Thadam

Thadam

Year: 2019

Runtime: 138 mins

Language: Tamil

Director: Magizh Thirumeni

Echo Score: 80
CrimeThrillerMystery

The murder of a youngster creates confusion among a few cops when they find out that the one accused in the crime has a look-alike!

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Thadam yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – Thadam (2019)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Thadam (2019). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Late 2010s

The story unfolds in contemporary times, where DNA analysis, selfies and online information shape the investigation. The narrative shifts between present investigations and flashbacks, revealing the twins’ fractured past and the motives behind the crime.

Location

Chennai, Mumbai, Copenhagen

Chennai serves as the principal backdrop with IIT Madras anchoring Ezhil’s engineering world. The plot travels to Mumbai and Copenhagen, reflecting cross-border ambitions and the consequences of the twins’ choices. The urban landscape—streets, police stations, and high-traffic areas—drives the thriller’s tense chases and investigations.

🌆 Urban setting 🧭 International journeys 🌐 City backdrop

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:44

Main Characters – Thadam (2019)

Meet the key characters of Thadam (2019), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Ezhil (Arun Vijay)

A brilliant civil engineer from IIT Madras who hides a darker, violent streak. He shares a complicated bond with his lookalike Kavin and becomes entangled in a web of love, crime, and revenge. His past actions, including a brutal act to protect Deepika, drive the central mystery and his reluctant path toward reconciliation.

🎓 IIT Madras alumnus 🧠 Intelligent 🗡️ Violent streak

Kavin (Arun Vijay)

A gambling thief who mimics Ezhil’s appearance, using deception to survive and manipulate those around him. He is impulsive and pragmatic, stepping into danger to help Suruli and to protect his own interests, yet shows flashes of loyalty and vulnerability. His rivalry with his brother unfolds into a search for belonging and restitution.

🎲 Gambler 🌀 Impulsive 🕵️‍♂️ Lookalike

Deepika (Tanya Hope)

An IT professional and the love interest of Ezhil. Her past with Akash becomes the motive for action, and her fate is entwined with the twins’ attempts to protect her. She embodies the fragility of trust and the impact of trauma on relationships.

💻 IT professional ❤️ Love interest 🔍 Central to investigation

Ananthi (Smruthi Venkat)

A devoted young woman who loves Kavin and initially trusts him with her money. Her empathy allows her to see beyond deception, and her eventual realization contributes to the narrative’s moral complexity. She represents loyalty and emotional resilience.

💖 Loyal 👀 Trusting 🫂 Compassion

Suruli (Yogi Babu)

A debt-ridden sidekick who thrives on mischief and street-smart schemes. His escapades drive some of the early tension and events, and his bond with Kavin adds a layer of uneasy humor to the thriller. He embodies resilience amid precarious circumstances.

🎲 Gambler 🏃‍♂️ Cunning 🗺️ Companion

Gopalakrishnan (Fefsi Vijayan)

An inspector with a long-standing rivalry with Ezhil, prone to torture and manipulation in pursuit of his own version of justice. He epitomizes the corrupt or morally compromised detective who tries to control the narrative. His schemes create obstacles for the protagonists.

🕵️ Inspector ⚖️ Rivalry 🧠 Calculated

Malarvizhi (Vidhya Pradeep)

A determined inspector who interrogates both twins and ultimately uncovers destabilizing truths. She disciplines the investigation with persistence, but her own career is compromised by manipulation and fake witnesses. She embodies the tension between rule-bound inquiry and personal ambition.

👩‍💼 Officer 🕵️‍♀️ Persistent 🧩 Investigator

Akash (Yesakkiappan)

A man whose murder becomes the central catalyst of the mystery. He is tied to Deepika’s tragic backstory, and his actions and crimes haunt the investigation as investigators probe the past. His fate reveals the darker side of the plot’s crime network.

💀 Victim 🕵️‍♂️ Suspect in the crime 🧪 Dark past

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:44

Major Themes – Thadam (2019)

Explore the central themes of Thadam (2019), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔎 Dual Identity

Two brothers share the same appearance but live very different lives, blurring the line between criminal and victim. The DNA reveal collapses their separate paths into one shared history, forcing characters to confront their inherited past. The film uses this twin dynamic to explore fate, choice, and what defines a person.

🎭 Deception & Truth

Lies drive the plot as characters manipulate others to shield themselves or gain advantage. Fake witnesses, hidden motives, and withheld truths complicate who can be trusted. The twist reveals how truth can be weaponized and justice can be compromised by personal agendas.

⚖️ Justice vs Revenge

The courtroom and police procedures grapple with punishing the right person while protecting the innocent. Ezhil and Kavin’s fates hinge on a balance between legal verdicts and personal vengeance. The ending suggests a transnational pursuit of redemption rather than simple punishment.

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:44

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Complex murder mysteries like Thadam

Fast-paced investigations where truth is complex and justice is ambiguous.If you liked the investigative drive and moral ambiguity of Thadam, you'll find similar tension in these movies. They are fast-paced thrillers centered on a murder, where the investigation uncovers deep-seated trauma and forces characters to navigate a world where right and wrong are not clearly defined.

suspensefulgrippinginvestigativetensemorally complexatmosphericanxious

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically begin with a shocking crime that sets a frantic investigation in motion. The plot is driven by procedural beats and dramatic reveals, but the core conflict is often internal or philosophical, questioning the very meaning of justice. Characters are frequently faced with impossible choices, and the endings tend to be bittersweet or morally complex rather than neatly resolved.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a specific combination of a high-intensity investigative plot and a heavy emotional weight derived from moral ambiguity. They prioritize suspense and intellectual engagement over simple catharsis, leaving the viewer with lingering questions about ethics and human nature.

Thriller movies about twins and identity like Thadam

Unraveling a life when a double blurs the lines of self and guilt.For viewers fascinated by Thadam's use of twin identities to drive its plot, this collection features similar psychological thrillers. Discover movies where look-alikes create confusion, fuel investigations, and force a confrontation with a hidden or repressed side of the self, often against a backdrop of crime and suspense.

psychologicalbroodingsuspensefulidentity crisismelancholicunsettlingmysterious

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern revolves around the introduction of a duplicate, which triggers a crisis of identity and often a wrongful accusation. The plot uses this doubling to explore themes of duality, buried family secrets, and personal trauma. The journey is typically one of uncovering a shared or conflicting past, leading to a climax where the true nature and fate of each identity are revealed.

Why These Movies?

These movies are connected by their core use of the doppelgänger trope as a primary plot engine for psychological exploration and suspense. They share a brooding, melancholic mood as characters grapple with the existential threat of being replaced or confronting their own potential for darkness.

Unlock the Full Story of Thadam

Don't stop at just watching — explore Thadam in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Thadam is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Thadam Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Thadam, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Thadam Summary

Thadam Timeline

Track the full timeline of Thadam with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Thadam Timeline

Thadam Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Thadam that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Thadam Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Thadam

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Thadam: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Thadam