A scene from ‘Thalaimai Seeyalagalam’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

there’s a lot to talk about Thalaimai Seeyalagalam, ZEE5’s star-studded political thriller that comes as an assurance that the Tamil streaming space will benefit from the voices of experienced filmmakers like Vasanthabalan. But before we get into the good and the bad, it’s important to address the ugly.

Vasanthabalan’s series – which chronicles an interesting power game between political players with an eye on the Chief Minister’s chair – self-destructs horribly, thanks to a mistake by the director, who trumpeted a twist during the promotion. card is revealed, and a number of game spoilers have been hinted at throughout this series. This is disappointing because the series is a fresh attempt at building a broader world, and a viewer who sees this degree of predictability may also wish for a second season.

A scene from ‘Thalaimai Seeyalagalam’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A lot happens; The story spans across India, about a dozen characters pull the weight of the story, and has four intertwining storylines. The larger story revolves around the complicated situation that the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Arunachalam, is facing (Kishore proves to be a suitable choice).

The CM is about to be tried in a 17-year-long corruption case, which is the work of business magnate Krishnamurthy (Shaji Chen). To secure her government and defeat her enemies, Aruna turns to her most trusted representatives – Amudhavalli (Remya Nambisan), her daughter and the minister who has her eye on her seat; Kottaravai (a superb Shriya Reddy), the political advisor and Aruna’s most trusted confidant; Hariharan (Nirup Nandakumar), Aruna’s son-in-law and MLA, who has dirty hands but is hungry for the CM seat; and the most influential among them, the party’s loyal general secretary Selvapuviarasan (Santhana Bharathi).

Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation sends officer Nawas Khan (Aditya Menon) to re-investigate a string of gruesome murders spanning decades – from the feudal lands of Jharkhand to the Naxalite jungles of Orissa, alleging murder by a woman. I went. Durga. In the south, DCP Manikandan (Bharath) investigates the murder of a police officer and his suspicions fall on a woman named Durga (Kani Kusruti), a smuggler and rebel who has a history with Kotravai. The story of Durga is the fourth line.

It seems like a lot to handle for eight 30-minute episodes. But what immediately strikes one is the dramatic display of gruesomeness in certain scenes, the matter-of-fact manner in which shocking crimes are mentioned and the sense of unconsciousness you get in most parts, which only adds to the eerie atmosphere. He stays in the show.

In his series debut, Vasanthabalan seems well-adapted to this style of long-form storytelling; The cliffhangers feel organic, the background score is used appropriately, and there are hardly any unnecessary camera movements or cinematic gimmicks. what actually makes Thalaimai Seyalagam What makes political drama unusual is that we never see rallies or crowds, reactions of common people, clashes between rival party people or dramatic television debates – and it works like a charm. There’s also smart use of animation to tell some backstory – and a remarkable re-creation hero’s “Neenga Nallavaara Kettavara” moment – ​​but you wish the series had used this technique more to resolve the predicament surrounding a central mystery character.

Unfortunately, it all just adds up to a mostly engaging but disorganized narrative. As you might have guessed, the issues relate to the larger narrative and predictability in a limited time. The plans that Amudhavalli, Kottaravai and Hariharan hatch against each other are not as innovative as one would expect, and the politics behind the power games are as shallow as they can get. Any emotional connection you felt from the initial episodes is gone; This is a series in which influential leaders make their plans over phone calls, and sometimes go on the ground themselves to carry out their dirty work.

A scene from ‘Thalaimai Seeyalagalam’ Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

More space could help the series balance its many players and their arcs, as efforts are visible to make things interesting, like how many characters have a defining characteristic. For example, because she feels too exposed, Amudhavalli finds solace in darkness, and most of Hariharan’s decisions are influenced by tessography, a fortune-telling method of reading tea leaves.

But Bharath’s Manikandan comes across as an ordinary character, a stock cinema cop defined by just one characteristic: he likes to bend paths for the greater good. Even his relationship with his girlfriend-cum-fellow policewoman Sundari (Dharsha Gupta) is nothing special. Being a staunch politician and a third-time Chief Minister, it is appropriate for Arunachalam to remain silent, but we hardly get to see what he is doing with all that is happening around him. For all that she brings to the table, Kani Kushruti’s character barely gets a moment to shine, and Aditya Menon’s Navas Khan deserved a better ending.

Thalaimai Seeyalagam Certainly something new for audiences, but with a more measured script, tight lips during promotion and a few red herrings to offset the predictability, it could have been even more.

Thalaimai Seyalagam is currently streaming on ZEE5