Turkish Tharkkam story: Masin, a carefree youngster, falls in love with Nazarath. The latter brings out the best in him. But a quick dash from a skirmish, leads to a tragedy – one that pits the people in the village against each other, in a fight between faith, regressive beliefs and humanity.

Turkish Tharkkam review: It takes a lot of guts of a debutant filmmaker to choose a topic that revolves around faith, questions the beliefs of the people, shakes these regressive practices and lead them towards light – all without ever being preachy. Navaz Suleiman, who has helmed Turkish Tharkkam, can be proud he has achieved all of this in his first movie, and that too, navigating sensitive topics with the seeming confidence of an experienced hand.

The film, which has Lukman Avaran in the lead, starts off by taking the audience through the love story of Masin and Nazarath (Amina Nijam). It’s light on its foot, and the acting duo make it easy to relate to their characters. It almost seems that the movie would take a predictable route, till Navaz shakes up the template. The writer-director puts the audience in the middle of a quandry, leading to a division of people in the small Muslim community at Masin’s high-range hometown, where they must choose between demonstrating humanity or sticking to their age-old beliefs.

The fight between the two groups intensify – with each person having their own interests, often overlooking what truly matters in that hour of need. This is also where Navas’ craft truly comes to the fore. He uses Lukman, sparingly in the second half, and yet he is all that the viewer cares about. As the clock ticks down, you feel it could lead to an impending tragedy, heightening the stakes – as those on the higher plane battle each other, with words and weapons, instead of wisdom.

Turkish Tharkkam is also one of the rare movies that keep the audience hooked, despite being dialogue heavy and mostly questions the belief system in an age where rationality can provide viable, life-saving solutions. It also explains how people are their own worst enemies, impeding their own progress. This is shown through the religious system as well as the government organisations, where urgent actions are delayed for fear of being punished. That said, the fights in the movie do tend to get repetitive.

The casting of the movie is spot on, and Lukman, who was good in Anchakallakokkan and Perumani earlier this year, shows why he is a dependable actor who makes the most of his opportunities. Sujith Shankar, Harishree Ashokan, Jayan Cherthala and Assim Jamal also standout in their roles in the film, which sees Sunny Wayne in an extended cameo in the second half. Amina Nijam also makes a mark during the romantic scenes of the film. Even though the film is replete with newcomers, none of them feel out of place, and you really care for what all of these characters bring to the story and how they push for the solution.

Turkish Tharkkam, which at 1 hour and 40 minutes, is also neatly edited by Noufal Abdullah, with Ifthi’s music being the perfect foil for this enlightening drama-thriller. Abdul Rahim’s cinematography also deserves a special mention, along with certain scenes of Masin’s out-of-body experiences.

Turkish Tharkkam verdict: This Lukman-starrer is sure to surprise you and keep you engaged throughout. Even while it questions faith and age-old beliefs and the movie is backed by rational thinking, what truly makes it a worthwhile watch is that it’s all heart!

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