Jeethu Joseph tries hard to retain the vibe of Drishyam/Papanasam in his latest outing, starring Karthi, Jyothika, Sathyaraj, and Nikhila Vimal. The effort is commendable, and Thambi indeed is a 'family thriller', but the thriller dots barely connect and the emotional dots do not connect at all. Yet, what keeps the film afloat are the casting choices and the manner in which Jeethu tries to pull off a rather far-fetched make-believe.
It, however, fails in drawing great connects between the various members in the family, especially between brother and sister. Also, the placement of red-herrings is sometimes too evident in the screenplay. The first half is quite underwhelming with the prodigal son (or just a con-man?) returning to his home after 15 years and adjusting to the newfound surroundings. There are a number of song sequences, a by-the-numbers romantic angle that doesn't add meat to the central storyline, and a subplot that barely reveals character intentions.
Things do get better in the second half, but at one point, you're subjected to fight sequence after fight sequence without any solid improvement in the plot. The murders in Thambi aren't covered up as phenomenally as the one in Drishyam was. And when the big twist comes around, one does tend to feel that the sole purpose of many earlier scenes was only to distract and deceive. The ensemble does a neat-to-serviceable job with their characters, with Sathyaraj the only one standing out. I also enjoyed Sowcar Janaki's presence in the movie.
Thambi is no Papanasam or Parasite, I can tell you that. It's not a difficult film to sit through, but it could have been a lot (I mean A LOT!) better.
