Right at the beginning of Ranam Aram Thavarel, a body is recovered from a crime scene and the police have no clue as to how the crime happened. A police officer then calls up our protagonist Shiva (Vaibhav), who then gets a proper ‘hero’ introduction scene to no one’s surprise, as we all know the shot is a must for most mainstream films. These are moments that we have seen a million times in cinema. But after initially presenting itself as yet another investigative thriller, Ranam Aram Thavarel really picks up and becomes a solid outing that holds its own in an overcrowded genre. One of the interesting touches in the film is the protagonist’s profession itself — Shiva is a facial reconstruction artist. In the recent past, most films have worked in moments rather than as a whole. But Ranam Aram Thavarel is that rare film that works as a whole rather than in moments. There are evident flaws in the film, from a few of the actors’ performances to the eventual execution of the whys and wherefores of it all. The way Shiva gets to the bottom of it all is anything but half-baked and the unnecessary jumping from one suspect to another also feels a bit odd. The film also keeps on introducing characters until the very end. This is why most of the scenes in the film work way better when we look at them from a larger perspective rather than as standalone moments. Also, we have to talk about our filmmakers and their lack of satisfaction with having just one serial killer. Rather than just focusing on building the arc of one antagonist, nowadays, films are more interested in creating multiple serial killer characters
But the film does work, mainly because, irrespective of the rush to introduce character after character, the makers have pieced together all the individual arcs into the main plotline. Of course, some work better than others, but even if some subplots don’t add anything to the main storyline, it doesn’t take away anything from the film. Sadly, none of the film’s cast makes a strong enough impact. Vaibhav gets the character right and does his best to sell certain undercooked elements of his character. Tanya Hope is a total miscast as the cop and her lip-syncing is also blatantly off in many places. Ranam Aram Thavarel is a decent addition to the investigative thriller genre in Tamil cinema. The film is no Por Thozhil or Ratsasan, but Sherief and his team have tried their best to try something new. Their effort has prevented the film from seeming repackaged and repeated..