Film- Thuneri
Director- Sunil Dixon
Cast- Nivin Karthik, John Vijay, Mia Sree, Maria Charm, Krishna Kumar, Santhosh,child artistes Ashmita, Abhijit, Nakul, Sathvika,
Setting his plot against the backdrop of a village Thuneri near Ootty , debutant director-producer Sunil Dixon weaves a horror-thriller around the haunted village that witnesses a series of mysterious deaths. The villagers believed them to be the handiwork of the vengeful spirit of Karuppusamy,the village watchman. The director has used all the tropes needed for a horror-thriller. Eerie sounds, ghostly images and a lot of jump scares both by way of sounds and visuals. But what is lacking is a coherent screenplay.
The landscape of the lush hill station which forms a backdrop to the happenings, has been caught effectively. Naveen a cop (Karthik) accompanied by his wife (Mia Sree) and kids (Ashmita, Nakul) arrives at his new posting. The kids strike a friendship with Chellakani (Abhijit) the son of Karuppasamy the dead village watchman. Assumed to have stolen the temple jewels and later bitten by a mad dog, the violent man had been killed by the villagers. And when a series of deaths occur, the villagers believed them to be the handiwork of his spirit. But there were other evil forces at work too. And it’s how these incidents affect the cop and his family and about how the knots are untied and peace restored to the village.
There are subplots which seem to be forced into the narrative, like that of a woman and her abusive relationship with her little son. There is a Tantric who has his own agenda. A more focused screenplay and a clear narrative would have worked to the film’s advantage.
Nivin Karthik who has played supporting characters in couple of films plays the cop, his physique and body language suiting the role. John Vijay’s character is different from the ones he had played earlier, his Karuppusamy intimidating and at the same time garnering sympathy. The face-off between Karuppusamy’s spirit and the ghost of a vengeful woman, peps up the scenario. What is appreciable is that the director has managed to wrap up his story telling in less than two hours.
The child actors get substantial roles and are naturals. It could have turned into a watchable film for children, had the director focused on that aspect of it. ‘Thuneri’ (116 minutes) is a promising debut from a debutant maker.
Malini Mannath
Malini Mannath 