Just when you think Tamil movies are slowly getting rid of superstar-wannabe heroes who bash a hundred thugs, you come across a movie like Sun Pictures' Thee (Fire), starring our wannabee 'Minimum Guarantee' hero Sundar C, and directed by G Kitcha.
The makers seem to have decided right away that instead of coming up with an original screenplay and workable characters, they'd simply borrow everything from the existing, mostly hit commercial entertainers for their screenplay. And that's how you end up with a scene straight out of Suriyan, where a stony-faced Saami (Sundar C) rises out of the water. Here, he's nude. Ah, a fine character entrance. He's promptly stopped by traffic cop Muniratnam (Thalaivasal Vijay) who yells at him and then rips off a political banner and ties it around Saami's waist.
Enter a troubled hero with a doubtless horrifying past and, who has a dangerous vendetta to fulfill which he does in a very puzzling fashion. How stupid it is, you realise only right at the very end. Those are the most hilarious parts, though.
Before that comes Saami's instant promotion as Minister Rajapandian's (Shayaji Shinde in a waste of a miniscule role, with a dubbed voice that reminds you of Kota Sreenivasa Rao) aide, subsequent introduction to Ruchidevi Madam (Namitha in an expansive role which no bikini can improve) who is supposed to be a king-maker (but who does nothing aside from massaging Saami and making phone-calls), and then the instant rise as MLA, while vanquishing his political enemies.
In the meantime, he visits a brain-dead pregnant woman (Ramya) who, surprise, surprise, turns out to be his wife.
Cue for flashback scenes a la long lost Vijaykanth movies: incredibly honest police officer Sarathy (Sundar C) beats up all the baddies and throws them into prison. He is commended duly by the chief minister. The hotchpotch of scenes are borrowed liberally from Kaakka Kaakka, where our hero wears tight t-shirts, shades, speaks English and shoots hundreds of goons in random fashion.
After sitting silent a long time, the baddies (finally) throw him into a swamp Anniyan style, and use a hammer, a la Ghajini. End of flash back.
Then starts a completely different story with ACP Sathyamurthi (Manoj K Jeyan) suddenly making an appearance. He is a goody-goody officer as well!
By the time Thee comes to the end of (it's an almost 3-hour long torture session), you're ready to tear your hair out at Namitha's blink-and-miss appearance, Sundar C's R Parthiban copy-act, G Kitcha's horrible screenplay and Srikanth Deva's ear-drum piercing kuthu songs.
In the resulting melee, Sankar's camera-work and Mano's art direction lose any meaning whatsoever.
Watch only if you want to kill three hours in an AC hall. Even then, you might end up getting burnt.
Rediff Rating: 
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