'Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam': An impressive Kannur Squad equivalent, but with more women power

'Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam' directed by M A Nishad is an addition to the long list of investigation thrillers churned out by Mollywood every year. While some films fail to create the right impact, a few others may lose themselves in cliché plots. However, 'Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam' overcomes these challenges, thanks to its interesting plot and its rather neat and intriguing execution.

While the length of the film is a drawback (nearly three hours long), the scenes are mostly engaging, making up for this shortcoming. It also bears some resemblance to 'Kannur Squad' in its making and execution style, especially given that the investigation team travels extensively in trace of their target.
However, the story is entirely different and begins with a man-missing case, involving Jeevan Thomas (Shine Tom Chacko), an investigative journalist. His family has not seen him for the past six months and the police, led by Crime Branch officer Isaac, tries to revive the case. The investigation soon leads to a powerful family in Kottayam. But several surprises follow, when the team stumbles upon a charred body in the middle of a forest.

'Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam' stands apart for its extensive sub-plots that fall neatly in place at the end. Nishad's neat writing and smart execution ensure that the story or the scenes don't feel forced or artificial at any time. Nishad, who is mostly known for his socially-conscious films like 'Keni' and 'Vairam: Fight For Justice', has based his story on his father's experience as a senior police officer. His commitment to the story and theme is obvious.

The women in 'Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam' is also quite different from the female characters recently seen in Malayalam investigation thrillers. The two police officers investigating the crime are women and the director has ensured they get enough screen space, unlike 'Kannur Squad', which drew flak for its failure to include women in the investigation. However, Nishad tries a bit too hard to seem progressive in the film, by making his women characters, drink, smoke and fight, when it doesn't seem necessary. Vani Viswanath also plays a powerful demi-god-like character in the film, much to the delight of her fans. Her dance with Bigg Boss star Dilsha is equally impressive.

Swasika, Durga Krishna, Ssivada all play their roles well, along with Shine Tom Chacko, Kottayam Nazeer, Vijay Babu, Anumol, among others. The music, action sequences and overhead camera shots elevate the film. If 'Anweshipin Kandethum' and 'Thalavan' topped the list of best investigation thrillers this year, Nishad's 'Oru Anveshanathinte Thudakkam' is also equally good.