Ronth

To me, Ronth felt like the cinematic equivalent of the iPhone's Portrait Mode-the way it creates a sharp focus on the subject while softly blurring the background. Shahi Kabir achieves the same "depth-of-field" effect in storytelling, bringing Dileesh Pothan, Roshan Mathew, and Lekshmi Menon into sharp emotional focus. Their performances truly penetrate the screen and demand attention.

This film stands out for its realistic and grounded portrayal of the Kerala Police. It's one of the rare films that offers a clean, authentic look into the life and routine of a policeman-without overdramatization or distortion.

Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew deliver solid, believable performances. They own their roles with the natural talent we've come to expect from them. But the real surprise was Lekshmi Menon. Her performance was extraordinary-deep, authentic, and emotionally layered. It makes one wonder why the Malayalam film industry hasn't tapped into her full potential before. This could very well be her breakthrough, and I genuinely hope to see her in more roles that allow her to shine.

However, I was personally let down by the tragic climax. It left some plot points unresolved, and I found myself wishing Shahi Kabir had opted for an open-ended finish-one that gave the audience space for interpretation. Instead, it leans toward a somber closure that felt a little too final for a story that had so many emotional layers.

Still, Ronth is a commendable effort and a fresh take in Malayalam cinema.

One of the most highly praised Mollywood films of the year so far is finally out on streaming. I learned that Shahi Kabir, the director of this film, was police officer in the past. Checks out, his writing in the previous films have had a very different take on the Kerala Police Force. If you've watched Nayattu and liked it, you're gonna like this film, but in a different way; also, there's a surprise waiting for you in this film.

Most cop dramas out of any of the film industries are over the top action films, but this...slow-burn... is grounded in reality (for the most part) and portrays the 'other side of the life' of the police officers that most films fail to show. The film depicts the events of an overnight patrol and almost every single thing the two cops do during this time, almost drags you along on this tiring journey. You really feel it's dragging along but that's deliberately done to make you feel how they feel on a daily basis. If you choose to not look at it that way, you're gonna feel like the parts of the patrol seem very repetitive and will start questioning why certain things happen the way they did in the film.

Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Matthew were fantastic in their roles, playing cops who've been a part of the force for 22 years (and about to retire soon) and 6 months respectively. You think you can predict where this film is going to go but writing slowly peels away the layers and makes you go "Yeah, I was not ready for that. Life isn't fair." Great acting and writing backed by awesome cinematography (the lush green locales makes you wonder if the shots have been over saturated but you realize it's Kerala and that's probably how the place is) and good sound design.

I initially didn't see the hype, thought this was overrated but the more I think about the film, the more I'm convinced that this was a banger but it'll sadly not be rated as high by the casual watchers. Regardless, if you like slow-burn thrillers, you should definitely watch this.

RONTH .... a colloquial term used for referring to police night patrols of the neighbourhood, is the latest Malayalam movie that has dropped in on JioHotstar.

A rookie cop is paired up with a seasoned senior in a rural police station. The movie revolves around a night of their "Ronth" and how the night unfolds.

The movie beautifully weaves the uneasy relationship between the two , the senior giving a master class to the rookie on the philosophy of Policing , the monitoring of the patrols by the police control room, battling their personal demons & of course the departmental politics.

The variety of the incidents that they encounter from rescuing a child from a mentally challenged father to checking drunken driving is well scripted.

In one of the scenes , the senior stops to pick up mangoes that have fallen from a tree for his wife , tugs your heart .

As with Malayalam films when you think you have seen it all the end hits you with its unpredictability and shocks you.

Roshan Mathew as the Rookie Cop plays the perfect foil to Dileesh Pothan who plays the senior brilliantly

Watch RONTH which tells you that a movie without a heroine , songs , exotic locations or lavish sets can still grip you.

RONTH is yet another feather in the already overflowing crown of Malayalam films .

The movie had potential, though the beginning scene merge was unnecessary and how they ended it was also unnecessary. Could have used the events to tell a commercial style story, something along the lines of Action Hero Biju in the tone of Officer on Duty. A missed opportunity. Because, the on-screen give and take was good. I don't why they chose tragedy, reminded me of films in the early 90's when tragedy was essential across media, let it be novels, serials or films. I don't know if anyone would watch films for engaging in that emotion anymore, especially it would cloud the experience of watching a movie if a hint of the story was given at the beginning. Even if tragedy was the aim, should have just started the film normally without any unnecessary editing gimmick. Otherwise, should have chosen to completely immerse into the slice of life genre.

The name Shahi Kabir is enough to pull you into this interestingly minimal night patrol cop drama. The leads (Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew) are well-written, and both their performances are superbly effective. We, as audiences, get to witness possibly one of the most compelling, challenging nights they go through as Officers on Patrol Duty (pun intended). The North Kerala landscape also adds so much to the proceedings, successfully sending chills down our spine when needed. The cases they deal with are also emotionally hard-hitting and carry life-altering consequences, making each incident either add more baggage or connect to a larger thread of events.

The setup is minimal when you think of it, but the writing and direction are splendid. The dialogues swing between humourously relatable and deeply moving; it's safe to say that both sides of the coin are effective. And when you know it's part of the Shahi Kabir Copverse™ (loved the Nayattu connection), you'd be anticipating that feeling of heaviness in the chest as the film concludes. I'm amazed how the writer-director can tell these realistically grounded stories as a cop himself.

Manesh Madhavan's scintillating cinematography (almost 3/4ths of the film unfolds at night), Anil Johnson's affecting music, and Praveen Mangalath's editing all help the film to a great extent. Certain parts of it could've easily been tagged as "psychological horror," and I would agree. I was instantly reminded of Training Day when I watched the trailer, but Ronth is a greater emotional beast, and it carries a core that's easy to connect to.