Thalavan

A shoutout to Jis Joy for venturing outside the feel-good zone even when his last attempt at a thriller didn't work. Thalavan delivers the goods as a police procedural with plenty of characters, their details and dynamics. The first act makes you think it's yet another addition to the Malayalam Ego Clash™ universe. However, Thalavan properly gets going once the main murder plot kicks in. There's an unnecessary song and a mediocre fight sequence following it, but those are the only detractions. Asif Ali is clearly in fine form here, and once again proves his mettle as a performer when he dons the police uniform. Biju Menon is solid too, and since we've already seen him and Asif work together as leads before, their efforts here come across as no surprise. The same goes for much of the supporting cast (ft. Dileesh Pothan, Jaffer Idukki, Miya George, Anushree, etc.), even in instances of weakly written dialogue.

Deepak Dev's musical score makes you invested in the proceedings, though I'd have placed the Thalavan theme song at a different point within the film. The key antagonist gets a meaty arc and a well-established motive, though I wish Jis had exhibited greater finesse in the final reveal. From a writing standpoint, there are several decoys thrown at us. If you're a longtime thriller buff, you should be able to distinguish between an actual lead and a decoy without much fuss. Though this isn't a film with a lot of guns and fist-fights, they could've still done a better job with the stunts. Nonetheless, with all its flaws, the film is worth a watch on the big screen.

A very neat investigation thriller that is able to be well made with nuanced while being pretty commercial. What I loved the most about the movie other than the perfect pacing of this movie is the theme that all policemen start thinking like criminals. That could raise a lot of questions but it is truly a way of thinking that would help understand and help police in general too. The way the film starts with a "Charithram Enniloode" style show and how the main story is started may not seem the best way to start the movie at first, but it works out great later. The way the film was able to move through so many characters while slowly revealing the small connections throughout was really fun to watch. The intensity brought out by the actors helped a lot too, the acting was really great across the board. The way the movie ended would've made me think they were setting up an unnecessary sequel if they hadn't started the movie they did. Because of how it began and was set up before the actual story began, it was convincing to me that there must be something more to the story even though seemingly everything was tied up. The song felt unnecessary and didn't feel like it matched with how the rest of the movie was going because it directly stood with that character at that point instead of being a spectator. There were a couple of scenes where the editing seemed off, maybe they didn't shoot it keeping the 180 rule, I just noticed that the editing seemed jarring for no reason in those scenes. But these small issues didn't really affect my enjoyment of the film. It's the better investigation movie of the year in Malayalam and I'd be interested in the sequel.

Retired DYSP Udayabhanu narrates the Cheppanamthotta case for a tv series, after being compelled by the reporter. It was a sensational case as it involved CI Jayashankar as the prime accused in the murder of a woman and his subordinate SI Karthik was made the investigation officer. With all the evidences directly pointing at Jayashankar, it is upto Karthik who actually has a rocky work relationship with Jayashankar to be neutral in order to solve the case. In the meantime, Jayashankar gets out on bail to parallely investigate the case. What do the duo reveal in their follow up, forms rest of the story.

Thalavan is indeed a captivating thriller and the investigative procedural has a neat screenplay. The first half starts with introduction of the two main characters and establishes their conflict. The murder is revealed only after this and the director succeeds in maintaining the suspense with Jayashankar getting arrested. It is pretty much an intense first half without any deviation. The second half is where the drama shifts gear with the conspiracy angle setting in and despite their differences, both Jayashankar and Karthik are made to work together. The reveal however did feel stretched too far but then that comes down to the expectations I had, after the first half. I still find it as a compelling watch due to the performances and the entire investigation segment till the third act.

The story builds up nicely and the characters are instantly likeable and also relatable, it is grippy for the most part, but the ending will definitely leave you wanting for more and does not justify the rest of the movie.the story builds up nicely and the characters are instantly likeable and also relatable, it is grippy for the most part, but the ending will definitely leave you wanting for more and does not justify the rest of the movie.the story builds up nicely and the characters are instantly likeable and also relatable, it is grippy for the most part, but the ending will definitely leave you wanting for more and does not justify the rest of the movie.

The film Thalavan is a cinematic work belonging to the investigation crime thriller drama genres, and was directed by Jis Joy.

The film's narrative is characterised by the recounting of experiences by a retired Dysp in the context of a television programme. He provided a detailed account of a particularly noteworthy incident from his career as a police officer. The incident occurred within the precincts of Cheppanamthotta station, wherein the CI charge was held by Jayashankar and the SI charge was held by Karthik. The relationship between these two police officers is not a positive one. The relationship is characterised by a dynamic interplay of ego dynamics. The relationship is deteriorating on a daily basis. Subsequently, a corpse was discovered in Jayashankar's residence, resulting in his apprehension on suspicion of murder. Karthik was assigned the investigation. Following the granting of bail on health grounds, Jayashankar was permitted to leave prison for a limited period. The two individuals commenced their investigation into the murder, each pursuing a distinct approach in their quest to unravel the enigma. The subsequent investigation revealed that a person named Sijo was in some way connected to the murder. However, Sijo was murdered by an unknown assailant, and both Jayashankar and Karthik were implicated in the crime. However, the subjects in question did indeed abscond, and conducted a well-structured investigation in a collective manner. This information prompts them to seek out Jayashankar's former colleague, who is driven by a desire for retribution for his son's death. It is the contention of the aforementioned individual that Jayashankar was the primary cause of his son's demise.

The narrative was of a high standard, with unexpected plot twists and a commendable direction. The performances are of a commendable standard, particularly those of the protagonists and the antagonist. Furthermore, the musical scores are of a high quality. The film is valuable for a repeated watching and recommendation.