Thumbaa has a message that is relevant in these times of man-nature conflict – the need for man to co-exist with the wild. It conveys this through the adventure of three wide-eyed young people. Two of them, Hari (Darshan, whose performs is never convincing) and Umapathy (Dheena, an assured comic performance) are painters who have come to Top Slip for a painting job. The third one is Varsha (a chirpy Keerthi Pandian), who comes to the place hoping to take photographs of a tiger. Meanwhile, Thumbaa, a tiger, has crossed over to this side of the mountain range from Kerala with its cub, and a gang of poachers, led by the forest officer, are plotting to capture it.
The main USP of Thumbaa is that the animals are all computer-generated and in this aspect, the film succeeds to an extent. Thumbaa, the tiger’s features are well realised, though the animators fail at lending its image the weight. So, there are times when it looks like a soft toy rather than a real animal. A monkey, named Tiger, is included mainly to attract kids, and this one faces the same problem in animation.
The premise of Thumbaa has potential for a wholesome kids film. And it feels like one whenever we the focus is on the core plot involving the tiger. But the film feels juvenile when the three characters become its focus, for the writing in these portions is underwhelming. The idea seems to have been to make these portions humorous, but the comedy clicks only at times, and is often laboured, testing our patience. The film might entertain kids, but for the adults who accompany them, it might engage only in parts because of the uneven narration.
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