Recommended
The director (also responsible for the screenplay) has an undeniable flair for pulp. I loved the unabashed hamminess of this line: “Ratham. Mannula padinjaa karayum. Manasula padinjaa kadhayaagum.” A few scenes, too, shine with writerly sweat, like the bit that goes on and on—almost Tarantinoesque in its thrall to pop culture—about a word in the lovely Chinna Thambi song, ‘Thooliyile Aadavandha’. But murder mysteries need more than flavour. They need focus. We need to be kept guessing constantly. It’s not a good sign when the story seems less interested in suspense than in sickles whooshing down every few minutes. Then again, this may be a new genre: Aruvaa Christie.