Por Thozhil

A well written & well made engaging edge of the seat crime thriller by Vignesh Raja. The first half was superb, and the second half was extraordinary. The last 45 minutes were unpredictable, with twists & turns. The killer's motive was well executed through flashback, and his sad moments were portrayed good. The duo of Sarath Kumar and Ashok Selvan was absolutely phenomenal, leaving a lasting impact throughout the movie. Sarath Kumar played his cop role perfectly, showcasing boldness and brilliance. The way his character was explained in the last scene, within a single scene, was truly great. The character growth of Ashok Selvan from the beginning to the end was Impressive, his last gun scene was outstanding. Cinematography was excellent. The Background Music was absolutely perfect, creating thrilling moments. Overall, "Por Thozil" offers a great experience that does not disappoint.

Por Thozil A review by Rajesh Puvvada 11th June 2023

It's been while since I have watched a movie where every sentence spoken and every shot taken has complete relevance. The plot and presentation is so handsome that the looks of actors are of no purpose in this movie.

Crime and serial killing stories are not new, but how the movie is presented makes a whole difference. It's a typical story with a veteran and rookie gap in understanding is wide and the grumpy veteran has an edge backed by experience.

By far Sharath Kumar's most meaningful no nonsense performance. Ashok Selvan fits very well within the plot and delivers his part without blemish. I must say with his performance he has come of age in Tamil cinema. You get to see Sarath Babu for one last time in this movie. The quaint septuagenarian has delivered and that was noteworthy.

The movie spins around a few roads in Trichy. No long chases, unnecessary build ups, six pack glamour. There is so much realism in this movie, one will appreciate the colloquial flavour the movie keeps.

The movie leaves a message to all those parents who fail to offer a proper childhood to their children. So it's a must watch for all the parents. The mortuary scenes can be disturbing, hence I would recommend to leave the young children away from this movie.

I am going with a 8.8/10 for this one. Do watch it!! Some can wait for the OTT release, but you will miss the completeness a theatre would offer generously!!

I am planning to watch it again, to analyse the presentation style!!

Por Thozhil is about a newly recruited DSP trainee Prakash (Ashok Selvan) teaming up with seasoned officer SP Lokanathan (Sarath Kumar) over a serial killing case. Lokanathan is least interested in mentoring the rookie and the rookie decides to prove himself by helping Lokanathan solve the case. A series of murders happen with the perpetrator leaving no clue and randomly choosing the victims. How the duo find the real killer when they have literally no motive to work with forms the story.

Por Thozhil solely works for it's writing which gives no space to deviate from it's limited set of characters and their sub plots. Kudos to the director for keeping proceedings tense and especially the first half simply stands out with that terrific interval block. The subtle treatment does the trick and having seasoned actors like Sarath Babu and Sarath Kumar is a casting masterstroke. The second half though doesn't match the first half which had set the bar too high, it still delivers with the rightly placed twists despite choosing the predictable narrative.

With strong performances and a tight narrative, Por Thozhil is another worthy entry into the investigative thriller genre and is worth watching. Definitely recommended.

This film feels like one of the best crime novel-based films ever made.

The 2 protagonists based crime investigation drama in Tamil films is rarely made and the twists & turns in the film are so engaging with a back plot for every character and made in a not-so-boring way is really intriguing to watch.

The unfolding of every single scene from the start to the end of the film with a nicely designed characterisation makes this film a must-watch for all crime moviegoers.

After a long time, Sarath Kumar has done a role that showcases how good a senior actor he is.

Overall, this film is a bliss to watch, if you like watching crime investigation thrillers.

The movie reminds you of Ratchasan at places and there is also a character named 'Ramkumar'. Veteran actors Sarath Kumar and Sarath Babu stole the show and the story has enough meat to show their prowess. The mystery element works well and all the main characters have a turbulent childhood and there is even a counter argument on serial killers in this movie.

The technical team is just too good and thrills work at majority of the places. The reveals and misses are stunning and engaging. Though logically there are things don't work out, the writing is too good with enough depth for each characters. Do watch this movie!!