It is always nice to see a Tamil film attempt a chamber drama, as it offers the makers a challenging creative exercise. If done right, it is a delight to watch filmmakers play with the space constraints. Debut director Subramian Rameshkumar's Right had all the trappings to be a gripping thriller in a confined setting. However, the film ends up neither compelling nor irredeemably bad and lands in a rather safe space.

The story begins with a college student Jai (Aditya Shivakumar) going missing, leaving his father, a hardware engineer named Shakthivel Pandian (Arun Pandian), in a state of jitters. The police department gives Shakthivel a runaround. On a particular day, a mysterious laptop ends up in a public identification of lost items. One of the avaricious cops decides to gift it to his son, unaware that it is going to start a chain of events that would turn the lives of a lot of people upside down.

The short runtime acts as the catalyst for getting things right and preventing the screenplay from meandering. The first half presents a wealth of information and attempts to be many genres, ranging from a suspense thriller to a social drama. Debut director Subramanian Rameshkumar deftly manages to keep us invested in the film with a first half full of set-ups. With a ticking time bomb of a narrative, and Shakthivel being treated like a pushover in the first 20 minutes, the proceedings in the police station make a lot of sense. There aren't any unnecessary characters or scenes in the movie, but their arcs leave a lot to be desired.

But what sticks out like a sore thumb are the duration of scenes, the performance of some characters, and some jarringly convenient choices in writing. Take, for instance, Shakthivel's story. The scenes after the police station comes under siege reveals Shakthivel's identity. But there is no solid reasoning for him to hide it, other than the writer saving it for the interval, even while it was seen coming a mile away. Such writing does not serve the intentions of the character either. A caring father like Shakthivel, who is ready to move mountains to safeguard his son, fails even to do the simplest of things.

Director: Subramanian Rameshkumar

Cast: Natty, Arun Pandian, Akshara Reddy, Varmika

The characterisations, too, are neither here nor there, despite the characters being relevant to the story. A film like Payanam worked not just because of the tension-building but because of some interesting individual stories and what is waiting for them at the other end if the hostage situation ends amicably. In contrast, Right could have beneffited with fewer characters involved in the proceedings. Especially with Menaka (Akshara Reddy), who plays a sub-inspector visiting the station to invite the officials to her wedding on that fateful day. Though she is a cop and trained for such situations, there is not a trace of bother on her face. Whereas 'Pazhaya Joke' Thangadurai, who plays a prisoner, is the only character who retains the human touch of the first half. Considering the emotional stakes in the film, Right shouldn't have just been a mission-oriented film.

The second half, despite the abrupt tonal shift, carries a relevant and overarching social message tied to everything that goes on in the police station. This message and Natty, as Inspector Raghuram, salvage an otherwise dull second half. There is an interesting flashback woven into the narrative, but it overstays its welcome. An unnecessary song makes the flashback look longer. Not just its duration, actors Yuvina Parthavi, who plays Varnika, and Aditya ostensibly struggle to deliver complex emotions. The second half loses steam with the two unable to shoulder the ask of the narrative. Also, the powerful message carried in the film looked misplaced in a red-wire-blue-wire kind of setting.  As we begin to disconnect from the proceedings, Raghuram's pre-climactic portions perform the balancing act, making the second half mildly engaging. 

Put simply, Right works in parts. What stops the Subramian Rameshkumar directorial from being a better film is his choice of tools to anchor the two halves. The decision to drive the entirety of the first half with smarts and the second half with emotions has cost the film dearly. This discordant transition puts the film neither here nor there, with just some flourishes from actors, a relevant message, and a Hercule Poirot-style easter egg reveal to make a case for it.