Director Ratheena (of Puzhu fame) returns with Paathirathri, a night-time thriller that taps into the successful template of Malayalam police procedurals, focusing heavily on the flawed personal lives of its protagonists. Starring the formidable duo of Navya Nair and Soubin Shahir, the film promises a tense, emotionally complex story. Does it manage to find fresh suspense in familiar territory, or does it get lost in the darkness?
| Director | Ratheena | | Cast | Navya Nair, Soubin Shahir, Ann Augustine, Sunny Wayne | | Genre | Drama, Thriller, Police Procedural | | Average Critic Rating | 2 / 5 Stars |
The Plot: Midnight Misstep
The intense thriller is set against the backdrop of an Idukki police station. It centres on the turbulent dynamic between probationary SI Jancy Kurian (Navya Nair) and veteran Constable Hareesh (Soubin Shahir), two officers struggling with troubled marriages.
While on night patrol, they stumble upon a suspicious incident near a marshland involving a chased man. Due to a sudden departmental instruction, they are forced to leave the scene. When the body of a righteous journalist is discovered at the same spot the next day, Jancy and Hareesh are immediately suspended. The core of the story is their desperate parallel investigation to clear their names, forcing two reluctant colleagues to rely on each other to survive the system that now targets them.
What Works: The Human Element
Anchor Performances: Navya Nair delivers one of her best performances since her comeback, perfectly capturing Jancy's blend of sincerity, fear, and resolve. Soubin Shahir, as the weary, cynical Hareesh, balances her intensity well. Their evolving interpersonal dynamic is the emotional core that keeps the audience invested.
Realistic Character Arcs: The film wisely spends time establishing the officers' personal turmoil, particularly Hareesh's disdain for women and Jancy's domestic issues, giving their professional crisis a powerful, human context.
Cinematic Tone: Shehnad Jalal's cinematography is commendable, lending a striking visual quality to the night-time setting, often saving the film during its flatter moments.
What Doesn't Work: Familiarity and Flat Writing
Overly Familiar Template: The film draws too heavily on the successes of recent Malayalam cop-on-the-run thrillers like Nayattu, but lacks the layered social commentary and structural brilliance of those predecessors.
Uninspiring Investigation: Once the cops are on the run, the investigation itself lacks bite. Instead of a thrilling battle of wits, key evidence often lands coincidentally, and the narrative fails to build genuine tension or surprise. The climax reveal is largely ineffective.
Wasted Subplots and Cast: Interesting character details, such as Hareesh’s misogyny, are introduced only to be quickly abandoned. Veteran actors like Harisree Ashokan and Indrans are given roles that feel like token inclusions, adding little to the main plot.
Dated Filmmaking: Director Ratheena, who showed great flair in Puzhu, resorts to more old-fashioned and deliberate pacing here, which contributes to a feeling of drag, especially in the middle segments.
Final Verdict: Saved by the Leads
Paathirathri is a film that rides solely on the commitment of its central performers, Navya Nair and Soubin Shahir, who manage to infuse life into a derivative and often uninspired script. While the strong cast and authentic emotional premise initially promise a nail-biting thriller, the subsequent predictable twists and weak execution of the investigation make this a missed opportunity for a standout procedural. It's an average watch for fans of the leads or the genre, but it will fade quickly in a year rich with superior Malayalam thrillers.
Critic Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5 Stars)
#Paathirathri #MalayalamReview #NavyaNair #SoubinShahir #Mollywood #CrimeThriller #IndianFilmUpdates
No comments:
Post a Comment