CID Ramachandran Retd SI Malayalam Movie
A fair amount of engaging situations adorn the content of 'CID Ramachandran Rtd. SI' despite its toned-down narrative style. As an investigative thriller, the plot has the potential for loud and hard-hitting treatment, but writer-director Sanoop Sathyan's deftness in straight-forward story-telling yields result. A retired police officer's dilemma in coping with his retirement life is the sparking point of this thriller movie's conflict. The setting is promising, though not the edge-of-the-seat kind, by making viewers guess about the role of certain characters in the crime. The suspense element is neat even as some sort of predictability is lingering there.
The film follows the life of a retired police sub inspector, Ramachandran, played by Kalabhavan Shajohn, and his extreme passion for his job post his retirement. Ramachandran is so passionate about his profession that he struggles to reconcile with the reality of his retirement. As per the advice of his lawyer friend Lalji (Baiju Santhosh), Ramachandran sets up a private crime investigation bureau and starts to investigate a murder case on his own.
Jayarajan (Sudheer Karamana), who was framed in the murder case of Urmila Devi, played by Anumol, meets Ramachandran and explains his innocence in the case. Then the plot is all about identifying the real killer through the immaculate efforts of a passionate retired police officer-turned-private detective. It is a quiet thriller that strictly observes measured narrative elements as if the director is cautious of saving the movie from falling into the familiar track of investigative thrillers. This strategy pays the dividend; yet a tad peppy treatment would have made the film a little more appealing.
The positive aspects of 'CID Ramachandran Rtd. SI' are its steady pace and substantial content that defy usual fripperies of this genre. Despite an austere approach, the entire sequences are engaging enough to justify the incidents referred to in the screenplay. Kalabhavan Shajohn is well poised as a protagonist to single-handedly shoulder the proceedings throughout. He appears with aplomb sans overdoing the emotions of the hero but sustains a consistency in performance.
The initial scenes establish well the intelligence of Ramachandran as an investigative officer and the tale progresses towards the main conflict. Fortunately, the film seldom moseys blankly along its defining moments though there are some mild diverting moments. It is a decent attempt to create an engaging murder mystery thriller by shunning the familiar gimmicks that are meant to give a thrust to the narration. It keeps a steady pace with a substantial content that keeps aside usual fripperies. Overall, it is a quiet thriller with a measured treatment and neat execution.
MOVIE REVIEWS