Thozhaa has a strong central protagonist but surrounds him with characters who are not so strong. So the
film is on strong ground when focusing on its protagonist but turns slow and dragging when dealing with the people
surrounding him. This happens throughout the film, from the initial backstories the characters are given to the final
climax. So on the whole, Thozhaa is a not-so-bad film about a good friend.
Raja(Nitin Satya) is the only breadwinner in a group of 3 friends and supports the other two, Arivazhagan(Premji
Amaran), who is looking for a job, and Ghajini(Vijay Vasanth), an aspiring actor. Velu(Ajayraj), a villager,
joins the trio after Arivazhagan ends up owing him money. Velu is in the city looking for the man who cheated
his sister Meenakshi(Sagithya) and Jennifer(Priya), a lawyer, helps him in his mission. Meanwhile, Arivazhagan
falls for his house-owner's daughter Sowmya while Ghajini impresses a rich industrialist's daughter who thinks
that he is a rich man too.
Thozhaa is populated with a really close-knit group of characters where everyone seems to be connected
to everone else in more than 1 way. So the MLA who is trying to usurp the land where Nitin Satya's orphanage is built
also ends up being Priya's father. And the man at the employment exchange where Premji applies for a job also turns out
to be the man who Sowmya is engaged to. This leads to the feeling that there are one too many coincidences. But it is
also a clever way to allow the different tracks to dovetail at the end so they are resolved without any loose ends.
We know soon enough who Ajayraj is after and so its a pleasant surprise when the movie reveals this sooner than
expected without stretching the non-existent suspense. But it is unable to do the same with respect to the
characters themselves realizing the truth. So it creates Kaadhal Koattai -like
scenarios where the two characters come close to finding out about each other before backing off. But this technique
is less irritating than the other methods the director uses to pad the running time. The segments where Premji Amaran
turns to rag-picking as a new profession(which leads to an unnecessary fight sequence) and Vijay Vasanth keeps trying
to find a break(which leads to an unnecessary song sequence) test our patience a lot.
The multiple relationships between the characters find their usefulness towards the end as the director brings the
tracks together nicely. The screenplay goes through a few convolutions and we get even more coincidences but they
are easier to condone since the payoff is satisfactory. The title of the film is validated in a nice way and Nitin
Satya gains a lot of respect and admiration.
Nitin Satya lacks the range to bring out the full depth of his character. It is a strong character but he is unable
to take it to the next level and transform it into into someone who wholeheartedly earns our sympathy. Premji
Amaran's Ennai Kodumai Idhu shtick has already gotten tiring and he needs get some new material to continue
being funny. Vijay Vasanth is energetic though it is tough to accept him as a hero while Ajayraj plays his role
without enough conviction. None of the heroines make a mark though and fade into the background.
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