Thalappavu (The Headgear)

Every film maker has a specific reason to make a movie, just like a writer has a specific reason for telling a story.

This movie is a story in retrospect. An old man, a retired policeman, Ravindran Pillai (Lal) is finally confessing to a conspiracy in which he was forced to kill a naxalite leader, Joseph (Prithviraj) in police custody and file it as an encounter. This incident completely ruined his life as he takes to drinking unable to live with the guilt. His wife leaves him with his two kids and he lives at the mercy of his friendly neighbors.

The story alternates between past and present seamlessly much like “Thirakkatha”. The direction is crisp and creates impact. Lal has played the role of the repentant policeman perfectly and the expressions of Prithviraj stay with you even after the movie is over. There are two ways to look at the story - one is to stay that it is the story of a man repenting for killing someone and another way to look at it as a view of the bourgeois oppressing and suppressing the naxals. The director is not very clear on what view he wants to stress on and as a result its not as clear as "Thirakkatha" but much more ambiguous.

Now you need to ask, who were the intended audience for the movie? If it was the artsy types then the movie needed much more pathos and grotesqueness which brings forth the “undiluted in your face” incidents to make it critically acclaimed. If the intended viewer were the masses then the movie is way too serious and uninteresting. Compare to something like Thirakkatha which is also a serious movie albeit the theme of the movie is not so seriously socially relevant but in that case the movie is highly engaging with an element of mystery which keeps the viewer glued. Where as in Thalappavu you know the store from the first scene, there are minor surprises here and there (for me the moment when Ravindran’s daughter accepts that she was forced into prostitution at a very young age was hard hitting) but they fail to create an impact.

So while the direction, story and performances are all commendable, the movie failed for the want of a proper audience.

Watch it for the direction and performances.

(Can skip)