‘Thekku Vadakku’ movie review: This Vinayakan, Suraj Venjaramoodu comedy-drama tests the viewer’s patience

A still from ‘Thekku Vadakku’

An acclaimed writer penning the script and two solid performers taking each other head on in a story revolving around a long-running feud: Thekku Vadakku appears to have everything going for it. Even the trailer gives the impression of an unusual story with a lot of quirky, funny elements. But all through the film, one is left waiting for it to live up to these first impressions, which are all eventually proved wrong.

The never-ending litigation over petty feuds, which used to be a kind of pastime for some from the older generations, becomes the central theme of Thekku Vadakku, directed by Prem Shankar. Based on a story from S. Hareesh’s collection ‘Adam’, it has Madhavan (Vinayakan), a retired government employee engaged in a legal fight over a piece of land with Shankunni (Suraj Venjaramoodu), who runs a rice mill. Their fight, which hardly ever gets physical, is a spectacle in which almost everyone in the village is a willing participant.

The makers adopt a loud, satirical treatment for the subject. But when the humour does not work and not even a light chuckle escapes you, this treatment becomes a liability. It was a bit painful to watch the two actors indulging in over-the-top antics and struggling to elicit any laughter. Vinayakan brings stark changes to his appearance and demeanour compared to his usual roles, but the efforts are wasted and appear forced. The same things might have worked in a different film, but when even one of the wheels stops working, the entire system can fall apart.

Not once does the film make you feel the intensity of their feud, nor does it ever manage to pull you into the middle of the conflict. For the matter, even their conflict is only vaguely conveyed, as something going on for decades. In the short story, this vagueness about the origin of the feud works, but in the film, it only adds to the lack of conflict and the general absence of anything that can hook the audience.

At one point, when one of the protagonists indulges in a frenzied act in the absence of the other, the film appears to be labouring to make a philosophical point, but this comes too late in the day to make any impression. There are at least a few passages which give one the feeling that there was a good film lying untapped somewhere within; it is a sense one gets from the engaging short story on which it is based too.

If the intention was to convey the pointlessness of such egoistic feuds by making a movie which struggles to make a point, then the makers can consider their mission a success. One needs to have a lot of patience to gain this valuable lesson.

Thekku Vadakku is currently running in theatres