Thegidi (2014) Poster

(2014)

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7/10
Cool and Thrilling
rockerrohit272730 April 2014
Ratings : 4/5 ! Must watch ! Miss it at your own risk !

Pros : Plot,Execution,Screenplay,Acting,Editing,Excellent Background score ! Cons : Nothing big but dialogues could have been a bit better.

Hindu : Thegidi-License to thrill ! India Today : Must watch thriller.

First of its kind movie in Tamil cinema with Hollywood style making and handling yet again from new artists.Technically sleeky and cool ! Perfect screenplay and a clean movie without any unwanted elements. Acting is flawless ! Ashok selvan(Lead) is yet another rising star ! (another guy's acting as his friend is worth mentioning). Background score is Excellent and well synchronized with the mood of the movie and songs are perfect.

Its for people who like movies (rather than actors or actresses). Finally Worth every penny you spend !

Bottomline : Experience the freshness of this flawless quality film

Rocking movie !
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7/10
A fair mind game with some good twists and turns.
thunder2321 March 2014
Detective thrillers and mind game plots are a rarity in Tamil cinema. Now with the arrival of new-gen filmmakers, Tamil cinema audiences are slowly witnessing such genres. Debut director Ramesh's Thegidi falls under such a rare genre. Does he succeed in it? Read on to know...

Vetri (Ashok Selvan) is a criminology student and he gets a job as a detective in Chennai. Being passionate, Ashok does his job with his whole- heart and soul, his agency is also impressed with his efficiency in handling various subjects. When Ashok is asked to handle a case of Madhu Shree ( Janani Iyer) ,both starts loving each other.

After sometime, Ashok comes to know that some of his previous subjects are murdered by unusual accidents. What happens next? Why all the previous subjects handled by Ashok are in danger? Does Ashok saves Janani ? Well, to know the answers you have to watch Thegidi on the big screen...

Debut director Ramesh takes his own time in the first half for establishing various characters and also to convey the basic theme to the audience which is fine and no big complaints about the pace. Coming to the second half, the film travels in a good pace and the twists are well sketched and narrated. Taking the direction part into consideration, Ramesh must be lauded for his brilliant effort.

Coming to the casting, Ashok Selvan has given a fair performance, but what is really missing is the energy level and the expressions. In Pizza2, Ashok's character is of a novel writer and his subtle expressions justified the role. But for a thriller like Thegidi, the tensed expressions of the lead characters have to create the impact to the audience. In Thegidi, Ashok has underplayed, probably a fine tuning of his expressions and energy levels should have done wonders.

Janani Iyer has given an adequate performance and essayed her role of a girl next door with so much ease. The romance portions between Ashok and Janani are also quite natural, which must be appreciated.

Kaali, who acted as Ashok's friend has done a commendable job and his subtle one-liners evoke some good laughter. The other characters like Jayakumar, Pradeep Nair have done a good work. Just like any other recent films not to forget Jayaprakash who is brilliant as an Inspector.

Technically the film is sound- be it the title card edit, cinematography and the music- everything is well-jelled in the film. Newbie Nivas Prasanna is a welcome addition to the promising list of music directors in Tamil cinema. His BGM works are also quite laudable.

Overall, Thegidi is a fair mind game, which is sure to have to grab your attention.

Rajasekar S, Cinemalead.
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8/10
An engaging game of shadows
raghu-mktg843 March 2014
With the entry of abundant young blood into the industry, Kollywood had been witnessing a healthy mix of genres beyond triangular love stories and gang wars. The subject of a detective is hardly touched upon and this one fills the gap perfectly. Nalaya Iyakkunar fame Ramesh debuts with the rising star Ashok Selvan to deliver this suspense thriller.

Vetri (Ashok) a Criminology fresher gets picked by a private detective firm for shadowing and collecting information on select individuals on request of its clients. Known for his observation skills, his professor also recommends him becoming a professional detective. Completing the assignments given in style, his fifth assignment is that of Madhushree (Janani Iyer) where he slips from professional ethics and gets personal with the subject. Vetri discovers that his previous assignment subjects die in freak accidents one after the other. He is now insecure considering Madhu being the probable victim next. When Vetri gets into the details of this chain accidents in pursuit of the cause, he is convinced that they are murders. Who is the spearhead behind all the murders? Why is that only Vetri's assignments are targeted? How does he save Madhu? The answers are revealed in the gripping second half.

Ashok Selvan is definitely the next sensation in the industry after Vijay Sethupathy. He has successfully completed his hatrick after Soodhu Kavvum and Pizza 2. His subtle expressions and soft dialogue deliveries make him fit any elegant role such as this. The screenplay has been drafted to be as candid and and realistic as possible and the debutant director scores over and over on that. While it is easy to get influenced by a few Hollywood flicks and replicate it, the director maintains the originality and is true to the script. Though Janani Iyer comes for a very brief part, she has made her mark as well. Nivas Prasanna has livened the sequences with his scores.

The plot certainly has a few logical glitches. While Vetri is suspected to be the prime cause of the murders, how do the cops let him out just like that on bail without any investigations? When Vetri knows that he has the full back up from the inspector, why doesn't he call him up when he finds the real accused in Hotel Malco or why does he break into the house ? Wouldn't it be much easier with the cop's support? While Vetri avoids having a mobile phone, he carries his friend's for a good 50% of the time and eventually gets tracked by it too... what is the point? On the whole, except for a few loose ends the movie entertains the audience in style for the entire duration.
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10/10
One Of The Best Ever In Crime Thriller!
akshaypramoth20073 March 2014
a Very Gud Movie With A wonderful storyline and a new plot! It makes us sit on the edge and watch the movie! Very immersive screenplay and wonderful direction! Well planned and executed movie! Kudos to the team! Waiting For Part 2! Will be one of the BEST ENTERTAINER IN 2014 Tamil cinema! Ashok selvan Has improvised a Lot From His Previous Movies to carry the Movie In his Shoulders! Jp Sir Have Acted Well As he does always! Editing Is crispy! Music By Nivas Prasanna Is another Plus for the film! The Music Does Goes along with the movie! Wonderful BG Score! Overall a Gud Movie to be watched again and again! Tamil cinema is going Hollywood Now! A Sherlock Homes Type Movie! the Only One worry is i guess the movie could have been on a bigger budget! It would have been more awesome to see such a great story in a big budget!
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8/10
The movie to beat , in thriller genre, for the year 2014 ! :D
harycane3 March 2014
What attracted me to watch Thegidi on the first day was its brilliantly made trailer suggesting it to be a gripping detective mystery flick. And once i realized it was under CV Kumar's banner i was glad to have chosen to watch this movie for the man has trend-setting movies in his track-record.

Thegidi opens with our hero Ashok Selvan (Vetri in movie) (whose voice reminds me of a young Suriya ,although looks wise he resembles Kohli when frowning nd Rahane when smiling :D )receiving an offer in a detective firm after graduating in criminology(thank god not an engineer :p)He then passionately goes about his detective work collecting all the information about his subjects (who have all been men thus far :p)And when his next subject is Janani Iyer (Madhu in movie)he breaks his protocol of not to get close to his subject in order to set a previous misunderstanding straight with her. A love sequence follows via 2 songs but thanks to the wonderful music, beautiful vocals by Sathyaprakash and Abhayjodhpur, thanks to the captivating eyes of Janani Iyer nd the natural acting by the leads,this sequence moves breezily nd just when the sailing goes smooth director P Ramesh brings a dramatic twist from which the speed of the movie really takes off ! Revealing any further would do disservice to first time watchers and hence explicit synopsis ends here.

The 2 sequences leading to the interval fills the viewers with tension nd the thrills that such a genre ought to do nd the icing on the cake is Nivas K Prasanna's scintillating background score ! Post interval , a major difference in this script as opposed to any other movie of this genre is to reveal whose the hunter (which due to the limited characters in the movie,cant be concealed any further anyways) but to keep the motive of the hunter as any body's guess and trust me no guess will hit bulls-eye because the motive in this movie is a fresh yet alarming one due to its possibility of being a true one in our real life !The clues for the headhunter is cannily sprayed throughout the movie but will be again difficult to guess until the very end. The movie although has an open ending (again whose clue was there to be seized by a keen observer) making room for an intriguing sequel.

Apart from the lead casts performance and music , dialogs too deserve a special mention be it the ones used in during Ashok's hiring , or be it Janani Iyer's introduction scene citing eye to eye contact , or be it switching a call from mobile to Pco to prevent tapping all showing immaculate attention to detail thats been put in by the crew. Editing was crisp; a run time of 2 hours is a testimony to that so does a single climb up the stairs shown in multiple shots. DoP shows his mettle in a scene where Ashok tries to break into a house. Another special mention is the Nambi character played so naturally serving as a comic relief and not to forget Jayaprakash (he is in 90% of movies nowadays nd yet seems to show considerable variation in each of his characters ! kudos to the veteran)in an enigmatic role !

Verdict : Just like how Goli soda is the mass entertainer of the year (beating the biggies that released earlier in the same genre ) ,Thegidi is the movie to beat in thriller genre for the year ! :D a parable for the umpteenth time reminding us that the content ,more than star power or budget, is the real King :)
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7/10
Good Watch !
deepanadhi13 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Thegidi - A good detective thriller with not so many potholes in Tamil.

Reasons to watch : 1. Good Screenplay - Keeps you guessing until the end 2. Mindful direction. - not too many unwanted scenes, every scene has some detail to keep you guessing 3.Brilliant ending. - for some it may seem, the ending is a forced introduction by the director to confuse the audience 4. Couple of good songs.

If you are fan of Rajesh Kumar's thriller novels, this movie is for you.

Spoiler***

Now who might be the fourth partner....? 1. Vetri's Father 2. Inspector 3. First Professor.

Only Diro has to answer in the sequel...if there is one !
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Thegidi..a rare thriller
vanijay-work11 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Thrillers in Tamil cinema are rare pick. Once in a while, we do get to watch movies like 'Yudham sei' and 'Oonayum Attukuttiyum'. But they don't happen often. Hence when I noticed that Thegidi belongs to this league, I wanted to watch it badly.

Thegidi is not a full time thriller. It has a pleasant love thread that beautifully blends with the story without disrupting the flow. It has been ages since love is shown so pleasantly in the screen. Vetri (Ashok) is a fresh graduate of MA criminology, who is offered a job as detective. His first assignment, as mentioned in the movie, is shadowing and surveillance. As part of his job, he follows Madhu (Janani Iyer) to collect report on her activities. He finds her attractive and fells for her, against his job code. It is not the mere love at first sight crap that we are so used to watch in films. The sequence of scenes that makes the pair click together looks so real and refreshing. Hence later when Vetri sense danger lurking around Madhu, the movie turns out to be a mystery ride.

After we are left to soak in the pleasant love for some time, the movie takes a twist. Vetri comes to know that, one by one, the people on whom he collected reports is found dead and next on the list is Madhu, though she has no idea about Vetri's work and the mystery that surrounds him. Vetri thinks he is being used by a gang that involves in the killing and feels guilty for the victims. He, being a brilliant detective, set to figure out 'whodunit'.

In one of the opening sequence, while Vetri was still is college, there is a classroom scene that vouch for Vetri's watchfulness. It makes us more interested on Vetri's character. But his initial vigilant activities, when he collected reports is unfortunately, not maintained throughout the movie. His talent is restrained to just flash the torch lights in wrong moments, instead of some quick witted moves of a detective.

The crux of a detective film lies in the fact that how well it carries the suspense till the end. Thegidi does it well till the intermission. When we are shown the partial killers much before than we expected it to be shown, the movie dissolves the tension it managed to hold till then. Of course there are enough elements that keep us engaged till the end, but they are not gripping as the first half.

Take for instance, the role of the inspector played by Jayaprakash. He is merely used to walk around the crime scene with Vetri. His character lacks the importance and his acting is simply wasted. The final scene, when he let Vetri walk to meet the possible murderer with no plan is simply too hard to believe. But these flaws seem very minor in front of the overall impact this movie imparts.

At the end, the movie hints a possible sequel to this story and it might provide clarity on some of the unclear mysteries like why Madhu was on the list, the final felon behind all this.
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10/10
Gripping in most of the parts with some unexpected twists and turns. Perfect gambling!
ekeeran-66-6989734 March 2014
Investigative thrillers are always a treat to watch. Unfortunately in Tamil cinema we don't have much movies in that genre. 'Thegidi' falls under this list satisfyingly as it takes the audience, an one hell ride filled with some twists and turns. In order to clear things up, this is not like 'Sherlock Holmes' but a simple and realistic crime thriller. Its all about connecting the dots by overlooking the small things which was not noticed on the first sight. Just like a novel the twists and questions unfold by raising the question 'What next?'. Ashok Selvan as a fresher detective fits perfectly. The scene where he shows his observation skills to his Professor, adamant about not using mobile phones, hesitating to fall in love with his case subject - this guy knows how to act! Janani Iyer looks beautiful and thankfully her role is very much realistic. Standing apart from stereotypic acting she stands tall as a perfect next door girl. Jayaprakash as a senior cop delivered a fitting performance. Director Ramesh has to be applauded for choosing the title as 'Thegidi' which literally means 'gambling'. Here he tried to convey up to which extent, some people will go just for the sake of money! He tried to make the movie as serial as possible and avoided all commercial elements except the romance portions. Music by newbie Nivas Prasanna boosts up the thrilling mood perfectly. The tension grows up during the interval block by the sudden turn of events and the music fuels our heart beat perfectly. His re-recording makes even the normal scenes as a pulsating one! Cinematographer Dinesh Krishnan experimented several different angles and it worked out well for a thriller movie. Editing by Leo John Paul is sleek and to the point as the movie runs for just 2 hours. Telling the whole story in the starting credits itself is a surprisingly new idea.
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7/10
Good movie
rakesh-das-raku28 February 2021
Pros : Good acting, direction, screenplay. Cons : Stale story, Ineffective dialogues. I watched this movie only for Late Sai Prashanth ,Kaali Venkat and Ashok Selvan. I concept of an brilliant detective getting used by fake detective agency for criminal act is not new. I have seen such story in malayalam movies and Hollywood also. However, I appreciate the acting skills and tight direction. However, instead of putting songs, the producer could have spend money on story-building.
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9/10
Thegidi (U) TAMIL --------- my Rating : ★★★★½ PACK OF TWISTS
yunusitboss12 March 2014
Thegidi (U) TAMIL New movie Reviews and lots more Hot news .... LIKE THIS PAGE : English Hindi TAMIL TELUGU Facebook : Movie Review by Yunus Irshad https://www.facebook.com/YunusIrshadsMovieReview

Thegidi (U) TAMIL --------- my Rating : ★★★★½ PACK OF TWISTS

STRENGTHS :- * Story Screenplay Direction : superb by the debut-ant * New concepts and scenes in second half * Casting and Performances * Dialogues : were perfect * Background score is the backbone of the movie ....

WEAKNESSES :- * Few songs...

FINAL VERDICT :- * Overall... it is a perfect and the best thriller after PIZZA ..... watch it ... I bet u that "U will skip the interval".....

A detective begins investigating people and finds that he's in over his head.

Director: P. Ramesh Writer: P. Ramesh Stars: Ashok Selvan, Janani Iyer, V. Jayaprakash | See full cast and crew »
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7/10
A Well Made, Fast Paced Thriller
IdlyViswanath18 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
P. Ramesh's Thegidi is about a detective, Vetri, that joins a new agency after graduating from criminology school under the guidance of his lecturer, Govardhan. His first case on the job is to stealthily follow and collect data on a group of people. In the process he falls in love with Madhu, and eventually is tasked with collecting data on her. As the movie proceeds, each of the members he collects data on ends up dead. How is this possible? Who is behind this? These are the questions that make up the rest of the film.

The movie continues in a suspenseful pace as it keeps as quite invested and engaged in the story. Though we find out this is the doing of his boss only, we continue to suspect why and what the purpose could be. Inspector Raghuram (Jayaprakash) ends up mentoring and working with Vetri on the case, and the two become a wonderful duo which is intriguing to watch. It comes as a surprise to know this is all done for the sake of the client's insurance policies. And the final twist of his lecturer whom he looked up to being connected seemed like an unnecessary twist overall, but it was shocking and how it breaks Vetri was well portrayed.

Ashok Selvan does a fine job as Vetri. He definitely improved as an actor from those days. But the character could have been better written, just because he is inexperienced he doesn't need to rely on some others to do the simplest of investigating. After all he's a criminology graduate, he doesn't showcase basic skills. Jayaprakash was fun to watch, and his duo with Vetri was nice. Kaali Venkat as Nambi provides great comic relief.

Overall, a well made thriller which keeps you engaged and shows an interesting mystery. Hope it gets a sequel at some point as shown in the film.
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9/10
Waiting for sequel
Nice movie. I think the story is simple no too much build up or exaggeration. I am waiting for the sequel
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7/10
A straightforward movie with a fine suspense track
fahimay8 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Thegidi boasts of no great visual effects, casting, shooting locales etc but you feel you have watched a smart thriller. When you see lot of run-of-the-mill movies popping around you with below average screenplay and editing, Thegidi emerges with a fresh difference. The movie totally relies on confident acting, effective screen writing with the right dose of anxious moments that grasp our attention.

Ashok Selvan of Pizza 2- Villa fame minus the beard, has given a smooth performance. He looks sauve and confident, proving himself to be an interesting upcoming actor. It is a refreshing change to see the protagonist take up a degree in criminology and get employed as a detective. It is a bit clichéd; that he falls for the first female subject he encounters, reminding you of Jeeva's first movie, Aasai aasaiyai. Janani Iyer looks pleasant with big eyes and equally big smile but could have been more expressive in some scenes.

When the detective agency turns out to be fake, the movie which started as an innocent love story suddenly turns out to be a gripping tale of suspense. Though you don't have action-packed chases and ominous background scores, the plot is actually a money making scam, making you feel reasonably entertained.

Jayakumar (the chef from pizza) and Pradeep Nair have given commendable performances. Jayaprakash keeps proving himself as a versatile actor, with a magnetic on-screen presence. Comedy track by Kaali and the role of Nambi is quite likable and manages to tickle the funny bone.

The ending of the movie reminded me of Yaavarum Nalam, leaving room for a probable sequel. Music is pleasing, especially the song 'Vinmeen' resonates in your ears long after the movie is over, in the enchanting voices of Abhay and Saindhavi. Newbie director P. Ramesh has given a good package with the cinematic elements in the right proportion. We expect to see more well-made movies from him in the future.
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2/10
Don't believe the reviews
satheesh_rm29 April 2021
No suspence. Predictable. Baaaad acting. Horrible direction. If you put all of these together, you get this movie.

Most importantly, do not believe the reviews.
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10/10
Thegidi
santhosh-1029019 July 2019
The movie was so thrilling and interesting. Songs and BGM was superb in the film. Everyone acted very well in the movie. The film had a different story. The film was very good.
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10/10
An Amazing thriller
venkateshravichandran24 October 2017
Wow What a movie... Probably the best thriller I have seen in a long time... Yet the other love portions, songs also superb and mature... Overall a movie that is amazing from start to finish with a climax wanting more..

Awaiting Sequel badly:)
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9/10
Intriguing Mystery film
shugaalt21 October 2021
It is quite different from your average Tamil films, it was well written and actors performed very well! If you looking for a good mystery film, I would definitely recommend it! To add on, the music are fantastic as well!
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4/10
A very predictable thriller
cool_andhot22 July 2020
A B class suspense thriller with a very predictable suspect. It doesn't deserve the 7 plus imdb raiting
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1/10
Amateur take on a potential thriller
diablofearme19 April 2020
Thoroughly disappointed from the beginning of this much hyped thriller. Too many plot holes, skittish storyline, amateurish execution. Left me open-mouthed at too many turns, not by amazement but by disappointment of the 'twist' intended in the scene. 10/10 would not recommend as a good thriller for anyone looking to be satisfied by one.
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1/10
Bad Adaptation from a classical book
kousik3 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
After so many good reviews done by amateur critics I went to watch this movie.

Well the first 30 mins kept me thinking for something to happen.. Then boom, things got shattered. It was a terrible copy or inspiration or adaptation of Classical Super Hit Book that i loved in school time, DOOMSDAY CONSPIRACY by Sidney Sheldon..

How ever the screenplay was made or the editing was done or performed by the lead actor, I just couldn't sit through the movie. One of the worst experiences for me..

They just spoilt the story of the book.. Terrible adaptation.. and when the end credits started rolling, i literally flipped and walked out..

Such a disappointment..

If you copy make it un noticeable or give credits, that too when u re copying a classic, pls don't do a disaster like Thegidi. !!!!
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Above Average thriller
sesht25 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
While reading up on this auteur's earlier works, I chanced on a review for this flick lauding it to heaven and back. My curiosity, needless to say, was piqued, and I was trying to follow its release. They dubbed it into the local language, though I always prefer to watch movies in the language native to the region they're made in, I did not have that option.

I was late in getting to the showing, and missed quite a bit initially. But I'm sure I didn't miss much, since the scene I walked in on was the one where the protagonist receives his 'assignments'. What follows is something interesting and novel in Indian movies, other than for 'Manorama six feet under', which itself drew more than just inspiration from 'Chinatown'. It shows how a novice detective goes after the subjects/quarries. And though it does browbeat the cliché, that of the romantic dalliance, Indian-ishtyle, replete with musical montages, it still manages to keep our attention throughout its runtime, esp. by use of certain flashbacks that show us what the protagonist (may have) missed when something was run by him the first time.

Other than that, the strong background/foreground (yeah, right) score, and the continuous focus that the director P Ramesh has on the (rather weak) plot, and the just-right runtime of 2 hours (the Indian theatrical cut), this is something, that, IMO, could've been done much much better, esp. wrt the plot itself. Other reviewers drawing attention to the 'realistic' romance between the leads is actually some of the weakest aspects about this movie, that could've been narrated differently, and perhaps even had a 'different' denouement, perhaps more powerful that what we finally got to see. The performances also pass muster, but no one's gonna be award- worthy in my book.

Still, worth a watch on the big screen, and much better than all the turds being thrown out there in the name of commercial cinema.
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