Vineeth Srinivasan was known for making movies of a world he was in sync with - of cloying romances and male bonding, among other such banalities. In this context, ‘Thira’, his third movie, comes as a surprise offering.
‘Thira’ is a satisfying thriller carried successfully by lead actress Shobhana, who makes a come back to Mollywood, after a significant break. She plays the role of Rohini Pranab, a cardiologist who runs an NGO involved in rescuing girls who have fallen victim to the flesh trade. A day after the suspicious death of her husband, Pranab Ray, who was a journalist, Rohini sets out to find a missing girl child and clear her husband’s name, who has been accused of pedophilia. While on the mission, she meets Naveen (Dhyan Sreenivasan), whose sister was kidnapped in front of his eyes. They collect clues together and trace the flesh network. But will they be able to rescue the girls? It is a thriller, mind you! So grab a ticket to know how this pans out!
Obviously, the movie has been ‘inspired’, that euphemistic word bandied about nowadays, by the French blockbuster ‘Taken’ and the American thriller ‘Trade’. Unlike ‘Taken’, ‘Thira’ unsurprisingly places religion and family on a higher pedestal, and the unholy nexus between the police, judiciary and sex trade is foregrounded. The audience has been essentially asked to suspend their disbelief to trust the director when he tries to prove that an international sex racket can be brought down by the power of a few fists and fast cars.
Shaan Rehmaan has a magical wand in his hands and has managed to weave the music and background score of the flick to perfection. Cinematographer Jomon T John is only getting better and better with each of his movies. Dhyan Sreenivasan can thank editor Ranjan Abraham, as the audience would be hard-pressed to spot many of the actor’s embarrassing expressions thanks to Ranjan’s fast-paced editing. Vineeth Sreenivasan and Rakesh Mantodi have scripted the movie with emphatic dialogues. Shobhana remains a cut above the rest. You will not be impervious to emotions when she says: “We all have eyes, but we do not see things that do not bother us.”
Turning his attention to the underbelly of human trafficking in India is cause enough to give a pat on the director’s back. It’s no secret that women are used for pleasure and profit, and babus and netas at best turn a blind eye towards this everyday reality, and scores of porn consumers hit the BDSM, voyeur, and rape buttons on Internet groups and dedicated websites. Adding to the woe, this is a land where offenders can go scot free after committing the worst possible crimes against women. In that context, the newbies are more than welcome to explore such pertinent topics in movies.