Thunivu, directed by H. Vinoth, is an action-packed heist thriller that tries its best to be a high-octane movie but misses by a margin. The charismatic Ajith takes the lead, and the movie is only for him and about him. He tries to be everything in one movie. Is he the anti-hero? Anti-villain? Or just a weakly crafted protagonist who is inherently corrupt but suddenly has a change of heart to do something virtuous?
He is seen dancing, passing sarcastic comments, acting all nonchalant and cool while looting a bank, and firing guns with one hand. Solely created for fans of thala Ajith, a non-fan will only enjoy this movie if they turn a blind eye to all the loopholes and weak characters. With over-the-top action scenes and Ajith’s style and swag, the movie is quite entertaining, with financial fraud and corruption being the focus of it all.
Thunivu (2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The movie opens with a bunch of people planning to rob a bank. A police officer is involved as well, and he is the mastermind behind this heist. Everything is planned, and a surprise awaits them on the day of the heist. A mysterious stranger hijacks their heist. He makes it clear that he will be the one to call the shots and that the money they loot will belong to him.
Ajith’s identity and the purpose of his heist aren’t revealed yet. He has come well prepared with two other people helping him in this heist from outside “You Bank.” The news reaches the cops, and the mastermind of this is also one of them. However, he is clueless that his robbers have become a hostage under Ajith and his bandits.
Ajith calls a nearby shop and asks for a specific cop named Anthony. He insists he won’t communicate with any other cop besides Anthony. The owner of You Bank is perplexed and furious because, apparently, the bank vault contains funds that exceed the RBI limit. The funds are worth 500 crores. Since it exceeds the RBI limit, they can’t claim insurance for it either if it gets stolen.
Ajith convinces the other robbers to work for him, and he gives them a portion of the money from the heist. The ACP involved in this knows something is wrong, and he devises a plan to kill him using snipers. The other two robbers working for him from outside the bank inform him about the snipers, and this results in a car being bombed right outside You Bank.
Who is the Dark Devil?
Ajith is Dark Devil, who is an infamous criminal and is known in his circle for pulling off overblown heists. The ACP reaches out to him first, but Ajith refuses to do it. The ACP is puzzled why he is interested in this heist when he refused to do it in the first place. The ACP’s shenanigans are caught, and he confesses his involvement in the crime.
He argues there are no bombs, and Dark Devil is just fooling the police. Despite the cops trying to stop him, he runs toward the bank. To his misfortune, the bombs were real, and he dies in the bomb blast while attempting to open the bank’s gate. The Dark Devil demands to meet the chairman of the bank.
Is the bank’s chairman involved in the heist?
The bank’s chairman reveals it’s not just 500 crores hidden in the vaults. It’s a whopping 25000 crores. Inside the vault, a mobile phone starts vibrating. Subsequently, a brawl takes place between the hostages and the thieves. It turns out it was all planned by Krish, the bank’s chairman. He informs his men in the vault that he is flying down to Chennai to meet the Dark Devil.
He goes inside the bank with a microphone inside his suit. The Dark Devil is now a hostage, and he crushes the microphone, so the cops don’t hear anything. His initial plan was to blow up the vault, but now he threatens to kill the lives of the innocent hostages.
Since the project first went to Dark Devil and he refused to do it, the ACP wanted to kill the former’s gang because he didn’t want Ajith to steal his plan. His fellow bandits lose their lives in this shootout. However, Ajith and his girlfriend survive it and take shelter in a village with an old couple.
Who is Kevin?
Kevin is a salesperson working in the bank who sells mutual funds to people. The bank goes bankrupt, and all the people who invested in the funds lose their money. Kevin feels responsible for this and confronts the bank’s chairman when he visits them. Meanwhile, a large crowd has gathered outside, and they threaten to burn down the building if they don’t get their money back.
Inside the bank, the chairman throws Kevin down the building. There are two more collaterals outside the bank. The ACP sets them on fire. Anthony witnesses all this and tries to save them. Kevin is still alive, but the ACP informs the nurse to kill him inside the ambulance. The elderly couple who take in the wounded Ajith and his girlfriend are Kevin’s parents. Obviously, they share their woes with him. And naturally, Ajith makes up his mind to steal from the bank and give the money back to the people.
Thunivu (2023) Movie Ending, Explained:
Who are the real thieves and culprits?
Ajith invites the press to come inside the bank. A journalist named Mahipa agrees to go inside when he is offered 50 lakhs. Ajith asks Krish to read the bank documents, but he cannot read them because the letters are too small. It’s an obvious dig at the bank’s tactics to sell their funds to the public as they come up with the concept of “conditions apply.” The movie focuses on the bank’s interest schemes and all the other concepts they come up with to take advantage of the innocent masses.
They are live on news channels now, and Ajith asks Krish what he did with the public’s money. The manager of the company explains that it’s not their fault the bank went bankrupt. Ajith smells this bullshit and orders the mutual fund company’s owner, Harsh, to come down to the Bank. He repeats the same thing and says he is not responsible for anything.
They reveal they invested in a brokerage company run by Sunil, and his company is responsible for the loss. Now, Sunil is also kidnapped and brought to the bank. He is a known scammer. He beats them black and blue, and they reveal the truth that 25,000 crores are inside a secret locker in the vault.
Is the Dark Devil’s heist successful?
His heist is successful when his girlfriend arrives in a truck containing RDX bombs. The Dark Devil showers money on the streets and has a grand exit strategy. The public is rooting for his escape and is busy collecting notes from the air. Moreover, the three culprits are locked inside the vault – a scene conveniently copied from Netflix’s hit show Money Heist.
Meanwhile, the Dark Devil is escaping in a speedboat with his girlfriend and another robber, but the cops are still chasing him. The three culprits die inside the locker, and The Dark Devil and his girlfriend swim and cross the border.
Read More: Varisu (2023) ‘Prime Video’ Movie Review
Thunivu (2023) Movie Links – IMDb
Thunivu (2023) Movie Cast – Ajith Kumar, Manju Warrier, Samuthirakani, John Kokken
Where to watch Thunivu
