Oru Thekkan Thallu Case Movie Review : A lively village story

Story: Ammini Pillai humiliates Podiyan, when he alerts the village one night to the latter’s clandestine romantic meeting. This sets Podiyan and his friends on a path of revenge against Ammini

Review: Oru Thekkan Thallu Case is a story about pride and ego, and how it affects people in a small ecosystem like a village. Director Sreejith N has created a believable setting of a close-knit coastal village in the early 90s and the core story of GR Indugopan is interesting, although it may have had a few unwanted deviations.

In a small seaside village, we follow the life of ‘Ammini Pillai’ (Biju Menon), a lighthouse keeper known for his raw strength and bravado. When Amminicatches Podiyan (Roshan Mathew) and Vasanthi (Nimisha Sajayan) together in the woods one night, he causes a ruckus alerting the whole village and humiliating Podiyan in the process. This sets Podiyan and his friends on a path of revenge against Ammini.

Firstly, the casting must be praised, for finding perfect actors for every character from the main to the supporting ones. The next best thing about the movie is the cinematography and set design, and the director seems to have a fondness for using fire to light night time shots to great effect.

As the story progresses, the situation between Ammini and Podiyan worsens despite their partners Rukmani (Padmapriya) and Vasathi being best friends and attempting to diffuse the situation. This culminates with Podiyan and four of his friends attacking Ammini in the cover of night, grievously wounding and hospitalising him in the process.

But Ammini soon returns in full strength, and swears to get his revenge against those who attacked him: not in the cover of darkness, but out in the light and in the presence of the townsfolk. And then the story truly begins.

While the core story is interesting, the pacing is a setback. At about 150 minutes, the movie would have been all the more better if certain side plots such as, Ammini being mistakenly caught with a prostitute, were removed completly.

While the side plot lags, the side characters are wonderful and add great flavor, particularly Podiyan’s friends, the above mentioned prostitute and a certain peacock oil salesman.

The sound design does its job and the songs, although enjoyable on their own, add to the dragging length of the movie.

Oru Thekkan Thallu Case is a story, as the name suggests, primarily about fights, violence and male egos and is definitely worth a watch. The story shows us how a small incident sometimes snowballs into more complicated ones. And at the end you may come away with the message that while violence is bad, some people do need a tight slap across the face to get their life in order.
- George Manavalan