‘Thadayam’ review: Engrossing show asks who the real criminal is

Sub-inspector Athiyamaan is in no hurry to abandon his cherished cup of tea. So what if a murder has occurred? The body isn’t going anywhere, he reasons.

Athiyamaan is anything but slack or callous. He’s a bit of a rural Sherlock with enhanced powers of ratiocination that has led to tolerance, if not acceptance, of his eccentric ways. Athiyamaan (Samuthirakani) is days away from retirement when he gets involved with a case worth of his grey cells.

People have been hacked to death. The only item taken is the taali, the piece of jewellery that indicates marital status among women. Athiyamaan has some ideas into how the murders have taken place.

For the motive, he must team up with his new boss Lakshmi (Sshivada) and cross over the border that separates Tamil Nadu from Andhra Pradesh. Lakshmi is initially reluctant to trust Athiyamaan, but she comes to see the method behind his supposed madness.

Thadayam on ZEE5 is inspired by actual events that took place in 1999. Written and directed by Navinkumar Palanivel, Thadayam, meaning “clue”, is an engrossing show that isn’t just about criminals, but also the police who are chasing them.

The six-episode series examines a violation of legal guarantees that tips the killers (Raj Tirandasu and Sundharpandyan) over...

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