Thira (2013) User Reviews (12)

Thira:Thrilling at parts

[vivek-Don771 · 6/10 · 30 November 2013]

Thira is undoubtedly one of the better movies released in 2013.It belongs to thriller genre,not the usual suspense thrillers you see in malayalam.The story is not what we haven't heard or seen before but the treatment is quite different and interesting.Director Vineeth has improved a lot from his previous outing tattathin marayathu.This is his best work so far IMO.In this genre,Director has to work a lot to satisfy the audience.Inspite of flaws in the script,the movie has come out as a decent thriller which deals with the issue of human trafficking.

The story goes like this.Rohini is a cardiac surgeon who also runs a welfare home for women.She is dealing with the mystery behind her husband's death.Things go haywire when the girls at her welfare home is kidnapped by some people and she is on the run for bringing them back.On the other hand,Naveen is on his way to meet his sister only to witness her kidnapped right before his eyes.At some point,these two characters meet and together they set out to recover the girls.clearly the storyline bares some similarities to Taken about the kidnapping but it ends there.The movie also shows how the so called police and law enforcers shows its back to common people when there is a problem Shobana returns to the silver screen with an electrifying performance as the bold Rohini.Although she did a small role in Sagar alias jacky,it was rather unwanted.She proves again that she is one of the best heroines in malayalam.The media,which has been giving cheap publicity to those heroines whose expressions makes you just throw up seems to have forgotten about the veteran actress.The film did require an actress of her calibre and she just provide that.Dhyan gives an okay performance even though in some scenes like the one he shouts at the policeman went slightly overboard.His action scenes were good.Rest of the cast doesn't have much to do.Most of them are not familiar figures in malayalam.Despite being a malayalam movie,malayalam dialogues are few.Subtitles are provided for Hindi dialogues though.

Camera work was rather irritating at times due to the camera shakes.Soundtrack was refreshing with teerathe neelune track at the titles and Thaazhvaram song near the end.Background music was in fact a part of teerathe neelune track which worked well at parts.

Script has some flaws but direction has been able to overcome that to an extent.The first half was pretty racy and enthralling.The second half however slows down a bit even though its engaging towards the end.There are some things in store at the climax for the sequel.

Thira is not a must watch or magnificent flick.Its worth a try for those who like this genre.

Taut

[drjineesh · 6/10 · 2 April 2014]

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.

A Decent Thriller

[arrfan30 · 7/10 · 20 January 2014]

The main feat in this film that made me write a review is the screenplay of this film. The story is based on Human Trafficking. Right from the first scene, the film carries into a deep thriller which would hook up any viewer. The characters are well-designed and they do what they're told. The plot is as any usual thriller and there is nothing new in this film as far the story is concerned but the screenplay is well executed.

'Maayi' is the name of the lead character who's a independent strong women. A humanitarian, a cardiologist and a wife who fights to bring down the guys who were responsible for her husband's death. Her character is one of the main things to watch out for in the film. The role of the other main character 'Navin' is about a guy who has lost his sister in broad daylight starts searching and proves that he would go to any extent to save her. His acting was acceptable and nothing seemed negative.

The relation between the two lead characters is very neatly portrayed. This cannot be considered as any regular film as the logic seemed intact in almost all the scenes and it is really difficult to find a film without any glitches especially in thriller genre. The flow was really smooth throughout the film and none of the parts were boring.

Overall verdict : If you want a decent thriller with expected twists and turns, then go for Thira. Do not expect too much cause you might be disappointed.

Everything Is Assured!

[yashmishra91 · 9/10 · 14 January 2014]

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

Excellent Movie..!

[igiridharangm · 9/10 · 17 November 2013]

Excellent job by Vineeth Sreenivasan. As we already knew that its a trilogy, its obvious that the climax of this first part will end up in some suspense..! and yes, its deep..! now eagerly waiting for the next part. :)

And about Shobana ma'am, simply Wow! brilliant acting. Dhyan was also good in the movie.

The movie plot is good. Relates to current affairs

And the next remarkable thing about this movie is its background score. Awesome work by Shaan Rahman.

Well done Vineeth, expecting more from you

A good thriller and a good attempt

[manishchilly · 7/10 · 17 January 2014]

Thira - Firstly I would give a HATSOFF to the producer and the director for taking such a risk to present this concept to the audience. Well come-on, Who would wants to take a risk in presenting a full-on serious thriller movie in the generation where most of the audience expect Comedy, Mass, Item Songs, Dance, Fighting etc., from a film.

Thira is a well executed thriller movie concentrating on Human Trafficking. People must know what human trafficking is and how serious is this and the entire crew presented it well in the movie. Shobana and Dhyaan acted well and Shaan's music was at its best as always. Expecting more from Vineeth in terms of Creativity in Direction and Cinematography. Hope you make the next one even more thrilling. All the best.

An awesome movie that gives you satisfaction at end

[Gautham_Jayan · 9/10 · 21 January 2014]

The fastest thriller I have seen in Malayalam movies and with a middle aged lady calling the shots. WOW. The connecting leads were good, so was the meeting of that saved small girl in the end. Though a feel of 'Taken' can be felt, also of words holding secrets and key behind Gandhi's pictures reminds of those of 'da vinci code', but it can never lessen the sheen of the thriller. No moment is wasted, fast editing & good camera work with a fitting score (the inspirational tone was good). The story told by the child in beginning (the same happens in climax) was too good unimaginable (we are to understand it at end only). No bit of sentiments is felt, out as the issue is this, but here though we feel little sad but director doesn't want us to mourn but want us to be inspired to hope for a good end. The fast cut at climax with prayer, the man drinking, the church was a picture of contrast of different people praying for. When the 'real' bus gets delayed in procession of church the belief (God helps in needing times) was clearly a nice statement. The chase section didn't evoke much fire. and there was no need to show that her husband was never a Shobana on her return shows she is one of those who can easily pull of saving lot of lives of girls not just male heroes with masculine power. She also points out the fact fewer films are made with female having a say or get their due. Vineeth proves he's not just a Rom-com wonder, nor a feel good friendship story. He shows promise and tows to be one of the few young filmmakers to look out in future. Though Dyan is always on run, I'm convinced he's to establish a name for himself on the screen. Never on any scene he was down and played the son with regret, caring bro, reacting at police for inaction and person with a kind heart. An angry young man out to find his lost sister. It was one of the best debut roles to get. An awesome movie that gives you satisfaction at end and makes you eager for the sequel(It was the first Malayalam movie to say before releasing it was going to be a Trilogy).

A Hollywood paced Malayalam Thriller? Yes, Please!

[sohansurag · 7/10 · 24 December 2013]

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.

Great job by Vineeth and crew

[cinish · 8/10 · 8 December 2013]

The movie is a winner. You will stay riveted to the seat for the whole movie. Pretty fast paced. Nice camera work that conveyed the general mood of the movie very well. Stylized violence using good back ground score and nice camera techniques / choice of colors / settings etc.

Good launch for Dhyan Srinivasan , Vineeth's brother. Dhyan has acted pretty well -no obvious mistakes.

Story does not take you back to any other movie. It is pretty original and has quite some meat in it. Situations in the movie are pretty hard thought out especially given such a young crew of makers. Lot of work and passion has gone into making the screen play.

Direction is excellent. There is hardly a dull moment in the movie. There are a few pieces here and there that don't work but as a whole , I imagine that the direction/making must have happened with complete commitment and great synergy and teamwork. Background scores and cinematography has synergized excellently.

Shobhana has done good justice to her role which essentially is that of the protagonist closest to the film maker, the one who drives the story and who gets to know what happens next first from the playwright.

It is very easy to setup a round table and question various aspects of the movie. Questions like 'how can this happen given that?' , 'that doesn't sound feasible,does it?' On the other hand, the movie predicts a lot more good movies from this team pretty soon and also hopefully real masterful movies a few tens of years down the line.

Craft has definitely improved over 'Thattaththin marayaththu'. Vineeth has definitely learned a lot more than he knew when he made 'Thattaththin marayaththu' and he has executed much much more than his earlier flick. I really love the way the young team is forming up , much like the slightly senior young directors from the Maharajas college team led by Amal Neerad/Aashiq Abu etc.

THE BEST THRILLER IN MALAYALAM !

[rashademon · 10/10 · 16 October 2020]

Ravishing, Fast paced Movie with Directorial brillancd from Vineeth Sreenivasan along with Stellar Performance from veteran actress Shobana and debutant Dhyan Sreenivasan.

Here's Why Thira Is Part Of A Pretentious Stratagem. ♦ 51%

[nairtejas · 5/10 · 14 January 2014]

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!

Thira - a must watch film

[antony_waiting · 8/10 · 6 February 2022]

It's 2022 and I watched a film that was released in 2013. I wondered how did I miss it, not that I am a film buff but it might have skipped my mind. During some of the recent interviews (after the success of 'Hridayam'), I heard Vineeth sharing some experiences about Thira and since I hadn't heard about it, I thought of watching it. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a wonderful film for me. It may have been inspired from someone's life/book at that time but I felt it was a no-nonsense film. Due to its storytelling, yes it was fast paced and that's how films should be made. Based on the storyline, if it's action based then the film has to be action based, if it's drama, then the film has to be made in a dramatical way similarly with love stories, comedy etc. For example, if it's a horror movies, would someone simply sit and laugh throughout the movie or get scared when it's intended to be scary.

Thira is a one of its kind of movie where a female actress, the ever beautiful Shobhana is in the lead, boldly facing challenges that life throws at her throughout the film Alongside, is a young male actor, the then debutant Dhyan, who is guided and helped by Shobhana wherein their sole purpose is to rescue the girls who are victims of human trafficking.

In the past, before the release of Thira, there were films made in Malayalam in similar lines but those films all praised and worshipped the lead actor's style and machoism. The actresses were only a mere timepass, used for asthetic purposes like singing, dancing and spread on-screen colours for the viewers.

From start to end, I was totally engrossed watching Thira, just like the waves, different angles kept coming. May be sometimes, it could be predictable but the string of the movie is not broken so as to lose interest in watching. I liked how Vineeth made a movie focussing on a woman lead, how some women in the society takes charges to protect the fabric of the society from anti-elements and if required they will go to the end of the world to get what it takes to safe guard their loved ones from the evil.

Throughout the film, both Shobhana and Dhyan played their roles beautifully, not giving a chance for error. With Shobhana guiding Dhyan to face the challenges lying ahead in rescuing his sister, symbolically it seemed that she was preparing and guiding him on-screen to do well in his film career, we can see the results now in 2022.

I have given 7 stars for the overall film and an additional star for giving an opportunity to a lady star to lead the film.