A very realistic but engaging police procedural movie. The lack of commercial elements and the "Charithram Enniloode" episode where the real-life officer narrating the event being more thrilling made people dislike this, but to me, this was a very well-directed movie that engaged me throughout it. When the investigation moves to North India the pacing does slow down but it clearly reflects what the characters are going through and is perfectly in sync with the flow of the movie.
Narratively there are a few thematic confusion in this that I can't fully wrap my head around. I understand that the outlook is that of a non-judgemental look at the events and people while following the police who are leading the investigation. But the way a lot of the events are weaved into this, especially the last twenty minutes makes it weird. When you spend the whole movie on one side and again including a lot of elements that can be mistaken as police glorification in a realistic way, such a subtle way of showing the reality of the world is not really enough. The main characters knows their world, they know how fragile they are with their body as well as their egos but all of it is subtle details and not pronounced enough. The criminal world of these villagers is ruled by the rich, but after all this effort, that is just thrown into the conversation like nothing. So, the way the film handled its themes is lacking the power it needed to convey it properly. The ending would've worked much better if it communicated those themes better.
Technically also I had issues with some editing choices and dubbing issues were very pronounced throughout the film.
Despite all my issues with the film, I did love the way it showcased the investigation process realistically but still making it engaging and thrilling enough without any commercial elements that are usually seen in such Indian films. The use of music was perfect throughout the movie, without going overboard or underscoring. The acting was solid but felt the difference in scenes with firm direction on it and seeing some usual selves of actors in others.
Overall, loved the way the movie went on and what it set out to do but got a tiny bit disappointed at how it got realized at the end. Still a very good movie.
