Raja Rani released in 2013 gifted a talented director to the Kollywood industry in the form of Atlee and when the former assistant to 'King Of Entertainers'(Shankar)joins hands with the 'Man Of Masses''Ilaya Dalapathy' Vijay,expectations were sky high which made me have a shot on Theri,the day of its release,the outcome being contentment of watching a meaty entertainer that mixes up family sentiments,action,humor and drama in the right proportion,catering to both the die-hard fans of Vijay and the normal audience who love formulaic entertainers.
Without doubt the credit for the film's success goes to four individuals, -Atlee,who presented an age old storyline without any shades of boredom -Vijay,who managed to give an energetic and convincing portrayal of the character invested on him -George.C.Williams for his breathtaking visuals,and, -G.V.Prakash Kumar for his power-packed background score. Yes,the screenplay of Theri doesn't boast of anything new but the narration takes care of the minor loopholes,well utilizing good chemistry between the lead characters,neat performances and sound technical support from the talented team behind the camera.
The best part about Raja-Rani was its touching sentimental scenes and Atlee stamps his readiness in handling similar sequences at the same time trying his luck with action and coming out a winner in presenting a neat action-packed family entertainer.There are quiet a few brilliant sequences like the Interval Punch,Construction site sequence,hearty conversation between Samantha and Vijay about husband-wife relationship,Ilaya Dalapathy convincing his father in law and the lovable bondage between Vijay and Baby Nainika.
The dialogs by Atlee were hard-hitting and complimented by convincing delivery by Vijay.The film touches some socially relevant issues in between which was well-mixed with the basic storyline of the movie.
The weak part of Theri is its predictable second half that lags in between which could have been avoided by trimming out some lengthy sequences and making some small touch-ups in the screenplay.The climax was rather good and holds a surprise cameo too.
On the acting side,Vijay was at his best and excelled in a role that has multiple shades of a loving father,an energetic cop and an authentic action hero- an out and out Ilaya Dalapathy show in all means.The emotional sequences too were well-acted by him and went really well.Samantha had a meaty role unlike some other films in the recent past and did her part really well.Amy Jackson was a big let-back and mis-cast in the role of a Malayali teacher,looking awkward in an unfit hair-do.Actress Meena's daughter,Baby Nainika was a surprise package and won the hearts with her lovable charisma and chemistry with Vijay.P.Mahendran played the role of antagonist really well and made his debut in acting memorable.Rajendran made his presence felt with his hilarious one-liners.Radhika Sarath Kumar,Prabhu etc were fine.
Songs by G.V.P were a mixed bag with my personal favorite being the lovable duet 'En Jeevan' rendered beautifully by Hariharan,Saindhavi and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi.Even though the songs were pretty average,it was made up by the chilling BGM that lifted the mass sequences at multiple instances.Cinematography as mentioned before was notable and amongst the best works in Kollywood this year.
Overall,Theri is a neat family entertainer that's worth a watch from the big screens this holidays. #TheriBaby
