Now Reading: Thudakkam review: Vismaya Mohanlal debut undermined by cameo, male lens
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Thudakkam review: Vismaya Mohanlal debut undermined by cameo, male lens
Thudakkam review: Vismaya Mohanlal debut undermined by cameo, male lens
Jude Anthany Joseph's Thudakkam, starring Vismaya Mohanlal as Meenu, a young woman who uses martial arts to fight a stalker and killer, has drawn mixed reviews. Both The News Minute and Cinema…
The Story in Brief
Jude Anthany Joseph's Thudakkam, starring Vismaya Mohanlal as Meenu, a young woman who uses martial arts to fight a stalker and killer, has drawn mixed reviews. Both The News Minute and Cinema Express criticise the film for placing the burden of self-defence entirely on women without addressing root causes of violence.
The News Minute says the film's obsession with Meenu's self-reliance undercuts its empowerment message, while Cinema Express calls the messaging 'dated'. Both reviewers note that Mohanlal's extended cameo, added late on his suggestion, overpowers Vismaya's role. Cinema Express praises Aashish Joe Antony's performance as the villain but says the writing stays peripheral. Vismaya's stunt work is commended, though her emotional acting is called uneven.
The Indian Opinion
The reviews sharpen a tired debate: can a commercial film carry a feminist message when written by men? Thudakkam seems bent on answering 'no' by leaning on the oldest crutch, women must learn to fight rather than men stop attacking. Worse, Mohanlal's meta-cameo turns his daughter's debut into his own show. The test is simple: will the next 'women-centric' Malayalam film let its heroine breathe without a male star hovering? Or will it, too, confuse a flying kick with liberation? Watch who gets the climactic scene.
Sources (2): thenewsminute.com, cinemaexpress.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
