Thuramukham Movie Review: Nivin Pauly and Rajeev Ravi's Period Drama Praised for Its Performances and Trade Union-Based Themes

Thuramukham, the much delayed Rajeev Ravi film, has finally reached the theatres on March 10. Thuramukham has an ensemble cast, with Nivin Pauly in the lead, and is a period drama about the rise of trade unions against the infamous chappa system. The film has received mixed to good reviews, with the performances of the cast, especially Pauly and Poornima Indrajith, and the topical themes praised, along with Rajeev Ravi's direction. However, the film's length and certain underwhelming subplots and characters were criticised. Thuramukham Teaser: Nivin Pauly Takes On the 'Chappa' System in This Rajeev Ravi's Period Drama.

Thuramukham is written by Gopan Chidambaran and it is based on a play by the same name, written by his father. The movie faced delays to reach theatres due to the pandemic and also certain financial constraints in releasing the film. The delays were so much that fans started making jokes on the film, trolling the frequent reschedules. Anyway, it has now managed to reach the theatres and the verdict is out.

Watch the Trailer of Thuramukham:

Check out what major publications are saying about the movie:

Times of India: "Director Rajeev Ravi infuses his usual atmospheric heft to the film, scripted by Gopan Chidambaram. Malayalam has seen some rousing trade union movies, such as IV Sasi’s 87 Mohanlal-Mammootty starrer Adimakal Udamakal or even real-life inspired 1990 film Lal Salam, helmed by Venu Nagavalli. Thuramukham has a slower pace and characters that needed a bit more fullness to make them more dear to the audience."

The Hindu: "What might work against the movie is the three-hour run-time, with some passages that are just not engaging enough. Yet, Thuramukham remains an honest and important document of workers’ struggle to unionise for their rights, in an era in which such hard-won rights are chipped away, and even feeble protests are mocked at."

The Week: "Thuramukham’s runtime is 2 hours and 54 minutes. The story is spread over the lives of many different characters. The film employs a linear and slow-paced narrative, closer to a documentary-style treatment. However, too many subplots (though all related) in the narrative ruin the focus on the main plot. Also, tighter editing would have worked in the film's favour to become a theatrical hit."

OTT Play: "Nivin delivers a terrific performance as a man who is a slave to his primal instincts. Poornima's transformation from a young woman to an old lady is so convincing. Especially, the makeup and costume artists and the production designers have done such a wonderful job. Rajeev Ravi's frames add richness to the narration and transport us to a period of darkness when oil lamps were the only source of light in improvised ghettos."

So how did you find Thuramukham? Share your thoughts and reviews in the comments section below.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 10, 2023 08:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).