Oru Anweshanathinte Thudakkam Malayalam Movie
The prologue here is a heinous murder that sets the stage for an investigative thriller with a lot of mysteries to be answered. But the creative intensity in unraveling the mysteries is lukewarm as well as vapid. Writer-director M A Nishad's film is infested with a galaxy of actors irrespective of their prominence on screen. The impressive line-up of actors evokes curiosity but the director himself hogs the limelight by donning one of the protagonists. 'Oru Anweshanathinte Thudakkam' is set in Kottayam where the Crime Branch is assigned with the missing case of journalist Jeevan Thomas, played by Shine Tom Chacko.
DYSP Issac Mammen, played by MA Nishad, leads the team under the supervision of Superintendent of Police Shreya, essayed by Swasika Vijay. The real issue of this movie is its meandering narration and dismal editing that apparently protract the proceedings to about 181 minutes. One of the scenes, where Issac's mundane lecturing about police and justice with Shreya over a drink, sums up the frivolous nature of the script and insipid execution. That rambling eloquence is evident in Nishad's craft and the film's plot appears to be a labyrinth when it traverses through Dubai, Mumbai, Punjab and Tenkasi. The mystery behind the disappearance of Jeevn is lethargically explained in the film and what makes the proceedings monotonous is the platitudes of police officers including DGP Thomas Koshy (Ashokan) and IG Premkumar (Mukesh) about 'Kottayam Crime Branch' and the missing person.
The progress of the probe is interspersed with the family affairs of Issac and his friendship with Kuriakose (Johny Antony). Issac's wife Molikutty, played by Manju Pillai, brings in tad energy to her scenes though they are insignificant to the proceedings. When one conflict is cleared, the film opens avenues for more subplots ignoring the vital engaging factor. Issac interrogates Jeevan's friend scribe Sunil Mani (Baiju Santhosh) in connection with the case and later, his team frames Jeevan's wife Ruby (Sshivada) as well.
The revelations regarding the investigation are made by each police officer as if they have been given their share of dialogues to fulfil their task as performers. Police officers Soumya, essayed by Durga Krishna, and Habeeb, enacted by Shaheen Siddique, have hardly anything to contribute in 'Oru Anweshanathinte Thudakkam' apart from accompanying the seniors. The action mode of Issac is the most distasteful element in the film that tries to explore him as an action hero. The extended cameos by Vani Viswanath and Samuthirakani only give the feel of an overstretched exercise, the vivid sign of a floundering plot.
Vijay Babu as a Member of Parliament adds a crucial political connection to the movie and the subsided character of Anumol gets prominence later. Sudheesh as autorickshaw driver Ubaid too plays a pivotal character with a restrained performance. With lots of subdivisions in the plot, the film demands a crisp, vibrant and engaging story-telling in the right order. Despite being taken from the case diary of the director's father, a former police officer, Nishad gravely falters in extending a proper treatment to his adapted screenplay. Instead of making the plot riveting, he beats around the bush by digressing from the core of the theme and creating room for making his political statement.
Nishad has accomplished in aptly blending with the character to an extent except in the action sequences. His combination with Manju Pillai, who has appeared natural in her outing, was on the right track despite questions remain if those scenes were required or not. The aimless path of this thriller is devoid of organic turnout of events and good performances. Its rambling narration with mundane execution sullies the plot that never appears to be promising at any stage.
