Thanga Magan

Firstly, this second outing of Velraj-Dhanush-Anirudh that runs for just two hours is not VIP-2. And yes, I too hated the trailer punchline in which the lead actor Dhanush (Tamil) breathlessly rattles out half of the world languages and seals it up with - '...aanaa Tamil Nadula Tamil thokkavey mudiyadhu da..' ('No one can wipe off Tamil from Tamil Nadu'). But, minus such unintentionally humorous dialogues, sporadic episodes of unseemly heroism and sprinklings of simplistic thinking, it is undeniable that Thanga Magan (Golden Son) is a one with a golden heart. The lead ladies Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Amy Jackson amazingly fit into their roles that are devoid of the usual skin show. (I think the former is seen only in sarees throughout the film.) One is the girl friend, who marries Tamil's cousin after they breakup; the other is the arranged-marriage wife that provides rock solid support to Tamil, after his father hangs himself. Such strong female characters are typical of Selvaraghvan-Dhanush movies; no wonder there are tributes to the director placed within the film that runs for  - just the right length given the hairline story line. Veterans KS Ravikuamr (Vijayaraghavan, Tamil's father), Raadhika Sarathkumar (mother, thank god Kollywood is finding alternatives to Saranya to play the benevolent amma character), Jayaprakash ('officer', as he is addressed throughout) have justified their roles, though special mention is for the ace director KS Ravikumar, who seems to be having an alternative career as a bankable performer. But Vijayaraghavan reminds us of Bhavani of OK Kanmani that had symptoms of Alzheimer's disease; and Raghavan is at par with the memorable Bhavani, if not better. And for Dhanush, it is just another day at the office and he excels both as the clean-shaven adolescent lover-boy, and the desperate and disheartened son, who is on the mission to restore the lost glory of his dear, departed father. 

The initial portions filled with teenage fun are really enjoyable with composer Anirudh Ravichander and comedian Sathish lending a beautiful support, but only up to the scene where Hema D'Souza and Tamil breakup. This particular scene marks the first low in the script, and could have been handled better. (Btw, it is said Hema D'Souza has a British father and a Tambram mother.) The next, weak attempt at a twist is when Tamil looks at his cousin Aravindh 's wedding invite only to realise that his ex is getting married to Aravindh (played by Adith Arun.) While VIP touched upon sibling rivalry, in this itinerary it is about the friction between cousins that is made to turn into a raging fire. But was there a real reason? I'm still wondering. Aravindh (fair and handsome) reminds us of Arun Subramaniam of VIP. He, also resembling Siddarth Abhimanyu, is a villain with a fair skin that the mass Tamil audience will easily start hating. Though the trailer dialogues between the cousins make us expect something like Holmes-Moriarty, nothing could be more disappointing, absolutely. The bold and cunning Aravindh fumbles very soon, and he is reduced to the level of a meaningless, lunatic joker ultimately. There is no punch to it. But moments like the scene where the apologetic cousin falls at Tamil's mother's feet inconsolably keep you awake, connected and moved. The performance sparkles. Instantaneously, the centre of focus shifts to the 'officer' of the IT Dept. and things begin to proceed in the auto-mode with the usual stunts-in-rains (..protecting a pregnant wife too! yes, they were on the way to a hospital for delivery in an autorickshaw, and it was raining too when the bunch of goons stopped them. Can you beat it?) and also some superficial sub-plots, and the quick volte-face of the officer's assistant and 'The end'. But one nice thing is that the hero never even touches the villain - forget chasing him down the streets and bashing his brains out. 

The last portions of the film are a let down. It also gets preachy when Tamil spits out moral lessons to his cousin and us. But perhaps that is the soul of the movie. Money cannot buy happiness. And here is where the movie diverges from the beaten track of the rags-to-riches plots, and manages to score too. In the end, Tamil is not even a penny richer, in fact with the new addition to his family his financial worries are only going to worsen, but - the couple is happy, as the film ends Tamil is seen carrying his wife, Yamuna, lovingly.

Though the film does not take the craft to a new level or dishes out something exceptionally entertaining, this golden son with occasional bouts of fatigue - will not fail to warm your hearts.

(Spoilers above)