★ 6 / 10
A remake of The Intouchables, a 2011 French
timesofindia
A remake of The Intouchables, a 2011 French film that was a box office phenomenon in its home country, Thozha is heart-warming and crowd-pleasing, two…
A remake of The Intouchables, a 2011 French film that was a box office phenomenon in its home country, Thozha is heart-warming and crowd-pleasing, two qualities that ensure that we don't dwell much on its formulaic plot that involves characters from varied socio-economic backgrounds learning life lessons from each other. Director Vamshi sticks to the structure of the original and this largely helps his film because more than story and plot, this is a film that is about its lead characters.
Here, the two characters are Seenu (Karthi), a small-time criminal out on parole, and Vikramadithya (Nagarjuna), a man with an embarrassing amount of wealth. And Vamshi gets the crucial element of casting right. In Karthi, he has an actor who can be loud, blunt, and wide-eyed, and still remain charming. The character is even slightly lecherous towards Keerthi (Tamannaah, whose brief for this role must have had only two words: dress fashionably), Vikram's secretary, but it is because of Karthi that we look past this aspect. The actor also nicely captures the astonishment and anguish of the character. Seenu might come across as someone enjoying the perks that come in the way of his job, but we are also able to sense that deep down he would rather swap the riches for his family's love. His railway clerk 'mother' (Jayasudha), who is the breadwinner of the family, detests him for having become a criminal, while his sister and brother give a damn about him. The incidents involving this family's problems is something that we have seen often, and yet, as a drama, it works.
But the character of Vikram is one-note. He is written as an implausibly saintly figure even though his disability itself automatically makes the audience empathise with his character. Every other character in the film, even his ex (Anushka, in a cameo), speaks of him in a worshipful manner that there is hardly any edge to Vikram. He doesn't even seem to be angry at his situation, even at his lowest point. Nagarjuna projects the stature of a multi-millionaire effortlessly, but he is somewhat unconvincing when it comes to conveying the helplessness and trauma of a disabled person.
Still, the strong sense of camaraderie between Karthi and Nagarjuna is instrumental in making us root for their characters. And even though it deals with disability, things rarely get treacly in Thozha. It even finds a way to have a Seenathana-like item number. And when things get emotional, there is always a humourous remark a couple of dialogues away. Take for example the scene where Vikram's friend Prasad (Prakash Raj in a tailor-made role) talks to Seenu on Vikram's past. Like Seenu, we turn misty-eyed when we learn what happened, but soon start laughing when Seenu lightens the mood by revealing the truth about a painting that Prasad had bought. In fact, more than the emotions, it is the laughs like this one that make the film tick.
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★ 9 / 10
Really Beautiful indeed !
navendu_krishnan
Oopiri / Thozhaa Guzaarish, Beautiful (Malayalam) is nothing compared to this beautiful movie. Even though its the remake of the Intouchables, Vamsi Paidipally…
Oopiri / Thozhaa Guzaarish, Beautiful (Malayalam) is nothing compared to this beautiful movie. Even though its the remake of the Intouchables, Vamsi Paidipally created this as much beautiful it could be. at the end Oopiri gives you tears with happiness and love. The story goes without lagging , full of emotions , love and happiness. Compared to Vamsi's Yevadu which was an action thriller. this is purely different with dramatic sentimental scenes, which is not on the lot of usual ones. Yet , beautiful than his second one Brindaavanam. Nagarjuna is evergreen, as a main char, he never fails to make an impact. Karthi takes away the claps with his usual acting style and dialogue presentation. Tamannah, Prakash Raj all were too good in this one. OST satisfies to be with the track of the story. One thing i liked in this movie , is at every second it makes us happy, there are no place where it gets bored or lag. Watch it ! otherwise you will miss one of the most beautiful flick in this year. 9 out of 10
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8.0/10
7.3K
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@Zephyr2227 Exceeds the original movie in several aspects. That's what a great movie is supposed to do and this movie does exactly that