Team FC
Most heist films leave the viewers contemplating ‘how’ the conmen will execute their Machiavellian plans. Rajathandiram is one of the rare films in the heist genre that flips this expectation on its head.
While H. Vinoth's heist thriller Thunivu did rake in enormous money at the box office, emerging as one of the biggest hits of the year, nothing can quite top the director's debut Sathuranga Vettai as the gold standard for theft dramas in Tamil cinema.
The joy of watching Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s films, particularly his directorial debut Aaranya Kandam stems from witnessing how a deceptively simple premise of wild, chaotic events occurring to amoral people soon unfolds into a philosophical commentary on human nature.
Some thriller films unravel like a domino effect, with deliberate plot construction and patient setup leading to an exhilarating payoff. Tamizhuku En Ondrai Azhuthavam is the perfect example of a film that fits this category.
While the execution of Lift does not quite match up to its lofty ambitions, the film deserves a spot on the list solely due to its unique premise and genuine attempt at being a true-blue survival thriller in Tamil cinema.