Uyir, the latest Malayalam police story starring Roshan Mathew, is based on a true story, and the story credit is given to the police officer whose experience lies the foundation for this movie. The soul of the film is in the very last thirty-odd minutes, where the hero sets out on a journey to find someone, and in those portions, the movie has certain emotional elements that will connect with you. But the writing till that point is a labored one, and if you look at the purpose of this movie, they are stretching a crime pointlessly to make it a thriller.
Ajeeb, an SI in Kerala Police who is in his probation period, is our main character. His first official case was to find the whereabouts of a woman who was found dead in a well nearby. The investigation to find out who she is and what happened to her led to a scenario that made Ajeeb suspect some foul play in that death. The investigation Ajeeb does to clear all the mysteries is what we see in this movie.
Written by singer Nikhil K Menon and Shaji Marad, the man who co-wrote Elaveezhapoonchira, the biggest issue with the screenplay is the time it wastes on the thriller part. It almost felt like when they pitched it to people, and they all said a movie won’t run with just an emotional element, and they should add a thriller factor to amplify it. The problem is that after the first iteration, this thriller element starts to feel redundant. And Padmakumar’s making style that goes after this way of cueing emotion by setting outdated background score pretty much takes away the depth from that empathetic component in this story.
If the crafting of the thriller bits in the movie had a more grounded approach that connected with the main element of the story, there would have been something for the audience to read. There are almost three iterations of the same case in this movie, and in the second iteration itself, we feel the monotony. There is an event that Ajeeb forgets, and we, as an audience, can see that much before the hero. The setup is not done in a subtle fashion, and hence it feels very forced and formulaic. There is a moment in the movie where the police realize their mistake, and rather than looking at it as a plot twist, we will feel like laughing at the police for being so naive. A lot of the scenes that are added to show the routine of police officers have no major purpose. Manikandan Ayyappa’s songs and score are only enhancing the outdated treatment M Padmakumar has given to the movie.
Roshan Mathew has a way of performing the characters in a very realistic manner with natural reactions. Here also, he uses that grace to a good extent. The only thing that works in this movie is the final moments of redemption, and Roshan’s performance, which relied more on expressions, helped to elevate the emotional quotient of those moments. Actor Baiju as Officer Joy was in his typical elements, and I really feel somebody should give him a character who isn’t talking in that lazy tone. Vinod Sagar gets to play an important character in this movie, and it was an okay performance that occasionally goes to an outdated pitch. Shruthy Menon gets to do a character with very minimal dialogue. Athulya Chandra is paired opposite Roshan in this movie, and the dialogue delivery at times is a bit stiff. Vineeth Thattil David, Shaju Sreedhar, etc., are the other major names in the cast.
Much like most of the police stories we see these days, this one also has a hero who is seeking redemption for something that happened in his life. This is becoming a go-to tool of every writer, and I somehow feel we need a break from that trope. Looking at the real photograph they have shown at the end of the movie, I think the murder elements in the film are all fictional, created to build an element of intrigue in the story. The subject of a police officer showing empathy and going out of his way to save someone is definitely a heart-touching story to read. But when it comes to the cinematic language, the decision to narrate it as a thriller makes it feel pretty usual. Looking at the theme this movie deals with, the decision to go for that confusing title design made no sense.
