Taanakkaran is a film written and directed by Tamizh and produced by SR Prabhu and SR Prakash Babu under the banner Potential Studios LLP. The film has Vikram Prabhu and Anjali Nair in the lead roles while Lal, MS Bhaskar, Madhusudhan Rao, Lingesh and others play crucial supporting roles. The film is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. 

Vikram Prabhu plays the role of Arivu, who is a part of the latest set of recruits. Police Officers Muthupandi (Madhusudhan Rao) and Eswaramoorthy (a menacing Lal) are the superiors who control the place. The recruits are severely tortured by these officers in the name of training which affects them both physically and mentally. When Arivu protests against this, his peers face more torture along with him. Whether they are successful with their dissent is what makes the rest of Taanakkaran's plot. 

Writer - Director Tamizh chooses a unique setting for the film - The Police Recruits School. The location has been captured in a very realistic way by the cinematographer Madhesh Manickam. The place is a barren ground, hot and dry, with not a single colourful element, and this exact feeling is what Madhesh's cinematography gives us. 

The performances of few actors are melodramatic in nature, but they all work well, which is a rare sight to witness. Vikram Prabhu shoulders this film as the lead, and fits his character to the T along with MS Bhaskar and Lal steals the show with their mesmerising performances.

Off late, we are seeing a lot of films questioning the political systems present, with the likes of Jai Bhim, Karnan and Writer to name a few. Taanakkaran also attempts to do the same but seems to have added commercial compromises like a love track and romantic songs in a very serious plot. Considering that this is an OTT release, the makers could have made a more focussed film that could have made a bigger impact on the minds of the people. 

A few of the compromises include placement of songs in a film that must have been gripping from the first frame itself. The placement of Anjali Nair's characterization also seemed to increase the runtime. The romantic sequences between her and Vikram Prabhu did not fit in the film's narrative well. Had both these issues been sorted, the film's engagement would have been far better. 

Ghibran's background score is solid as ever. Despite working well as a standalone number, the song Kattikoda became a speed breaker for the screenplay. The rest of the songs have nothing much to complain about. Cinematographer Madhesh Manickam does a great job in bringing the director's vision to life. 

Overall, the film is technically decent while the performances and milieu make up for the flaws. Taanakkaran shows a side of the police department that most of us haven't seen and captures the details of the lives of the powerless people in a powerful department.