By now, Malayalam movie goers must be familiar with the way police stations work, the moment by moment drudgery becoming part of several scripts. Rajeev Ravi’s Kuttavum Sikshayum takes that route and then diverts away with five policemen, on a very non-cinematic chase of thieves. You are not therefore caught in the routines of a police station but also not exactly gripping your chair, wondering what’s next. Even as there are things happening all the time, it is a bit of a lull, tension-free, a story you can watch in pieces like a book you keep upturned to read later. Kuttavum Sikshayum is an unhurried police story, not in the tone of your everyday thriller, and therefore not everyone’s cup of tea.
Quite in contrast to all that’s upcoming, Asif Ali opens the film with a bit of drama, throwing some past into you, accompanied by a charming BGM (Dawn Vincent). But that little distraction is packed away for later, and you are to follow what begins as a jewellery theft; something you think will be done off quickly by way of introduction to your police characters so that much bigger crimes can come up later. But the theft stays, unwilling to resolve into a petty deal. Sajan Philip (Asif, beautifully convincing) the all-too-serious Circle Inspector and four of his subordinates begin cracking it from a store in Idukki, and reach a village in north India, slowly, calculatedly, one step at a time.
It is a policeman who sometimes acts in movies that wrote the story and co-wrote the script – Sibi Thomas. Srijith Divakaran, a journalist, is the other co-writer. Between them, they seem to have decided to keep a certain order and pace, stick to real-life procedure, not offer unnecessary thrills to the audience to keep them hooked, and not make heroes of any of the men, except by way of showing the day and night work they uncomplainingly endure with no guarantee of results.
Watch: Trailer of the film
For the number of times he played the realistic cop, Alencier might consider policing an alternate career. Yet again he plays the oldest among the lot, wise by experience. Sharaf U Dheen, in that remarkable manner of his, transforms into another new character, sly expressions and an alert face leaving you in no doubt that he is an efficient worker. Sunny Wayne is admirable in portraying as the only one to show other interests apart from work, as a family and a phone to browse on. Senthil Krishna plays the fifth policeman, a geek who can find out things in a jiffy.
That leaves Asif Ali, the man in the lead, who introduced the film to you with a spilling of his regrettable past. It is short but leaves you assured that this is a man with a conscience, that even if he messes up he will not disappoint you. What does disappoint you is the utter lack of women – there is the female SP giving them orders and a few menacing women up North where they go to find the evasive thieves. But fundamentally it is a men’s tale, the women in their lives not coming to the surface.
The only connection that the title has to Dostoevsky’s book by the same name (Crime and Punishment) is the guilt Sajan walks around with, and Asif never lets you forget that. But if the intention of the script was to let the guilt of his past guide Sajan on the way forward, it is not made clear. The few shots of him with the gun – including close-ups of it being tucked into the back – are not much help.
You can take a ride with these men, who are only doing their jobs, watch what they are up to through the one case the film discusses, and get off when it ends. It is nothing special, just a warm couple of hours and a half.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the series/film. TNM Editorial is independent of any business relationship the organisation may have with producers or any other members of its cast or crew.