Cast: Nithiin, Saptami Gowda, Laya, Varsha Bollamma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Swasika, Hari Teja, Srikanth Aiyengar, Deetya, and others
Music Director: Ajaneesh Loknath
Cinematographers: KV Guhan, Sameer Reddy, Setu
Producer: Shirish
Story, Screenplay, Dialogues, Director: Venu Sriram
Rating: 1/5
Suresh Kavirayani
Actor Nithiin is in a bad phase, as his last few films didn’t do well at the box office. He needed a good commercial break and joined hands with Venu Sriram of Vakeel Saab fame for Thammudu. Dil Raju and his brother Shirish produced this film, while yesteryear actress Laya made a comeback after nearly 20 years. Kantara fame Kannada actress Saptami Gowda is also making her Telugu debut with this one. Ajaneesh Loknath is the music director, and here is the story and how it goes.
Story:
Jay (Nithiin) is a professional archer who has won many medals for the country. He aims big, but he can’t focus on his targets because of childhood guilt: his sister Snehalatha (Laya) distanced herself from the family. Sneha left home and promised never to return to her father’s house. Jay’s friend Chitra (Varsha Bollamma) asks Jay to search for his sister. Jay finds her house and learns she has changed her name to Jhansi Kiranmayi. Upon inquiry, he discovers she is working as a government officer and has gone to the Ambaragodugu forest with her husband and other family members to visit a popular Goddess there. Jay and his friend Chitra also go to the Ambaragodugu forest.
Meanwhile, a blast occurs at a factory in Visakhapatnam, killing many people. The factory is owned by a big businessman, Azarwal (Saurabh Sachdev). He bribes some officials to get a report in his favor, but the final report is to be submitted by Jhansi. So, he sends his henchmen into the Ambaragodugu forest to find Jhansi and force her to sign the report. How Jay saves his sister from Azarwal’s men and eventually reveals to her that he is her brother is the crux of the story.
Analysis:
Director Venu Sriram took a lot of time to complete Thammudu. His earlier film Vakeel Saab, with Pawan Kalyan in the lead, was released in 2021 and was successful. So one would expect something sensible from him here. He also started the film with promise, but after fifteen minutes, he completely lost his track.
It’s a simple story— a brother distanced from his sister when he was young, later searching for her to reunite. He finds she is in trouble, so he wants to save her and reveal his identity. This is a very basic plot, and several films have already been made on this theme, with nothing new about it. But here in Thammudu, Venu Sriram’s narration is so lackluster that at points one can feel it is downright silly.
Except for one or two scenes in between, watching the film is tedious, and you need a lot of patience. You will get irritated at some absurd points, especially the poorly executed action sequences, which are a big drawback. The story shifts from town to forest, and here one silly character after another is introduced by the director.
One of them is Ratna, played by Saptami Gowda, and her conversations with Nithiin are completely silly and often come across as a big joke. The director shows that in this dense forest, the villagers climb trees to get a mobile signal, but this girl Ratna somehow maintains an emergency radio service to guide lost people. She guides Nithiin and his team through the forest, and her dialogues are a complete drag.
Surprisingly, this girl even guides a doctor and gives instructions when a pregnant woman delivers a baby in that thick forest.
Another silly character is Guthi, played by Swasika. She drives a bus, and only Venu Sriram knows how this bus even came into that dense forest. If you give her money or gold, Guthi transports people inside the forest. There are many such bizarre episodes in this film, and the director didn’t bother to come up with any meaningful story. There are no real emotions in the film, though the director claimed the story revolves around a brother-sister sentiment. He couldn’t depict it convincingly.
There are some forced scenes in the film, like the child Deetya losing her way, and the protagonist Jay going back into the forest to search for her—completely unnecessary.
Another gratuitous scene is at the beginning, featuring an adult encounter with the villain, played by Saurabh Sachdev. This scene is definitely unnecessary and not something one expects from a Dil Raju film. Maybe because of this adult scene, the censor board gave it an ‘A’ certificate.
The climax is completely formulaic and uninteresting. In fact, the entire film is a big waste, and you need a lot of patience to sit through it. Director Venu Sriram completely failed to narrate even a simple story, but the real surprise is how a producer like Dil Raju accepted this kind of script.
Performance:
When it comes to the artists, none of them delivered a good performance. Nithiin’s character is written very poorly, but he tries to justify his role. Some of his action sequences are badly shot, especially the bridge episode. Laya, coming back to films after a 20-year gap, actually does justice to her role. Saurabh Sachdev portrays an interesting character, but after some time, he too becomes monotonous. Still, he is the only highlight of the film. It seems the director concentrated more on the villain than the protagonist.
Saptami Gowda, who played the guide in the forest, is also wasted in a poorly written role. Varsha Bollamma, playing Nithiin’s friend, gets a meatier role and does her best. No need to mention all the other characters, as none of them make an impression.
Technical Aspects
Technically, the film’s background score by Ajaneesh Loknath is good and actually lifts some episodes. The cinematography is just okay, but the big drawback is the badly choreographed action episodes. The screenplay lacks depth, and the film badly needs tighter editing. The dialogues are just average.
Verdict
Finally, Thammudu fails completely and gives Nithiin another setback as he continues his string of flops. Director Venu Sriram failed in all departments, and an experienced producer like Dil Raju invested a lot of money in this lackluster and mediocre story. You can definitely ignore this one.
