Officer On Duty review: Kunchacko Boban and Priyamani lead a taut Malayalam police drama

Dubai: There’s something heartening about a police procedural where an inconspicuous case investigation snowballs into a sinister web of crimes.

In this Kunchacko Boban-led thriller, a fake jewelry pawning case spirals into a murkier and more macabre series of sexual crimes against young women.

The movie opens with a distractingly brown-faced Hari Shanker (Kunchacko Boban) returning to work after being demoted for insubordination and violent behavior.

In the first few minutes, it’s established that he’s a troubled cop who believes police brutality is an effective and rapid way to wring out the truth from a suspect.

Sample this: an old woman’s chain gets stolen on a public bus, and two women are accused of the theft. One of them tries to throw the rule book at the cop’s face—most cower, but not Kunchacko’s character. She claims she’s pregnant, but he violently knees her belly. It’s uncomfortable to watch, but her accomplice admits to the crime, seeing his nutty and wildly inappropriate conduct. From that scene on, it’s clear he’s a potty-mouthed loose cannon. His fractured personal life, including his troubled relationship with his wife (an on-point Priyamani) and child, along with his anxiety-prone demeanor, doesn’t help.

But like most Malayalam films, it also humanises law enforcement officers as those who often operate in extremes. They are deeply flawed and vulnerable even as they keep the streets crime-free.

This film starts on a compelling note, and its first half has enough twists to keep us hooked. Seasoned actor Jagadish, who plays a helpless father and an ordinary conductor of a state-run bus in desperate need of quick cash, has our heart. He is off to pawn his daughter’s gold chain, a moment that sets off a chain of events.

What I love about this film is that the first half sets the scene for why its principal players are all dealing with their personal demons. Like most adults, their actions have not always been savory, and they are dealing with their traumas in their own ways. But the momentum doesn’t last long. In the second half, as the real villains of the film emerge, it enters broad black-and-white strokes. There’s simply no redemption for these cocaine-snorting, conscience-starved young kids.

Perhaps director Jithu Ashraf and writer Shahi Kabir (whose credits also include the brilliant cop procedural Joseph) wanted to provide no respite to their morally depraved set. The nuances of being addicted to drugs and how their abhorrent actions might be dictated by substance abuse aren’t fully explored, which is a shame. These hoodie-wearing drug peddlers, who prey on young girls with false identities, come across as stock characters. The thumping music as they snort banned substances and their debauched existence is slightly romanticized, robbing the movie of much-needed heft.

Actor Vishak Nair does a neat job, but he and his dysfunctional mates go overboard in some scenes. Towards the end, the action scenes—visceral and raw, paired with impressive music—get bloated. A tighter second half would have helped their case, especially since the first was impressively taut and eventful. But that isn’t a dealbreaker.

The impressive performances from its lead players, like Kunchacko, Priyamani, and Jagadish, make it worth our time. But I wish the movie, which takes a quick jab at how police abuse power and position, had given that aspect more attention.

This film, powered by efficient performances, is a good one-time watch. But what kills you is that despite dealing with a grim subject, we don’t truly empathise with the victims, which is an even bigger shame.

But watch it if you’re looking for a well-made police procedural.

Gulf News Rating:

Film: Officer On Duty (Malayalam)

Director: Jithu Ashraf

Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Priyamani, Jagadish, Vishak Nair

Stars: 3.5 out of 5