family soap/romance couches.