20.THANKAM (2023)

 

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller

Thankam written by Shyam Pushkar and directed by Saheed Arafath , taps in to a relatively unexplored concept in Indian cinema ; that is of ‘Gold Riding’. The film begins as a simple film that explains how the chain of gold riding occurs in our country's southern region through the journey of the main character "Kannan," played by Vineeth Sreenivasan. After a significant incident, the film's tone shifts from its simple educational nature to that of a police procedural.

Thankam's backbone is a solid screenplay supported by sincere performances. The real show stealers in the film, other than the protagonist, are 'Muthu,' played by Biju Menon, and the Inspector, played by Girish Kulkarni. Once the film's tone shifts after introducing the day-to-day aspects of Kannan and Muthu, tension builds in each scene and several questions begin to emerge as the film progresses. However, the director has balanced the arousal by interspersing subtle but effective comedies. Toward the end, the film's tone shifts from a police procedural to a psychological character study.

Perhaps the last tonal shift is what pushed the film from being an outstanding film to an OK...it is interesting  kind of space. When tapping into the protagonist's layered personality, the director must have been given enough time to explore the character's complexities. However, this does not occur very effectively because the opening scenes seemed rushed in order to get into the main plot line. The film may also face criticism for its pacing, but given the genre, this is understandable.

Overall, Thankam is a well-made movie that tries to explore the mind of someone who seems to be normal to those around them. It may not hit you right away, but if you invest yourself in it, it can be a slow burn.

My Opinion: Good