Anweshippin Kandethum Malayalam Movie
This investigative thriller is devoid of eloquence and shuns the usual over-the-board mayhem seen in typical thrillers. Besides, it also lacks considerable edge-of-the-seat moments to qualify as a perfect thriller per se. Still, Darwin Kuriakose-directed film hardly falls short of sustaining the engaging premise while trying to unravel the mystery behind two murders happening in the 80's and 90's. A director's confidence is palpable in the consistency maintained by Kuriakose in the simplistic narrative pattern. Perhaps, his reluctance to largely hinging on familiar tropes augurs well for the movie, scripted by Jinu Abraham. Despite its austerity in story-telling, 'Anweshippin Kandethum' wins brownie points for making the content engaging.
Tovino Thomas plays Sub Inspector Anand Narayanan, who probes the murder cases by overcoming professional setbacks and the hiccups arising due to protest by locals. Here, the protagonist is not infallible and most importantly, he is an ordinary police officer with a straight-forward mentality and humane attitude. The first half of the plot is about the missing case of a teenage girl hailing from Chingavanam in Kottayam. Her father Mathachan (Vettukili Prakash) approaches the police. But the investigation of Anand Narayanan faces stumbling blocks in the form of his superiors when he decides to question Father Thomas (Madhupal) in connection with the case.
The whole proceedings are portrayed in a subtle manner by creating a realistic milieu and even the shots by Gautham Shankar are neatly blending with the narration. The usual cinematic portrayal of investigation procedures is minimal in the film which is mostly set in rural milieu. The plot in the first half is about a case in 1993 and Anand Narayanan faces setbacks in it even as he could nab the culprit.
The next case assigned to Anand Narayanan is the unsolved murder case of Sreedevi (Arthana Binu) in the 80's. Appointed by Rajagopal, IPS (Siddique), Anand Narayanan and his three-member team take over the case and leave for the village Cheruvalli. They seek the help of a retired police officer, Ravindran (Sadiq), in the village and start their reinvestigation. Though 'Anweshippin Kandethum' has two different tales to offer, both are able to generate ample engaging moments. Meanwhile, the depiction of Anand Narayanan's efforts to gather vital evidence from the parish and the house of Panchayat President Pailo (Baburaj) appears to be far-fetched.
Tovino rises equal to the requirements demanded by the script with a succinct performance. The pent-up emotions of the protagonist get delicate sheen through his composed portrayal of the role. Unlike his colleagues, the protagonist is mentally affected by the outcome of both the cases. The plot twists are smart especially in the tale of the first half, which is more solid than the events in the latter half. Santhosh Narayanan's music aptly juices up the premise of the tale.
The plot of 'Anweshippin Kandethum' is something close to excitement and the film has less pretension in its treatment. It is more sensible in its approach to the theme. Despite its share of flaws, this subdued thriller's outcome is decent and satisfying. The movie's strong content and cast compensate for the seemingly low-energy in the treatment. The drama in the thriller is a tad over-familiar but the events are robustly put together to make it engaging.
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