Thoratti Tamil Movie

Feature Film | 2019
Critics:
Audience:
Thorati, directed by Marimuthu is a raw slice of rural drama that was served with natural writing and some powerful performances.
Aug 5, 2019 By Baranidharan Sivasankaran


'Organic' is the new retail buzzword to denote that a particular product is manufactured with natural constituents and is devoid of any artificial substances. The same applies to movies - the ones that have a novel-like narrative with dialogues that are plucked right from the soil of where the happenings were sowed. The latest to join this 'organic' bandwagon is 'Thorati.'


The movie is set in the arid and dry Ramnad district in the early 80s. The disclaimer at the beginning claims that the movie is based on a real incident. The story revolves around unexplored lives of shepherds who live a vagabond life and struggle to make ends meet as their livelihood relied on their stalk's excreta. Love, friendship, betrayal, and revenge adorn the storyline that had an earthy backdrop.


Stories that are churned out by the sons of the soil always tend to stand out as they are not researched but widely recounted by the filmmakers. Their writing falls in place naturally with the craft and the characters. The characters, especially that of the leading lady, Sathyakala as Semponnu was hugely convincing. She has made an impressive debut, and if she chooses the right projects, she can go places as a powerful actress who can fit in substantial roles.


The supporting characters were also handpicked wisely. Azhagu, as the lead actor's father, was a natural fit. Shaman Mithru apart from producing the movie, has also acted as the hero. Though his acting capabilities were amateurish at best, he fitted into the role of a weakling who is vulnerable to deception quite neatly.


The technicalities were pretty neat and decent. The cinematography has infused life into the narrative by capturing the time and space with lively performances. Music, on the other hand, was another supporting factor that helped move the story forward without hampering the pace of the narrative.


The proceedings were mostly predictable, and the overall feel of the film was archaic. Also, Mithru's bonding with the villains was not established with a solid reason and so when he plays the victim card we don't buy it wholeheartedly. However, all these get neutralized because of the backdrop and the dialogues that were so natural.


Director Marimuthu and producer Shaman Mithru have to be lauded for bringing this raw slice of rural drama to the celluloid by solely believing in the script and not on any star power or other commercial elements. Please do support such humble attempts that serve as harbingers of change.

Baranidharan Sivasankaran

   

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