Thipparaa Meesam - Movie Review

What’s it about!

Mani (Sree Vishnu) hates his mother Lalitha (Rohini). She works as an assistant librarian and lives with her daughter. When he was in teens, Mani got addicted to drugs and his mother put him in a rehabilitation center on the advice of doctors. The solitary life in the rehab center had made him develop hatred towards his mother. Grown-up Mani leads a life as a DJ, but he has now a new obsession – gambling. This gambling leads him to forget about morality. He even dares to file a case against his mother for a cheque bounce. Will he become a normal human being? Will mother and son bond again?

Analysis

‘Thippara Meesam’ is the story of a degenerated person’s redemption. The protagonist in this film is not a hero in any sense. He doesn’t have any hero qualities. He is a drug addict, has a betting obsession, hates his mother, also misbehaves with his girlfriend one night, and is irresponsible. Plus, he is impulsive by nature. A simple drug habit in school has put him in a pool of degeneration. All because of his hatred mother!

With such an abhorrent nature, how can he be a hero? Well, director Krishna Vijay has tried to tell the story that even such a person can become a good person, that he can also get redemption. This idea seems neat on paper but he has faltered in execution.

After establishing the scenes that explain why he hates his mother, the focus should not have continued showing his further fall as a person. it seemed like a never-ending. There is a scene in the film in which hero Sree Vishnu after taking a shot of cocaine, he strolls into the dance bar and runs into the streets wearing nothing but boxers. His half-naked revelry is to show how he is spoiling himself as a person but such sequences also have tested the patience as they dragged on the story.

While the first half is uneven and lacks arresting moments, the film comes to its groove towards the end. The redemption part is handled effectively by Krishna Vijay. The court scene and the following sequences are superb. The mother-son theme is also handled well in the end. 

The protagonist twirls his moustache (a symbol for man’s pride) for petty reasons. But he gets to know that is false pride in the end. 

Sree Vishnu has gotten under the skin of the character. He is not only brilliant in this role; it is also admirable to see that he can go to any length to portray such dark characters. There are many scenes, like I referred about being in boxers, that are daring in nature but he has pulled off them with aplomb. Rohini as his mother is endearing and the senior actor has performed with subtle nature. 

Benarjee as Sree Vishnu’s uncle, the girl who played his sister’s role, Vennela Ramarao as Koti and comedian Josh Ravi have done justice to their meaty roles. Lead heroine Nikki is okay. Ravi Varma as Sree Vishnu’s betting friend is also okay. 

Among the technicians, it is cinematographer Sid whose work is astonishing. He has brought out the dark theme effectively. 

Bottom-line: ‘Thippara Meesam’ is a character study film. Sree Vishnu’s excellent performance is the main highlight. But the film makes a dreary watch for general moviegoers with its slow narration and dark theme.