It is the story of three friends - Thommi (Sharaf), Balu (Siju) and Manaf (Krishna Shankar) and their adventures to make money. The title Thobama is derived from their names. As Alphonse Puthren, one of the producers, said in his Facebook post, the movie offers nothing new. It revolves around friendship, which has been told many times. But, it is set against a different backdrop - lottery mafia, one factor that keeps the movie engaging. We get to know about the dark side of this industry.
Thobama drags a bit in the first half. Characters are established slowly and one can easily guess their moves. A whiff of freshness is the presence of Shabareesh Varma, who has shades of grey. In fact, he has pulled it off well. Sharaf, who comes as comic relief in most movies, too has a different portrayal in Thobama. Siju's character has shades of his roles in earlier movies. Sreelakshmi, who plays the role of Thommi's mother, too has delivered a good performance.
The movie picks up pace in the second half. But, the script has loose ends. For instance, the love story of Balu; it is half-baked. Nothing would have happened if that part wasn't there. Though it introduces newbie Punya, the scenes don't add greatly to the progression of the story. Even in climax, there is no mention about it. Also, not much details are given about Manaf.
The background score is interesting at certain points, especially when sounds of car and Kathakali form the backdrop as characters narrate related instances. And also sounds of nature during outdoor conversations of friends. One can also hear crickets chirp in the background. There are some stylish stunts and camera moves too.
Thobama ends on a positive note. It reminds us of the need to have good friends in life and implies religious harmony through the three friends who hail from different religious backgrounds. It also tells the viewer there are no shortcuts to fortune.
