Ivan Thanthiran Movie Review

Review Overview

Performances
Screenplay and Direction
Technical Effects and BGM

A Competent Thriller!

Ivan Thanthiran is a reasonably competent thriller with a near-pacy narration that makes viewers invest in the story and its characters. Despite the slight lack of much-needed depth in the technological gimmicks portrayed on screen, director R. Kannan makes up for it with his pragmatic approach towards constructing intense little sequences that are accessible to audiences instead of any mind-bending concepts.

Cast: Gautham Karthik, Shraddha Srinath, RJ Balaji, Stunt Silva, Super Subbarayan, Mayilsamy & others

Cinematography: Prasanna S Kumar

Music: SS Thaman

Editing: RK Selva

Stunts: Stunt Silva

Written & Directed by R Kannan

Produced by: Masala Pix & MKRP Productions

Distribution: Creative Entertainers and Distributors

Release Date: 30-07-2017

Run Time: 02:02:00

Ivan Thanthiran is a reasonably competent thriller with a near-pacy narration that makes viewers invest in the story and its characters. Despite the slight lack of much-needed depth in the technological gimmicks portrayed on screen, director R. Kannan makes up for it with his pragmatic approach towards constructing intense little sequences that are accessible to audiences instead of any mind-bending concepts.

Kannan also succeeds in what he aims to achieve on screen: the emotional connect, courtesy relatable lines delivered powerfully by RJ Balaji’s gift of the gab which lays bare different perceptions about engineering students quietly. Balaji is in excellent form throughout the film, tossing pop culture references and original lines on familiar movie characters with great ease.

The plot revolves around how an engineering dropout (Gautham Karthik), gifted with reverse engineering know-hows, brings down a corrupt and highly influential education minister (played by Super Subbarayan).

The first half of the movie is tightly packed and tautly written within the confines of the genre. The unexciting romance between Shraddha Srinath and Gautham Karthik reeks of Mani Ratnam-esque sequences but is never spiritless. Although the second half ambles post interval, it picks up speed with Kannan’s smart writing that pleasantly surprises you, considering his weak spree of previous outings. In fact, one can safely say Ivan Thanthiran is a vast improvement from his past directorial attempts in terms of staging and writing.

Gautham Karthik has certainly improved as an actor. After ‘Rangoon,’ he once again delivers a satisfying performance here, holding his labored expressions in check. Shraddha Srinath gets to play a decent debut lead heroine role, if not a meaty character.

Editor RK Silva’s crisp editing, at a runtime of just two hours, keeps the energy unrelenting and Prasanna Kumar’s steady yet elegant cinematography are the other highlights of the film. Thaman’s background score sounds jarring at a few occasions but perfectly ups the ante at crucial junctures, keeping the tempo on a high.

Ivan Thanthiran Movie Review Rating: 3/5

Also read our other Tamil Movie Reviews

Surendhar MK

Surendhar MK is a digital marketeer turned film journalist| Managing Editor, Only Kollywood. He tweets at @SurendharMK