The present Tamil Nadu chief minister is abducted in the opening scene of the movie. What exactly occurred to the CM is a mystery to the cops. But, they are suspicious of Kanyakumari-based criminal lord AG Raavanan, also known as AGR. The leader of a very strong gang, AGR (Silambarasan TR), has the ability to affect any political decision made in Tamil Nadu.
Guna (Gautham Karthik), a significant gang member in Vizag, participates in the shooting of a police officer in the meantime. He seeks safety at AGR’s camp, but it is discovered that Guna is really a police officer undercover. Is AGR captured by Guna and the police? Why is AGR a party to every crime?
Silambarasan does appear credible as this macho person who can depose or appoint the chief minister of a state because of his all-black attire, beard, and impressive filmography. Despite having very little on-screen time, Silambarasan excels in a part that he significantly improves simply by being in it.
As Guna, Gautham Karthik excels and delivers a controlled performance that calls for a lot of underplay. In terms of the main plot, Priya Priya Bhavani Shankar's performance as Leela Thompson was essentially irrelevant.
The supporting cast includes Gauthan Vasudev Menon, who appears in yet another villain role and seems to be stuck in a rut as a bad guy. But he effectively persuades us with his performance. Moreover, Redin Kingsley and Teejay provide a lot of depth to the picture. You instantly laugh out loud at Redin's counters.
The Tamil version of the popular Kannada film Mufti, which was itself partially based on Al Pacino’s Donnie Brasco, is Obeli N Krishna’s Pathu Thala. Like to the original movie, Pathu Thala’s second half is where STR is primarily seen. The narrative, however, starts to tighten up and get more interesting at this point.
Pathu Thala has an intriguing beginning, and you become interested almost right away. The premise has been skillfully built up. After this, the movie starts to lose a little bit of its momentum. Unexpectedly, Pathu Thala’s second half functions better. There is at certainly a sense of being immersed in a plot after Silambarasan’s introduction as the AGR, when the spotlight is almost totally on him.
One of the movie’s standout moments is the closing action scene, which is so well-shot and presented that it makes the audience feel good as they leave the theater. None of the side characters in Pathu Thala correctly register, which is the main problem. As is characteristic of gangster movies, Pathu Thala includes betrayal and graphic violence, but it is unable to make an impression or forge a solid bond between the audience and the main characters.
The absence of a compelling antagonist then results in further failure. In addition to being uninteresting and forgettable, a flashback involving Guna and a regional Tahasildar, played by Priya Bhavani Shankar, doesn’t really advance the plot. The movie is a fairly enjoyable gangster movie that will primarily please STR fans despite its shortcomings.
Verdict; Despite its flaws, Pathu Thala is an interesting gangster film that will mostly appeal to STR fans. Silambarasan performs brilliantly in a role that he considerably enhances just by having him in it, despite having little screen time. The final action sequence, which is so expertly shot and presented, is one of the film’s highlight moments.