BOTTOM LINE
All Talk, Little Action
PLATFORM
JioHotstar
RUNTIME
180 minutes (6 episodes)
What Is the Show About?
A police department shake-up brings officers Kurian, Noble, and Ambili Raju together, but Ambili soon vanishes. As Noble investigates Ambili’s past, a surprising link to ex-convict Ayyappan emerges. Clues from Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam, with assistance from CI Manoj, help Noble connect crucial dots. Further revelations about Ayyappan lead the team to a dog retirement shelter.
Performances
The performances are generally impressive and do well to anchor the story, without any unnecessary distractions. The good ol’ Lal, Harisree Ashokan display a strong screen presence to draw your attention towards them, while Arjun Radhakrishnan’s earnest performance makes you care for Noble.
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Analysis
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Kerala Crime Files: Season 2, as the caption states, is all about ‘the search for CPO Ambili Raju.’ To counter corruption within the police department, multiple officers are transferred to different regions, which brings three men – Kurian, Noble and Ambili Raju – together. But when Ambili fails to report for duty and vanishes, a hunt for him and the truth behind his disappearance begins.
While the first season of the show was essentially a murder mystery and the officers’ pursuit of a gruesome killer and his motive, the second instalment is more of an internal investigation about a missing cop that unexpectedly opens a can of worms about the police-criminal nexus. Like a typical Malayalam thriller, the world-building takes its own sweet time, and the dots are gradually connected.
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Packed with multiple subplots – of an ailing dog, a shady cop and his equation with an ex convict and the drama in the lives of the officers taking on the case – the show is populated with characters across regions, reports, theories, so much that it’s easy to lose track of the connections. At a point, one almost feels that the episodes aren’t for audiences, but for an internal audit within the police force.
For a show that aims to thrill, there’s so much talk and little action, leaving you exhausted time and again. The writers cast light on minute details that make up their lives – their world back home, their reputation within the department, what’s at stake – from multiple dimensions, sources. Though the efforts are sincere, the show isn’t riveting and struggles to look at the larger picture.
The characters lack a strong personality to draw any interest. Visually, though the cinematography is edgy, the writing isn’t sharp enough to make it a compelling viewing experience. The crisp episodes (around 25 minutes each), however, provide a momentary breather from the extensive details. Except for the first and the last episodes, the rest is like the mumbo jumbo we didn’t sign up for.
Beyond a point, all the meticulous (yet seemingly trivial) research feels like a superficial attempt to outsmart the viewer consistently (yes, it does, but bores them to death in the process). Rather than ‘showing’, the series prefers to tell, and there’s a lot of information to process, and it’s hard to even care for it. Even with a runtime of 3 hours, the show feels too long to sustain your attention.
The silver linings are all there for everyone to see – the show could’ve done more to elaborate on Ambili and Ayyappan’s complicated past, the perpetrator’s liking for dogs, and the trauma forcing him to take a drastic step. Additionally, Malayalam digital space, much like the films, continues to be a boys/uncles club, where women have little say in the progress of the story.
If only the writing kept the audience engagement in mind, Kerala Crime Files: Season 2 had a lot going for it – the arresting visuals, the neat performances, the grounded treatment and a subtle music score giving some direction to the proceedings. The show is like stumbling upon a lot of data with abstract details that are too dry for a viewer to like or appreciate.
Performances by Others Actors
Aju Varghese’s focused portrayal is yet again a welcome departure from his light-hearted outings. Indrans’ unusual persona helps his performance as Ambili. Jeo Baby, Navas Vallikkunnu, and Sanju Sanichen do the needful in neatly written parts. Sirajudheen Nazar’s act carries enough pain to justify the character’s actions.
Music and Other Departments?
Composer Hesham Abdul Wahab, continuing his good form after season one, does a solid job of steering the narrative without resorting to showy gimmicks. Jithin Stanislaus’s tight, focused frames try to ensure a razor-sharp focus on the plot, though the colour grading doesn’t provide enough realism to the proceedings.
The production design stays true to the backdrop, providing credibility to the show’s world. While the basic idea of the show – using an investigation as a mask to undertake a character study – is compelling, the writing is too information-heavy and roams around in circles to keep a viewer hooked.
Highlights?
Interesting premise
Good performances
Technical appeal
Drawbacks?
Screenplay loses track in the middle
Doesn’t explore characters as well as it could
Focuses on trivial information that doesn’t contribute to the plot much
Did I Enjoy It?
Only in parts
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you’re a hard-core crime enthusiast
Kerala Crime Files Season 2 Review by M9
