Thiruchitrambalam Review: A Heartwarming Drama!

Thiruchitrambalam, starring National Award-winning actor Dhanush in the lead role, is his latest theatrical outing since his last movie, Maaran, opted for a direct OTT release. This time, he offers a realistic, heartwarming, and emotional drama directed by Mithran R. Jawahar, which stars an extensive ensemble featuring Nithya Menen, Raashi Khanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Prakash Raj, Bharathiraja, and others.

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Thiruchitrambalam (Dhanush) is a food delivery worker who lives with his father and grandpa, who shares the same name as his grandson. Shobana, his best friend, continues to be Thiru’s emotional support system alongside his grandfather, despite the fact that he hasn’t spoken to his father in ten years. Eventually, how he finds a solution for his broken relationships and a path for his life from his very close surroundings forms the remainder of the plot of this feel-good drama.

Thiruchitrambalam is a perfect example of a simple storyline that is beautifully narrated with the support of well-rounded characters and perfectly cast actors. Thiru and Shobana’s bond is the film’s lifeline, and their natural, relatable, yet cute conversations will put a smile on our faces through and through. Watching Dhanush in this charming, boy-next-door character after quite a long time adds flavor to the narration and makes him appeal to the viewer a lot more. He (unsurprisingly) excels as an actor when it comes to humor and emotional scenes, especially when he proposes to his girlfriend and the conversations he has with his father and grandfather.

Nithya Menen, in a role of a lifetime, steals the show as Shobana. She captures our attention with her energetic and mesmerizing persona, and her chemistry with Dhanush is lively and entertaining to watch. The other two female leads, Raashi Khanna and Priya Bhavani Shankar manage to leave an impression even though they appear only for a few minutes.

Prakash Raj, who plays Inspector Neelakandan, is versatile as Thiru’s dad in the film. The Senior Pazham, Thiru’s grandfather, played by Bharathiraja, was another vital character, and he was excellent from start to finish with his innocent humor and life lessons. And most importantly, their stories were kept interesting by the well-written character arcs.

Although the simplistic plot of Thiruchitrambalam takes place primarily in a limited number of locations, Om Prakash’s cinematography helped us to connect with Pazham’s lifestyle. Anirudh Ravichander’s music blends with the narrative progression, enhances the emotions, and prepares us for the vibe Mithran is going for with his perfectly balanced songs. Especially the song written and sung by Dhanush (Megam Karukaatha) was brilliant in every technical aspect.

The reason for Thiru’s anger on his father and the weak flashback scene were the things that could have been improved. The predictability in the narration and the slight resemblance to Dhanush’s 2014 movie, Velai Illa Pattadhari, might annoy a few viewers. Also, in quite a few scenes, the movie fails to provide that emotional punch, but, on the whole, I will say that the positives outweigh the negatives.

For the fourth time, Mithran R. Jawahar collabs with Dhanush, and this time he wrote an original story rather than a remake. He does justice to the soul of the movie without deviating to the mass heroic moments to please his fans. By improving the regular formulaic story and providing a new perspective, the director cleverly avoided many clichés. The scenes where Prakash raj Bharathiraja and Dhanush share the same frame were well written and orchestrated.

Overall, Thiruchitrambalam is a brief but sweet story that unfolds slowly without any rush and has a lot of moments and episodes that make you feel light hearted. Don’t miss the chance to experience the life of Pazham in this heartwarming drama that leaves you with a smile and some tears.

‘Thiruchitrambalam’ Rating – 3.25/5