Biju Menon’s Comedy Drama Turns Out to Be a Boring and Pointless Watch
OTT Platform: Netflix
Language: Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu
Genre: Comedy
Cast: Biju Menon, Shine Tom Chacko, Gokulan, Nitin Thomas, Unnimaya Prasad, Sheju Sreedhar, Johny Antony and Vineeth Thattil David
Movie Link : Click Here
Sometimes, you start watching a movie simply because of the actor involved. That was exactly the reason for watching Thundu. Whenever Biju Menon appears in a film, there is usually some level of expectation. After enjoying films like Ayyappanum Koshiyum and Garudan, expectations were naturally higher. code 55
Unfortunately, Thundu does not live up to those expectations.
The movie is presented as a comedy entertainer, but the biggest problem is that the comedy rarely works. The story feels stretched, the screenplay is slow and repetitive, and after a certain point, you may start wondering what exactly the purpose of the film is.
The title and promotional idea may make the movie sound interesting, especially because of the examination cheating angle, but that concept is not explored strongly enough to carry an entire feature film.
In simple words, Thundu is a disappointing and boring watch with a few random moments but very little substance.
What Is Thundu Movie About?
The basic story revolves around a police constable played by Biju Menon.
The character wants to progress in his career and become a Head Constable. An examination becomes an important part of that journey. The movie then explores his attempts to clear the exam, including the use of cheating methods and small paper notes, popularly referred to as “thundu.”
The film repeatedly returns to the same basic structure:
- An examination is introduced.
- Cheating methods are discussed.
- The character faces problems.
- The attempt fails.
- Similar situations are repeated again.
The biggest issue is that the story does not develop into something more engaging.
By the end, the direction of the protagonist’s career takes another turn, which makes the earlier Head Constable examination storyline feel even more pointless.
That creates a major question:
What was the actual purpose of spending so much time on the exam and cheating storyline?
A Comedy Movie Without Enough Comedy
The film is placed firmly in the comedy genre.
Unfortunately, that is where it struggles the most.
A comedy movie does not necessarily need jokes every minute, but it should at least create a consistently entertaining atmosphere. Thundu fails to maintain that entertainment value.
There are a few random bits and situations, but they do not come together to create a strong comedy narrative.
Instead, the film often feels like a collection of loosely connected scenes.
The problem is not just that some jokes fail. The bigger problem is that the screenplay itself does not have enough energy.
There is no strong central conflict that keeps the audience invested. There are no major twists, emotional highs or comedy sequences that make the journey memorable.
The movie simply keeps moving from one situation to another.
And unfortunately, most of those proceedings feel unnecessary.
The Cheating Concept Had Potential
The cheating angle was probably the most interesting idea available to the filmmakers.
A police officer trying to clear an examination through different cheating techniques could have been developed into a fun and clever comedy.
There was potential for:
- Creative cheating strategies
- Funny examination situations
- Unexpected obstacles
- Cat-and-mouse moments
- More intelligent comedy
But the movie does not fully explore that potential.
Some of the cheating techniques shown are extremely basic. Small papers hidden in different places, notes concealed in clothes and similar methods are used.
The problem is that the movie does not spend enough time making these scenes genuinely clever or entertaining.
Even the central “thundu” concept feels underused.
There are only a few minutes where the cheating scenes become the real focus. Much of the rest of the runtime is spent on unrelated proceedings that do not add much to the overall experience.
At one point, you may even feel that watching a collection of funny examination-cheating videos would be more entertaining than the way this concept is stretched throughout the film.
Too Much Repetition in the Story
One of the biggest weaknesses of Thundu is repetition.
The examination storyline keeps coming back without creating enough new developments.
The protagonist wants to achieve a particular position.
He faces problems.
There is an attempt to cheat.
Things go wrong.
The situation repeats.
This structure might have worked if every attempt became increasingly creative or funny. But the screenplay does not provide enough variation.
As a result, the movie starts feeling lengthy.
The story does not move forward with enough purpose, and the audience may begin losing interest.
A tighter screenplay could have made a major difference.
The basic idea was suitable for a short and entertaining comedy, but stretching it without enough strong material makes the movie feel unnecessarily slow.
The Career Conclusion Makes the Earlier Storyline Feel Confusing
Another major issue is how the story eventually handles the protagonist’s career.
The movie spends significant time building the Head Constable examination storyline. The audience is expected to follow the character’s attempts and failures as though this is the central objective of the film.
However, the later developments make that entire setup feel questionable.
Naturally, viewers may start asking:
If the story was eventually going in another direction, why was so much time spent on the Head Constable examination?
That is where the screenplay loses its focus.
A movie can certainly change direction, but the earlier events should still feel meaningful to the final outcome.
Here, much of the buildup feels disconnected from where the story eventually lands.
Biju Menon Gives a Decent Performance
The biggest positive of the movie is Biju Menon.
He delivers a decent performance and does what he can with the character.
However, the problem is not the acting.
The problem is the writing.
Even a good actor cannot completely save a film when the screenplay does not provide enough strong scenes.
Biju Menon’s character has the potential to become entertaining, especially considering the situation he finds himself in. But the film does not give him enough memorable material.
His performance remains watchable, but it is not enough to carry the entire movie.
Other Characters Get Limited Scope
The supporting cast includes several capable actors, including Shine Tom Chacko, but the film does not provide enough space for many characters to make a major impact.
Some actors appear to be present simply because the story requires additional characters.
There is very little depth in their writing.
The result is that most of the supporting cast feels underutilized.
You may recognize talented actors on screen, but there are not enough memorable moments for them.
That is another missed opportunity because a comedy film with an ensemble cast could have created much stronger interactions between the characters.
Background Music Is Constant but Not Always Effective
The background score by Gopi Sundar is present throughout the film.
However, the issue is that the music often feels random rather than naturally enhancing the scenes.
A strong background score can improve comedy timing and make ordinary scenes more entertaining.
But when the screenplay itself lacks energy, continuous background music cannot solve the problem.
The technical work is acceptable, but nothing stands out strongly enough to improve the overall experience.
The Film Feels Longer Than It Should
Thundu would have benefited greatly from tighter editing.
The story does not have enough material to justify the way it stretches its central concept.
Several scenes and proceedings feel unnecessary.
A more focused version could have concentrated on:
- The protagonist’s career ambition.
- The examination.
- The cheating strategies.
- The consequences of those actions.
Instead, the film moves through several random situations without building enough momentum.
That is why the viewing experience becomes tiring.
Is Thundu a Family-Friendly Movie?
Based on the provided review, the movie does not contain adult scenes or significant bad language.
So, from that perspective, it does not appear to create major problems for family audiences.
However, whether families enjoy the movie is another question.
The bigger problem is not inappropriate content.
The bigger problem is simply that the movie may not be entertaining enough.
Final Verdict
Thundu is a comedy movie that unfortunately does not deliver enough comedy.
The basic concept had potential, and Biju Menon’s presence makes the film watchable in parts. However, the weak and repetitive screenplay, random proceedings and lack of meaningful comedy make the overall experience disappointing.
The cheating concept could have been much more creative and entertaining. Instead, it receives limited effective screen time while the rest of the movie struggles to maintain interest.
The supporting cast is also underutilized, and several story developments feel pointless by the time the film reaches its conclusion.
Positives
- Biju Menon’s decent performance
- A potentially interesting central concept
- No major adult content
- A few watchable moments
Negatives
- Slow and boring screenplay
- Comedy rarely works
- Repetitive examination storyline
- Underused cheating concept
- Random proceedings
- Supporting characters lack proper scope
- Some major story elements feel pointless
Thundu Movie Rating
2/5
Final Word
Thundu had the ingredients for a fun comedy but fails to turn its interesting concept into an engaging movie. If you are a Biju Menon fan, you can try it with low expectations. Otherwise, this is an easily skippable watch.
Thundu is currently streaming on Netflix with Telugu audio along with other language options.