Movie Name : Thudarum

Release Date : April 26, 2025
123telugu.com Rating : 2.75/5
Starring : Mohanlal, Arjun Ashokan, Shobana
Director : Tharun Moorthy
Producer : M. Renjith
Music Director : Jakes Bejoy
Cinematographer : Shaji Kumar
Editor : Nishadh Yusuf, Shafeeque V. B.
Related Links : Trailer

After starring in the massive and controversial film L2: Empuraan, Mollywood star Mohanlal takes a different path with a small movie called Thudarum. Released simultaneously in Malayalam and Telugu, here’s our take on the film. Read on for the full review.

Story:

Shanmugam, known as Benz (Mohanlal), is a middle-class taxi driver who treasures his black Ambassador car, treating it almost like a family member. He leads a content life with his wife Lalitha (Sobhana), son Pavan (Thomas Mathew), and daughter (Amritha Varshini). One day, when his car meets with an accident, the mechanic misuses it for illegal activities. In a desperate bid to reclaim his only source of livelihood, Benz approaches SI Benny (Binu Pappu). However, CI George Mathen (Prakash Varma) intervenes, setting off a chain of strange events. Benz is then asked to drive the officers to a wedding and later to a deserted forest area, where a shocking revelation awaits. What exactly happened, and are the officers involved in something more sinister? Thudarum unfolds the answers.

Plus Points:

Mohanlal is in top form yet again, delivering a deeply nuanced performance. He perfectly captures the simplicity and quiet dignity of an everyday man, effortlessly drawing viewers into Benz’s small world.

Especially in the second half, his restrained emotions and expressive acting stand out, reminding us once again why he remains one of the finest actors in Indian cinema. His commitment to the role, never once playing it like a ‘superstar’, reflects the respect he holds for his craft.

Prakash Varma is a revelation as a shrewd, calculating officer. His portrayal is so convincing that it evokes genuine anger from the audience, which speaks volumes about his performance.

Despite limited screen time, Sobhana leaves a lasting impact with her composed and graceful presence. Binu Pappu, Thomas Mathew, and the rest of the supporting cast also do a neat job in their respective roles.

Minus Points:

The story treads familiar ground and doesn’t offer much freshness. It’s a narrative that seasoned cinephiles would easily recognise. Writer K R Sunil and director Tharun Moorthy could have worked on a more layered and unpredictable script to truly elevate the experience.

The first half, although it sets up the premise, gradually loses momentum and feels sluggish after a point. Even after the interval, the film takes time to pick up pace again. This uneven narrative flow might test the patience of some viewers.

While it is commendable that the film avoids mass commercial elements like exaggerated action scenes and punch dialogues, the absence of high-voltage moments also leaves certain sections feeling a bit dry.

Several moments in the film might remind viewers of similar stories in the genre, and the major twist is not too hard to guess. A stronger and more gripping screenplay could have avoided the feeling of déjà vu.

Technical Aspects:

Tharun Moorthy shows flashes of skill in his direction but struggles to maintain a consistently engaging pace. A racier and more gripping narrative could have made a significant difference to the film’s overall impact.

Shaji Kumar’s cinematography is appealing, capturing the moods and settings effectively. Jakes Bejoy’s background score complements the story well, enhancing key emotional moments without overpowering them. However, the editing leaves room for improvement, particularly in the first half where tighter cuts would have made the film more crisp and engaging.

The production values are decent, and the Telugu dubbing is fairly acceptable. However, a glaring issue is the Telugu version itself – the movie title is misspelled compared to how it was originally promoted, and several spelling errors appear even in the opening credits. This reflects a clear lack of attention and interest from the team behind the Telugu release.

Verdict:

On the whole, Thudarum is a modest revenge drama elevated mainly by Mohanlal’s heartfelt performance. However, the predictable storyline, sluggish pacing, and lack of major emotional peaks prevent it from reaching its full potential. It is a watchable film if you are a Mohanlal fan or appreciate slow-burn dramas, but for general audiences, it is advisable to keep expectations in check.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team 

It was a night of literary excellence at the 45th Los Angeles Times Book Prizes ceremony Friday night at USC’s Bovard Auditorium.

As winners in 12 competitive categories and three special prizes took the stage, many addressed the fraught political climate in the U.S. as well as L.A. rebuilding after January’s devastating firestorms.

Writers also addressed the dire need to use their voice to reflect the present moment — from poetry winner Remica Bingham-Risher contemplating the abuse her grandmothers endured (in another time and place, their narrative would have been hers, she said), to current interest winner Jesse Katz urging the audience to recognize the individuality of often-stigmatized MacArthur Park residents.

Pico Iyer — who has written 15 books translated into 23 languages — accepted the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, which honors a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. The author’s latest novel, “Aflame: Learning From Silence,” recounts his mother’s home in Santa Monica burning during a wildfire in 1990. The book was published on Jan. 14, in the immediate aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires.

“I know that many people in this room have been through tremendous losses in the last few months,” he said sharing that he lost handwritten drafts for three books in progress in the 1990 fire. “What initially presented itself mostly as loss began to open doors … and make possible many things that might have never happened otherwise. I really hope that might be the case for some of you.”

“Writing still seems the deepest way of inhabiting another soul and the very best way, therefore, of rescuing us from black and white,” he added.

Investigative journalist Emily Witt accepted the Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose for her memoir “Health and Safety: A Breakdown,” about her exploration of New York’s nightlife scene.

In her acceptance speech, Witt cited Isherwood’s writing about pre-WWII Berlin as a major influence. Like his milieu, she said the characters of her memoir, which takes place in Brooklyn from 2016 to 2020, lived in acute awareness of the “ideological bankruptcy” of their time.

Celebrated L.A.-born poet Amanda Gorman accepted the Innovator’s Award for bringing “books, publishing and storytelling into the future.”

“Love is no silent harbor, no haven,” Gorman recited. “Still, it is the roaring thing that tugs away from the very shores we clutch. There is no better compass than this compassion.”

Iyer and Gorman will speak Saturday at the Festival of Books about their respective books.

The biography prize went to Laura Beers for “Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century.” The book, written on the 75th anniversary of “1984,” explores George Orwell’s prescient and radical teachings. Beers, who was surprised by the win, said the world “seems to become slightly more Orwellian with each passing day.”

Journalist Rebecca Boyle won the science and technology award for “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are,” which traces the moon’s role in our biological and cultural evolution.

“The moon, my subject, does remind us that there are cycles,” she said while accepting the prize. “Inherent in the meaning of a cycle or a phase is a return. Things go away and they come back. Fascism went away and now is back. Authoritarianism went away, we thought, and now it is back. But there’s a flip side to that. Every phase that leaves brings something new. There’s also hope and renewal. And I think part of our job — the most important job we have as writers — is to remind us of the positive phases, the return of good, the return of new cycles and hope.”

In her closing remarks, she quoted Pope Francis, whose funeral is tomorrow: “Hope is a gift and a task.”

Kim Johnson, whose “The Color of a Lie” won the award for young-adult literature, said she set her book, about a white-passing Black teen, in 1955 Levittown, Penn., after her first novel was banned in Bucks County, where Levittown is located.

“Writers write in a lot of spaces where we’re doing resistance,” she said. “I’m thinking about reckoning, trying to untangle the roots of racism and systemic factors in this country that are so embedded and baked in our society.”

Achievement in audiobook production went to Dominic Hoffman (narrator) and Linda Korn (producer) for “James: A Novel.” Presented in collaboration with Audible, the award — the ceremony’s newest — honors performance, production and innovation in storytelling.

Jiaming Tang took home the Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction for “Cinema Love.” The decades-spanning epic follows gay Chinese immigrants. The novel also has won the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction and the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ+ Fiction.

Jesse Katz’s “The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant L.A.” won the award for current interest. The book explores the exploitation of undocumented Angelenos by both gang overlords and local law enforcement.

The fiction award went to Jennine Capó Crucet for “Say Hello to My Little Friend.” Brimming with dark humor, the novel follows a failed Pitbull impersonator’s encounter with a captive orca at the Miami Seaquarium.

Danielle Trussoni’s “The Puzzle Box” received the award for mystery/thriller. The second of Trussoni’s Mike Brink series, the book follows a puzzle master invited to Tokyo to try his hand opening the legendary Dragon Box, which contains a priceless Imperial secret.

The ceremony, which opened with remarks by Times Executive Editor Terry Tang and was emceed by Times columnist LZ Granderson (who also provided updates from the Lakers playoff game), serves as a kickoff to this weekend’s Festival of Books.

“In a world that is now feeling so confusing and distressed, this weekend gives all of us a chance to find a sense of unity, purpose and support,” Tang said.

The 30th annual celebration brings more than 550 storytellers to the USC campus across seven outdoor stages and 15 indoor venues. While some panels are ticketed, general admission to the festival is free.

Saturday’s events include conversations and panels with Amor Towles, Jay Ellis, Claire Hoffman, Stacey Abrams, Joanna “JoJo” Levesque, Griffin Dunne, E.A. Hanks, Rebecca Yarros, Amanda Knox, Rachel Kushner, Krysten Ritter, Max Greenfield and “Giggly Squad” podcast hosts Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo, as well as a cooking demo from Roy Choi, a reading by Alison C. Rollins and a performance by singer Aspen Jacobsen.

Sunday’s authors and entertainers include Percival Everett, Jenny Slate, Steve Wasserman, Maureen Dowd, Wilmer Valderrama, Jon M. Chu, Rachel Lindsay, Chelsea Handler, Jennifer Haigh, Gretchen Whitmer, Attica Locke, Janelle Brown, Kristen Ciccarelli and Mike Campbell. A special screening of PBS series “Miss Austen” and an appearance by children’s entertainer Blippi are also among the highlights.

Here’s the full list of finalists and winners for the Book Prizes.

Robert Kirsch Award

Pico Iyer, “Aflame: Learning From Silence”

The Christopher Isherwood Prize for Autobiographical Prose

Emily Witt, “Health and Safety: A Breakdown”

Innovator’s Award

Amanda Gorman

The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction

Jiaming Tang, “Cinema Love: A Novel”

Pemi Aguda, “Ghostroots: Stories”

Joseph Earl Thomas, “God Bless You, Otis Spunkmeyer: A Novel”

Jessica Elisheva Emerson, “Olive Days: A Novel”

Julian Zabalbeascoa, “What We Tried to Bury Grows Here”

Achievement in Audiobook Production, presented by Audible

Matt Bomer (narrator), Kelly Gildea (director, co-producer), Lauren Klein (producer); “Giovanni’s Room: A Novel”

Narrators: Clare Brown, Ayanna Dookie, Korey Jackson, Andrea Jones-Sojola, Brittany Pressley, Emana Rachelle, Malika Samuel, Heather Alicia Simms, Diana Bustelo, Tyla Collier, Alejandra Reynoso, David Sadzin, André Santana, Shaun Taylor-Corbett; Producer: Allison Light; “New Nigeria County”

Narrators: Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott, Tom Hardy, Chukwudi Iwuji, Romesh Ranganathan, Natasia Demetriou, Francesca Mills, Alex Lawther, Katie Leung; Producers: Chris Jones, Mariele Runacre-Temple, Robin Morgan-Bentley, Nathan Freeman; “George Orwell’s 1984: An Audible Original adaptation”

Dominic Hoffman (narrator), Linda Korn (producer); “James: A Novel”

Michele Norris With a Full Cast (narrator), Mike Noble (producer); “Our Hidden Conversations: What Americans Really Think About Race and Identity”

Biography

Laura Beers, “Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century”

Cynthia Carr, “Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar”

Alexis Pauline Gumbs, “Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde”

Pamela D. Toler, “The Dragon From Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany”

Jessica Goudeau, “We Were Illegal: Uncovering a Texas Family’s Mythmaking and Migration”

Current Interest

Jonathan Blitzer, “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis”

Ta-Nehisi Coates, “The Message”

Jesse Katz, “The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant L.A.”

Robin Wall Kimmerer, “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World”

Wright Thompson, “The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi”

Fiction

Rita Bullwinkel, “Headshot: A Novel”

Jennine Capó Crucet, “Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Novel”

Percival Everett, “James: A Novel”

Yuri Herrera translated by Lisa Dillman, “Season of the Swamp: A Novel”

Miranda July, “All Fours: A Novel”

Graphic Novel/Comics

Kris Bertin and Alexander Forbes, “Hobtown Mystery Stories Vol. 2: The Cursed Hermit”

Taiyo Matsumoto, “Tokyo These Days, Vol. 1”

Bhanu Pratap, “Cutting Season”

Miroslav Sekulic-Struja, translated by Jenna Allen, “Petar & Liza”

Ram V and Filipe Andrade, “Rare Flavours”

History

Andrea Freeman, “Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, From the Trail of Tears to School Lunch”

Andrew W. Kahrl, “The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America”

Aaron Robertson, “The Black Utopians: Searching for Paradise and the Promised Land in America”

Joseph M. Thompson, “Cold War Country: How Nashville’s Music Row and the Pentagon Created the Sound of American Patriotism”

Michael Waters, “The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports”

Mystery/Thriller

Christopher Bollen, “Havoc: A Novel”

Michael Connelly, “The Waiting: A Ballard and Bosch Novel”

Attica Locke, “Guide Me Home: A Highway 59 Novel”

Liz Moore, “The God of the Woods: A Novel”

Danielle Trussoni, “The Puzzle Box: A Novel”

Poetry

Remica Bingham-Risher, “Room Swept Home”

Andrea Cohen, “The Sorrow Apartments”

Cindy Juyoung Ok, “Ward Toward”

Pam Rehm, “Inner Verses”

Alison C. Rollins, “Black Bell”

Science Fiction, Fantasy & Speculative Fiction

Jedediah Berry, “The Naming Song”

Lev Grossman, “The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur”

Kelly Link, “The Book of Love”

Jeff VanderMeer, “Absolution: A Southern Reach Novel”

Nghi Vo, “The City in Glass”

Science & Technology

Rebecca Boyle, “Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are”

Ferris Jabr, “Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life”

Daniel Lewis, “Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future”

Kyne Santos, “Math in Drag”

Zoë Schlanger, “The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth”

Young-Adult Literature

Traci Chee, “Kindling”

K.A. Cobell, “Looking for Smoke”

Safia Elhillo, “Bright Red Fruit”

Carolina Ixta, “Shut Up, This Is Serious”

Kim Johnson, “The Color of a Lie”

The title and theme of “The Trouble with Jessica” echo one of Alfred Hitchcock’s lesser films, “The Trouble with Harry,” better remembered now for Shirley MacLaine’s debut performance and the gorgeous fall scenery than for its chilly dark humor about a dead body that keeps being moved around. Here, the title character, Jessica (Indira Varma), is dead for most of this film, and it is also darkly humorous, sometimes lacerating, but not at all chilly. The tone is heightened and the stakes are savage as the score turns from classical to urgent, dissonant jazz.

Like “The Menu,” “Death of a Unicorn,” “Triangle of Sadness,” “Mickey 17,” “Glass Onion,” and other recent eat-the-rich-themed films, “The Trouble with Jessica” gives us wealthy, privileged characters faced with dire circumstances that expose their hypocrisy, cluelessness, and willingness to jettison morality at the expense of those with less power. It is divided into segments separated by arch chapter titles: “The Trouble with Friends,” “The Trouble with Neighbors,” “The Trouble with Rich People,” etc.

As it begins, Sarah (tiny, husky-voiced Shirley Henderson) and her husband Tom (Alan Tudyk) are getting ready for a dinner party in their spacious and luxurious London home. Tom is making his specialty dessert, a sort of French cherry pie called clafoutis, which will play a major role throughout the evening. We will learn that Sarah is under a lot of stress and that this dinner will be their last party in the house, so it is especially important to her.

The guests they are expecting are their closest friends, Richard (Rufus Sewell) and his wife, Beth (Olivia Williams), who call just before arrival to say that they are bringing Jessica with them.  Shirley is very annoyed. She calls Jessica “Little Miss ‘Aren’t I Fascinating’” and complains that she shamelessly flirts with Tom. Jessica has just published a best-seller Shirley describes as “400 pages of confession porn.”

The friends have known each other since college, and in Tom’s home office, there is a photograph of the five of them in cap and gown at their college graduation. When they sit down to dinner, the conversation reflects a deep history and understanding of each other’s vulnerabilities, some of which inspire sympathy (Beth is protective of Jessica) and some reflect long-standing arguments. Richard and Beth spar over his career as a lawyer representing men accused of rape. He admits he hates cross-examining the victims and does not like his clients, but he is good at it and it makes him a lot of money. Beth, who counsels women survivors of domestic violence, has the privilege of feeling that she is morally superior while she benefits from the money Richard makes by not minding a bit of moral compromise. This is clearly a persistent source of conflict in their relationship, but compared to what comes next, their discussion is a simmer, not a blast.

The blast comes from Jessica, who is sharp-tongued and manipulative. She tells Richard he is a charming amoralist and Beth she is “a po-faced do-gooder.”  She accuses the couples of being boring and unfairly lucky. This prompts Sarah to tell the group that Tom’s most recent architectural project has gotten them into such a dire financial bind that they have had to sell the house and are desperately hoping to close the deal immediately. This is the first, but not the last, time someone in the film will say that if things do not go well, it will “end me.” 

The one who is ended, though, is Jessica, who steps out into the garden and commits suicide. Sarah’s first reaction is that if they call the police, the people buying their home will cancel, and their last hope of financial stability will be gone. She is the first to show us that under pressure, even people who like to think of themselves as “good” will realize that they are more selfish than they allowed themselves to admit. Sarah’s view is that it does not matter where Jessica died, so why not move her? When Tom objects, she barks, “You don’t have the luxury of a conscience right now.”

At first, Tom, Beth, and Richard are horrified and want to call the police immediately. But as the evening wears on, and the doorbell keeps ringing with unexpected visits, we discover more about the characters’ history. And we see the ethical tipping points that end up with a farcical but still genuinely tense effort to move Jessica’s body. 

The script, by James Handel and director Matt Winn, is tightly constructed. The surprise visitors that keep showing up prevent it from getting too talky. When they do talk, the characters’ long history, including support for each other in difficult times, gives them exactly the ammunition they need to provoke and push each other. Seeing how quickly they burst through the thin veneer of cozy comity and unleash utter ruthlessness is unsettling but bracing. At first, we lean forward, trying to figure out who will jettison sensible rationality. By the end, though, we are left wondering uncomfortably what our own tipping points might be.