161. Anjaam Pathira; movie review

ANJAAM PATHIRA
Cert 15
143 mins
BBFC advice: Contains  strong threat, references to child sexual abuse

Bollywood has always been the big daddy of Indian cinema but Malayalam movies are challenging it for quality output.
Hot on the heels of the excellent Trance, Midhun Manuel Thomas's Anjaam Pathira is a Mollywood thriller which is oozing with suspense.
It stars Kunchacko Boban as Anwar Hussain, a criminologist who is working with the Kochi City police when a serial killer begins targeting its officers.
The signature is the same in each case - the victims disappear at the roadside with their mobile phone left behind and are later found with the heart and eyes gouged out.
Hussain is brought in by his friend the Assistant Chief of Police (Jinu Joseph) to work on the opening cases and trusted further by the deputy chief (Unnimaya Prasad).
The trio are at the forefront of an operation in which they are thwarted at every turn by a killer who appears to be one step ahead.
Anjaam Pathira, combines the psychology of crime with the technology of detection and has several moments which make the heart race.
Boban is not a conventional Indian cinema hero - thoughtful rather than all guns blazing, feet kicking or fists punching.
In other words, more realistic than many.
Meanwhile, I also enjoyed Prasad's contribution as a police officer who is resolute despite struggling against a devious opponent.
Thomas's film keeps the audience gripped without reverting to histrionics. Its lead characters are determined but not showy.
And it leads to a finale which is smartly executed but completely unexpected.
Indeed, it all adds up to a challenger for the best movie to come out of India in 2020 so far.

Reasons to watch: Edge-of-seat thriller
Reasons to avoid: Shocking scenes

Laughs: None
Jumps: One
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? A total of 479 police officers lost their lives while on duty across the country between September 1, 2015 and August 31, 2016 with Uttar Pradesh reporting the highest number of deaths at 116.

The final word. Kunchacko Boban: "When Midhun narrated the story of Anjaam Pathira, like a lot of others, I too believed that I am smart and kept guessing the next move and trying to find the loopholes. But he kept surprising me with interesting twists and turns. Times Of India

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