Thiruchitrambalam by director Mithran R Jawahar is a feel-good romance film that we normally don’t see in Kollywood, which likes to over-exaggerate love, loss, friendship, and family.  Nithya Menen and Bharathiraja have given phenomenal performances, the former casually overtaking Dhanush in most scenes. I like the two-hour-plus running time which benefitted from a no-nonsense screenplay. Even with these, I am giving a Raw rating as the story was unmemorable and on expected lines.

In a middle-class household, Thiruchitrambalam Sr. (played by Bharathiraja) is the grandfather of the hero Thiruchitrambalam, and he manages the household and cooking. His son Inspector Neelakandan (played by Prakash Raj) and grandson (the hero) have past baggage which has ruptured their relationship. Shobana (Nithya Menen) is a neighbour and close friend from the childhood of Thiruchitrambalam, and advises him in his attempts to find a life partner.

As Shobana, Nithya Menen was cute and lovable, no one else could’ve played the role so convincingly. Tamil films love to show their heroines as emotional fools and helpless darlings, surprisingly, all the three lead ladies in this film played by Raashi Khanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar and Nithya Menen, have a mind of their own and are confident. Even the love proposals are straightforward and believable, with no long drama. I liked the dialogues spoken by the characters of Raashi and Priya. Prakash Raj has underplayed himself to suit the limited role. Bless the soul of the director, the hero’s mother, a character with a brief part was played by veteran Revathi and not by Saranya Ponvannan. 

All three songs sounded familiar and forgettable. Director & team have taken good care of even the small details like the stainless steel plate to hold the beer bottle during a drinking session by the grandfather and grandson. Had they come up with a better and fresh story, Thiruchitrambalam would’ve shined brighter.

திருச்சிற்றம்பலம் (2022)

திருச்சிற்றம்பலம் (2022)

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