It’s an adaptation alright. But this was a story which needed to be told. I loved the Intouchables when I first watched it. It moved me despite the language barrier. More often than not re-makes and adaptations don’t work when it is re-made in regional languages because the soul is lost in translation Thozha manages to retain the soul of the original and gives the audience a pleasant feel good entertainer.

There is an eternal challenge for film makers when they make a film based on physically disabled people. Either they end up like one big well of tears sending the audience into depression or the makers end up ridiculing them so much that the audience cringe. Thankfullly Thozha does neither. It treats the film as a pleasant  journey giving an insight into how beautiful life can be.

The film reminded me of Radha Mohan’s gem Mozhi another fascinating celebration of life. All of us have been on both sides of the wheel chair sometimes needing a hand to lift us up and sometimes giving our hand to someone who needs a lift. 

The whole cast deserves one big pat on the back for having lived their roles. Another big plus is actually speaking the lines in two different languages instead of just dubbing using an out of sync voice. The obvious minus is the length and the music. A crisper film would have made more impact.  Another important missing link is the lack of racial connotations which gave so much depth to the original.

Despite the minor flaws Thozha/ Oopri is a must watch. Kudos to Vamsi and Team for the effort. 

My Rating 4.5/5