Sirai Movie Review:

Shackles. In a hugely divided society, even the slightest semblance of order has to be forced. Every aspect of society is forcibly shackled to each other, and these disjointed links are the bedrock of this orderly chaos. The dreamers believe that all it takes for the chaos to right itself is one link that finds a conscience, and the pragmatists know that the system will always find a way to replace this conscientious link. Debut director Suresh Rajakumar's Sirai lays bare the harsh truths of this world and proclaims to the world that empathy might just be the biggest heroism of a person.

Director: Suresh Rajakumari

Cast: Vikram Prabhu, LK Akshay Kumar, Anishma Anilkumar

Kathiravan (a terrific Vikram Prabhu) is part of the Armed Reserves, who are allotted the duty of escorting undertrials from the prison to the court and back. Abdul Rauf (Akshay Kumar, in a solid debut) is one such undertrial who has been fleeting in and out of the prison and court steps for over five years because he can't afford representation, and more importantly, he is Muslim. The film is set in 2003, and goes back in time to 1997 and back. It is right after the Coimbatore bomb blasts, and Sirai actually points out the rampant hatred against Muslims that was sown by that act of terror. But writer Tamizh and director Suresh aren't interested in blaming the people, but just place a mirror in front of the audience to come to terms with their own prejudices. Once again, they don't go deep into the nuances of that conversation simply because the film is about Abdul and his undying love for Kalai (an arresting Anishma Anilkumar). It is about a love that is never allowed to blossom into something beautiful because the ugly head of hatred, the ill-effects of alcohol, and a false sense of superiority play havoc in their lives.

The writing is wonderfully on point in these sequences because the detours into the backstories of Abdul and Kalai are needed, and provide a lot of context to the former's decisions in the film. Points to the makers for also writing in just enough subversions to make Sirai a compelling watch. Just when you think that an undertrial with freedom at his doorstep would do 'A', he goes on to do 'Z', and when you think a cop is making the same mistakes that almost cost him his job once, his response makes you smile because the world doesn't exist in binaries.

Interestingly, Sirai feels like a spiritual sequel of Taanakkaran, and Vikram Prabhu's Kathiravan might just be Taanakkaran's Arivazhagan, who has spent a few years in the force after recruiting from that ruthless police academy. Call it the Tamizh Cinematic Universe, reduce the expectations, minimise the fanfare, and we might just be sitting on a goldmine. Nevertheless, the true strength of Sirai is that such misplaced flourishes were effectively curbed, and the makers reiterate that their interest isn't in taking a deep dive into the physical and emotional state of such police officers and the prisoners. Probably why they don't even bother explaining the various abbreviations used in the film. Words like AR, RI, Passport, etc... are used regularly in the film, and it consciously alienates us from that world because it isn't something everyone wants to know deeply. But they hint at the rot in the system, and how the police are at the receiving end of rules and laws that constantly threaten their livelihood. It is through these scenes that Suresh and Tamizh point out the mental pressure that the police undergo.

Just like how the romantic portions don't overstay their welcome, and the preachiness is dialled down to a commendable level, Sirai doesn't dwell too much in the world of cops either. Everything is touched upon superficially because it is essentially a 'will-they-or-won't-they' scenario between two estranged lovers, and not a documentation of the lives of such policemen and policewomen. What it does wonderfully is it never makes you empathise with the system that makes cops do their bidding, but makes you pause and give a thought about the cops who are repeatedly told they are present to serve the system without questioning it. Again, Suresh and Tamizh only point this all out without going on a preachy tangent that might call for a monologue here or an emotional breakdown there. Suresh is so confident in his craft that the focus is entirely on the story of Abdul and Kani, even though there is clearly more to explore in the overarching narrative of Kathiravan, particularly his relationship with fellow police officer Mariyam (Ananda Thambirajah). What could have been an added layer to understand the machinations of the khaki is unceremoniously cut short.

Usually, in films of this genre, the songs run the risk of being a deterrent, and the background score is often coercive. However, Justin Prabhakaran does a wonderful job on both fronts. In fact, a lot of things fall into place for Sirai, which is a confident film by a really competent filmmaker who understands that certain politics have to be showcased in a specific way for the larger sections of the audience to embrace it with open arms.

Even when talking about identity politics and caste-driven divisions, it doesn't take the holier-than-thou approach. It simply lays all the cards that the system deals to the various characters of Sirai, and asks the audience to see how each of them plays their hand. It makes the experience all the more immersive because it points out how frail the shackles are. And more importantly, Sirai is a documentation of how it doesn't take much to be a victim of this systemic violence, and how it doesn't take much to be a harbinger of change. All it requires is a simple push...