Thudakkam Movie Review: Vismaya Impresses in Jude's Thriller, Despite a Tonal Shift

Vismaya Mohanlal's Thudakkam is an excellent thriller in its first half, with the right jump scares and unbelievable sound design. The second half is more geared towards mass appeal, with Mohanlal making a cameo appearance—a cameo that was too lengthy and actually sent the film in a different direction.Sometimes, there is no need to handhold. Vismaya was carrying the film on her own without any issues.With Aashish Antony playing the villain—a psychotic rapist and killer—and Vismaya (Meenu) playing a martial arts trainer with a differently abled father, portrayed by Sai Kumar, the film has a strong central conflict. Jude Anthany Joseph is a good filmmaker; he has proven that many times already. But in some places, the fanboy paying homage to a legacy reared its head, particularly with the symbolic handing over of a scroll. It was avoidable. Meenu's martial arts teacher could still have been Mohanlal, but toning it down a little would have made the moment far more effective.Is it a standard story? Almost. Lineesh Nellickal's story is about a woman fighting back. It's about how, in any crime against a woman, the onus is always on the victim to prove her innocence, how society perceives an attack or an assault, and how the tightly knit villages in Kerala are not as innocent as they seem, but instead have a layer of toxic moral superiority wrapped around them like a cocoon.Vismaya manages to hold her own throughout, even though there are a few moments when the emotions don't fully come through. Aashish is remarkable as the villain, and together the duo have excellent screen presence that keeps one hooked. Despite the solid performances, there is a slight artificiality in how the second half unfolds. The tonal shift is jarring, but it is wrapped up neatly with a cleanly executed fight scene.Ganesh Kumar plays a typical local businessman out to intimidate the village officer, while Chippy plays Vismaya's mother in a return to the screen after nearly two decades. Manoj K. Jayan plays a cop. Almost all the supporting characters serve their purpose well.To specifically discuss the Mohanlal cameo, it felt over the top because of how it was executed. Dialogues like "Make your father proud" serve as little more than fan service, taking away from the film's emotional impact. A much more subdued approach—like the brief moment when she remembers him during the fight scene—would have worked much better.There are also a few football references thrown in, be it the dog named Messi, Ronaldo jerseys, or later, the villain's association with Liverpool. There is also an underlying theme of drug abuse.The climax works, but only to an extent. The villain on his own was strong, but adding the accessories to him, while creating plenty of stunt possibilities, also made him feel a bit typical. Akhil George and Jomon T John's camerawork along with Chaman Chacko's editing elevates the thrills in the first half while beautifully capturing both the beauty and desolation of Idukki. Jakes Bejoy's music breathes life into the film.