Thammudu Review: Nithin’s New Film is a Dull, Pathetic Sibling Drama
Noted producer Dil Raju, once known for plot-driven hits like Arya, Bommarillu, and Brindavanam, seems to have lost his midas touch—and, more worryingly, his script sense.
Rating: 1/5 stars)
Cast: Nithin, Laya, Sapthami Gowda, Varsha Bollamma, Saurabh Sachdev and others
Director: Venu Sriram
Noted producer Dil Raju, once known for plot-driven hits like Arya, Bommarillu, and Brindavanam, seems to have lost his midas touch—and, more worryingly, his script sense. His latest production, Thammudu, is an uninspired, dated brother-sister drama that tries to blend mass action with an emotional core but lands nowhere.
Director Venu Sriram, who previously showed promise with MLA and Vakeel Saab, here picks a painfully contrived story and shoots arrows in the dark—much like the protagonist, an archery champion (Nithin) who can’t even hit the bullseye in practice. The film opens with a factory blast that kills hundreds, followed by a typical cover-up: the corrupt owner (Saurabh Sachdev) bribes a minister to bury the truth. An honest officer (Laya) refuses to fall in line and vows to submit an honest report, only to face hurdles orchestrated by powerful men. Meanwhile, her estranged brother (Nithin) tracks her down in the forests, promising to help her fight back.
While the premise has potential for a gripping sibling-centric thriller, it’s squandered by bland storytelling and dated tropes. The plot point of threatening the families of honest officers to force them to sign doctored reports feels as old as the hills. The attempt to inject Kantara-like forest mystique into a routine commercial drama also feels forced and ultimately irrelevant.
Performance-wise, Nithin delivers a routine act—one of the most forgettable in his career. Laya and Saurabh Sachdev, on the other hand, get meatier roles; Sachdev’s villain, complete with a ‘sound ailment’, initially intrigues but eventually turns cartoonish. Kannada actress Sapthami Gowda appears in a thinly written role with little to do, while Varsha Bollamma’s romantic subplot is lifeless and unmemorable.
Despite the serious tone, the emotional pull—especially the brother-sister bond at the story’s heart—never materializes. Even key sequences with a child character, intended to evoke sentiment, feel tired and outdated. The action set pieces too are strictly average; even heavy use of VFX can’t lift them beyond mediocrity.
The only occasional spark comes from Ajaneesh Loknath’s background score, which adds brief moments of tension and gravitas. But these are fleeting and can’t salvage the film’s clunky screenplay and poor execution.
