Pathu Thala movie review: This action-packed gangster film is predictable and relies only on Simbu’s performance

Silambarasan TR starrer Pathu Thala is the Tamil remake of Kannada blockbuster Mufti, directed by Obeli N Krishna. The film is based on Al Pacino’s Donnie Brasco. After giving two back-to-back blockbuster films. It is new for us, that Silambarasan TR (Simbu) has done a film where he isn’t playing the quintessential hero and is mostly absent in the first half of the film. Pathu Thala still works to a large extent because of Silambarasan, who leaves maximum impact in the limited screen time he gets.

The plot of the film is very predictable and has been repeated in so many Indian films over the years. Gautham Karthik plays Sakthivel, an undercover cop who is tasked with the mission of infiltrating the gang of AGR (Silambarasan TR), who is the most feared gangster and even the local government fears him. AGR has largely remained an enigmatic figure and very few people have seen him. When the Tamil Nadu chief minister goes missing, the government as well as the police believe AGR has a hand in his disappearance.

Pathu Thala is mainly a political drama that is what sets it apart from any gangster film and even Donnie Brasco for that matter. It’s about people vying for power and AGR, though a gangster, isn’t the only one who has blood on his hands. The crime angle of the film largely unfolds in the second half after Gautham Karthik’s character infiltrates AGR’s gang and it’s this half of the movie that really keeps one engrossed in the story. The film, which explores modern-day politics quite accurately, definitely needed more drama to make the story even more interesting. Thankfully, when the spotlight shifts on Silambarasan, he brings ample drama to make up for the dull initial half.

Silambarasan has main role only in the second half, despite having a very limited screen time, he really brings out his character and strongly elevates on screen just with his presence. The finale action was perfectly shot, this sequence is one of the major highlights of the film,  it definitely leaves the viewer exiting the cinema hall on a high. Gautham Karthik, too, gets to shine in a role that he hasn’t played before. He gets a massy introduction sequence which is another highlight of the film. It’s the women, who are let down in poorly written characters. Priya Bhavani Shankar could have definitely been used more effectively. AR Rahman’s music and score genuinely helps the film work wholesomely.