Surveillance thriller shows new director is one to watch

The wave of new directors continues with Thegidi, a thriller directed by P Ramesh and co-produced by CV Kumar (Pizza and Pizza 2).

Thegidi (9/10)

Ashok Selvan, who played the lead role in Pizza 2, is the hero in Thegidi opposite Janani Iyer of Avan Ivan fame. Jayaprakash, Kaali Venkat, Jayakumar and Pradeep Nair also act in the film.

Thegidi tells the story of Vetri (Selvan), who is the top student in his criminology class. He is hired by a prestigious firm of private detectives and has to relocate to Chennai. He goes through the routine of surveillance and reporting.

On one of his encounters, he meets the beautiful Madhushree (Iyer) under awkward circumstances.

Love rapidly develops, but just as it happens, Vetri uncovers a chilling secret.

Selvan, in his third major role, shows growing promise as an actor. His subtle but powerful portrayal matches the role perfectly.

Iyer is clearly an underutilised actress. Her good looks and outstanding acting skills ought to see her land many more roles. Jayaprakash also delivers a worthy performance.

Ramesh's screenplay is brilliantly paced, except for the second half, in which about 10 minutes could have been trimmed.

Dinesh Krishnan's cinematography makes creative use of lighting with low-light techniques that are reminiscent of the cinematographic style of the late Balu Mahendra.

On the musical front, Nivas K Prasanna's songs are good, but he is most impressive in the background score.

Ramesh shows great innovation in his directorial style, screenplay and scripting. The way he handles his relatively inexperienced cast is indicative of his skill and talent.

Thegidi is an engaging thriller with enough twists and surprises to sustain interest to the very end.