Paathirathri Movie Review: This crime drama struggles to shine beyond its performances

Paathirathri Movie Review:

Two police officers on night patrol duty become entangled in a threatening situation that could ruin their lives and careers. Sorry if you think you are reading about Shahi Kabir's Ronth, because this is also the logline of Paathirathri. The initial few stretches of Paathirathri might remind you a lot of some recent police procedurals in Malayalam, especially those involving Shahi. The camera acts as a fly on the wall observing the everyday functioning of the police station—petitioners, culprits, never-ending instructions on walkie-talkies, etc.

Since the film's writer, Shaji Maraad, like Shahi, is also a policeman in real life, the authenticity of these activities can be assured. At the same time, the film also introduces us to the troubled personal worlds of the two leads, SI Jancy Kurian (Navya Nair) and constable Hareesh (Soubin Shahir), which is crucial because this is not another cat-and-mouse cop thriller. There's a lot of interpersonal dynamics and potent drama involved. However, with a flat screenplay and dated filmmaking choices, the film fails to be consistently engaging, often going around in circles.

Director: Ratheena

Cast: Navya Nair, Soubin Shahir, Achyuth Kumar, Sunny Wayne, Ann Augustine, Athmiya Rajan, Harisree Ashokan

To give credit where it's due, both Jancy and Hareesh are well-written characters with specific arcs. When we first see them, they are both on the verge of separation from their respective married lives. Hareesh's hatred for his wife spills over in his attitude towards other women, especially Jancy, whom he calls Jancy Rani. Navya excels, perhaps her best performance since her comeback film Oruthee, in which almost the entire second half is devoted to her character literally running around in desperation. Navya does a lot of running in Paathirathri as well, with her attitude and body language aptly conveying the sincerity and commitment of a person new to the job. But in the face of adversity, the same person is terrified and clueless. On the contrary, Soubin's Hareesh is more seasoned and worn out. He is unshaken even when cornered, often schooling Jancy to "think and act like cops". The evolving dynamics between these two and how they gradually get along to work together towards a common goal is deftly written and performed.

On a superficial level, Paathirathri is cut from the same cloth as films like Nayattu and Ronth, where cops get trapped and targeted by their own system or superiors. But except for the overarching theme of marital discord, Paathirathri is not as layered or socially relevant. It also suffers heavily while trying to craft an engaging narrative around the central crime. This is despite the film promising a lot at the halfway point when Hareesh and Jancy's worst fears come true. But everything that follows is too basic and familiar, especially the investigation.

When two cops are pitted against their influential and scheming superior, you expect a battle of wits, but Ratheena's typically old-fashioned filmmaking fails to build any tension or interest in what lies ahead. With crucial evidence 'coincidentally' landing one after the other, the film neither lends the excitement of a nail-biting investigation nor emotional gravitas. After a point, it's just characters repeating the same set of information, making one wonder why the editor was so liberal. When you think the film is somehow dragging itself to the end point, Indrans appears with an emotional monologue. This whole stretch is dedicated only to underlining the ruthlessness of a particular character whose intentions are evident right from the beginning. The artificiality in dialogues only makes things worse.

Save for Navya and Soubin's performances, Paathirathri has very few good things going in its favour, which is disappointing considering its potent premise and the successful template it follows.