One of the most remarkable features of Kannada director Narthan's 2017 film Mufti was how it depicted the criminal underworld through the eyes of a cop sent undercover to find a notorious mafia don. The criminal lord, played by Shiva Rajkumar, was always present in the background of every scene till he finally made a dramatic entrance. Even before he appeared, the anticipation was palpable as he quickly evolved into a legend, a ghost, and a Godfather-like character.
Silambarasan TR, who plays mafia boss AG Raavanan, a.k.a. AGR, makes a dramatic arrival midway through Mufti's Tamil version Pathu Thala, but director Obeli N Krishna decides to show him in a shot immediately at the start. There's still some mystery. We begin in the middle of a contentious political conflict between the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Arunmozhi (Santhosh Pratap), and the deputy chief minister, Naanjilaar Gunasekaran (Gautham Vasudev Menon), who is powerful enough to overthrow the government. In an unexpected turn of events, the Chief Minister is abducted, and everyone's attention is focused on AGR, a notorious mining mafia boss in Kanyakumari. Gautham Karthik's Sakthivel (as Gana) is dispatched to learn more because all efforts are in vain. The fact that the majority of the party members believe Naanjilaar was involved in the CM's disappearance only fuels his resentment towards AGR. In a technical sense, AR Rahman's soundtrack greatly complements the movie. It resembles the film's spine in many ways. He gives the music in the movie everything. The visuals of Farook Basha and his choice of colours for the film are both excellent.
Pathu Thala is an entertaining action movie with excellent stunt choreography and acting. It establishes a standard for the soundtrack and cinematography and never lowers it. Without ever veering off course, it gives the original plot justice. This would have been a must-watch movie if the second half's pacing and the storyline as a whole had been a little better. That is still a terrific weekend viewing, though. As I previously stated, you would anticipate that AGR's character would be somewhat complex and possess deep wisdom. But, that character's writing is utterly uninteresting. SPOILER WARNING! At one scene, it is revealed that AGR has a multinational business with an annual profit of Rs 300 crores, and he donates all of that money to charity. There is a whole song sequence where Silambarasan is walking with mine workers, taking photos with workers, waving at AGR fans, allowing school students use his convoy as their school bus broke down, etc., to focus more on his empathy for other human beings. Really, that section eliminates any chance of discovering something new. Even worse, the hero is defending himself. Silambarasan does appear credible as this strong man who has the ability to depose or choose the chief minister of a state with his bearded appearance, all-black attire, and impressive filmography. In terms of acting potential, I believe Gautham Karthik received the better role. Gautham Vasudev Menon has the opportunity to experiment with various lingo in a single film because he is the primary adversary. It was a character that didn't register aside from that. In terms of the main plot, Priya Bhavani Shankar's performance as Leela Thompson was essentially irrelevant. Although though Teejay Arunasalam played the hot-headed bad guy in a gang, his part as AGR's henchman is one that grabs your attention.
