Bala's explorations into the dark side of human nature have worked better when they have had a strong context and were an inherent part of the plot. Pithamagan's Sithan was brought up in a graveyard and he acted as drug mule, so the tragic fates that people close to him meet was unavoidable. Similarly, the visually-challenged Hamsavalli of Naan Kadaval, who is forced into begging, seeks for her deliverance, which comes in the form of the Aghori, Rudhran. But when he has used it as just a plot device to bring his story to an end, the result has been unconvincing, as we saw in Avan Ivan, where the villain enters the lives of the protagonists to change its course. Thaarai Thappattai, too, has a villain, Karuppaiah (RK Suresh, who is a superb addition to Bala's roster of menacing movie villains), a character which seems to be part of this tale just because Bala cannot help but have a blood-soaked ending. The film deals with the lives of Sannasai (Sasikumar, who is just about OK) and Sooravali (Varalaxmi). The son of Saami Pulavar (GM Kumar, who repeats what he did in Avan Ivan), a musician who will not compromise on his art, Sannasi has no problems in being a bit commercial. Sooravali is the main dancer in his folk music troupe, which performs at festivals, and she is madly in love with him. Life is challenging enough with most organisers booking them mostly in the hope that they…

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