The story of the film is about a man with a developmental disability, who fights for his daughter's custody after the death of his wife. Krishna (Vikram) is a dim-witted with a maturity of a five-year-old, who has lost his wife. He works in a chocolate factory in Ooty and lives happily with his daughter Neela (Sara). She goes to a school, which is run by her grand father Rajendran (Sachin Khedkar), but she is not aware of the fact nor her grand father. At this juncture, there bonding gets a threat after his father-in-law Rajendran (Sachin Khedkar) came to know about the truth and drags him to the court for Neela's custody, which devastates his emotional balance. Rajendran along with his second daughter Shwetha (Amala Paul) appoints lawyer Bashyam (Naseer) to handle the case. Though, it looks, there is a point in their argument that a retard could not bring up his daughter easily, yet their separation would not be justified because Rajendran himself is a father of two girls. However, Krishna accidentally meets Anuradha Ragunathan (Anushka Shetty) and narrates his story. Moved by his past, she decides to fight for him in the court. Bashyam, who has never lost a single case in his life, tries to win the case at any cost. The rest of the story, which is shot in a court, is advised to watch on-screen.
Performance:
First of all, we should thank Vikram for making such an attempt as an actor, as it is very difficult to showcase the troubles of the people, who are are victims of developmental disability. The actor has given such a performance that audience keep remembering even after coming out of the theatres. His childish looks, his laughters and wonderful expressions are treat to watch. Baby Sara has acted from her heart and one could not stop raving about the five-year-old after watching her acting. Anushka Shetty could not have expected more than this. It is a dream role for any actress, as her character in the film had good scope for performance without being glamorous. Santhanam in his usual ways, steals the show, whenever he comes on-screen. Nasser, MS Bhasakar and other characters have also done justice for their roles.
Technical:
Starting with cinematography, Nirav Shah has beautifully wonderfully captured the locales of Ooty on his camera lens with ease. His light settings for indoors and outdoors are praise worthy. Music by GV Prakash Kumar is good but not best. For this genre, the audio banks on melody. However, he has managed to deliver three good numbers. Editor Anthony would have been merciless in the first half, as the general audience might get slightly bored due to slow proceedings. And finally, director AL Vijay, who has penned the story and screenplay, has made his best film ever. He has really worked a lot on the subject, as it is a complex and sensible story.
Overall:
Al Vijay has etched an emotional story with a lot of commercial elements. We can see a mentally handicapped character in a highly sentimental melodrama. Vikram surely touches one's heart with his brutally honest depiction of a mentally disabled man and eventually brings out tears in you. His chemistry with Sara is wonderfully picturized and father-daughter bonding is threaded well.
Drawbacks:
Deiva Thirumagal is not a typical commercial entertainer and it is not sure how the mass audience will receive the movie. The narration of the movie in the first half is bit boring. It is only in the second part, the proceeding speeds up.
Verdict:Deiva Thirumagal has a heart touching subject with wonderful performances from the actors. Don't miss it!
Cast: Vikram, Anushka Shetty, Amala Paul, Santhanam, Nasser and others.
Director: AL Vijay
Music Director: GV Prakash Kumar
Cinematographer: Nirav Shah
Editor: Anthony
Producers: M. Chinthamani and Ronnie Screwvala
