Tegimpu movie review: Ajith carries the film on his shoulders

The film starts off with Gangster Baddie (Veera) arriving at a bank to rob it. In walks Mr Mystery Man (Ajith) to take over the gang and the heist

It is Sankranti time. With the festive season, we have a hoard load of films and stars – Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Vijay, and Ajith. Of the lot, I would have expected Ajith’s Tegimpu (Thunivu in Tamil) to be a little different. One can expect Waltair Veerayya to be a typical Chiru film. Balaiyya’s fans would be disappointed if Veera Simha Reddy is not a typical Balaiyya film. Vijay has been under the radar in recent times. Ajith would be looking to make amends after a mixed response Valimai. Ajith does not disappoint. However, director H Vinoth does, albeit a little.

The film starts off with Gangster Baddie (Veera) arriving at a bank to rob it. In walks Mr Mystery Man (Ajith) to take over the gang and the heist. The police, led by the Commissoner (Samuthirakani), is figuring out a way to capture the man. The Mystery Man would only negotiate with Constable Anthony (Mahanadi Shankar) and is revealed to be an expert thief Dark Devil. The Commissioner realizes that there is an ulterior motive and that the game is afoot. Clues are left behind by Dark Devil to show ACP Ramchandran (Ajay) is behind the mastermind heist. Who, what and why is what the film is all about.

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One thing that captures you is the pace at which the movie moves. At times, you feel the speed is at 1.5x. The screenplay is informative. Too informative. Vinoth throws too many facts about private banks, financial scams, and how hard-earned money deposited is used by the financial institutions. At times, it goes over the top.

The screenplay is quite racy but is insufficient. You have Shankaresque moments in the film. Post interval is where the twists and turns are. Vinoth goes back to his Sathuranga Vettai days to narrate the crimes happening right under our noses and how we – the public at large, are also responsible for the crimes.

One more aspect that goes against the film is the 146-minute length. The climax of the film belongs solely to the stunt choreographer, and he takes his liberty – both with length and with gravity. The VFX is a major letdown.

Ajith is Ajith. He carries the film on his shoulders. He enters with a bang. He sends goons flying and shakes a leg quite often. He is the hero, nay the anti-hero. Tragically, there is no one to keep him company. An actress of Manju Warrier’s caliber is wasted as the sidekick. Even Samuthirakani does not live up to his repertoire. Vinoth and editor Vijay Velukutty do not get their sequences in order. Music by Ghibran is average.

It is not a bad film. Neither is it a great film. It is a film that the audience can say “teginchi choodachu”. Watch it for Thala.