Thunivu movie review: Ajith Kumar’s swag needs less sermoning, more sexiness

Cast: Ajith Kumar, Manju Warrier, Darshan, Prem Kumar Director: H. Vinoth Language: Tamil ‘Sermons sermons sermons, I hate sermons but sermons love me,’ this could be the classic line of the hero at his hysterical introduction shot if Thala Ajith were to be a part of the KGF franchise. After the riotous Mankatha, the closest the Superstar came to paint the town black was with Vishnuvardhan’s Arrambam, before he decided to use white. He was a total hoot as the supposed antagonist, but a twist in the tale makes him into a sudden messiah. His new film Thunivu has some similar plans. It’s about a robbery, inside a bank, the stakes are high and the tensions higher, both for viewers and the victims. The kind of infallible stardom the leading man has achieved over the years, it’s hard to imagine him going full crooked in a role that requires no back (read bland) stories about why he became what he did. This film, alas, needs him to turn into a vigilante from a villain. He does. Post interval. And that’s where the film saddens more than it shocks. To give credit where it’s due, unlike Valimai, where the characters were either black or white, grey sparkles on celluloid here. The motivations are unclear and Ajith even goes unnamed for most of the film’s running time. The action unfolding inside a bank does give you an adrenaline rush and what makes it even better is the leading man’s persona. The back story in the second half is what harms the film to a large extent. Suddenly, grey begins to peal off and the characters begin to turn one-note. Hardcore fans do not have to complain at all. Ajith is in solid form and looks stunning firing those bullets with swag and style on point. Manju Warrier does well too as his partner in crime. But the director isn’t really pleased with the idea of a mindless heist thriller, he wishes to deliver a yet another social message on corruption and the lacunae in the system. Result? A potpourri of vengeance and vigilantism that needed more style than sermons. Enough of Robin Hoods, time for some Robin Hoots. Rating: 2.5 (out of 5 stars) Thunivu is playing in cinemas near you

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