Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum Review: Flight Of (Tamil) Fancy

Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum is quite reminiscent of a play that I read in school; one from those standard NCERT textbooks on Functional English. It was about a city that records no crime, which has no evidence of a crime – all because its residents could read minds. Such a nice read it turned out to be – as was most literature read back in high school.

Someone at NCERT had decent taste.

Naalu Policeum, though not half as great, features a village just as idyllic and harmonious – so much that the police station doesn’t work on Sundays – with a dash of some typical Tamil fantastical elements. A robber who arrives in the village is treated to such a dangerous dose of Tamil hospitality that he turns a new leaf. The local leader is someone who would readily wade knee-deep in the gutter to clean it up, while the police – comprising Arulnithi, Bagavathi Perumal and Singal Puli turn the ‘prison’ into an indoor gaming den.

Director NJ Sri Krishna though, still does not appear content. He wants a greater trait, something more decisive that would drive home the point of his ‘peaceful’ village.

So, we are shown a maamiyar and marumagal who fall over themselves trying to please each other (and an equally nasty brawl when things go awry).

Point made.

*****

For all its other faults, Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Ooorum has the most engaging (and relevant) title of all time; it almost sounds like a Balaji Mohan movie.

 

…What happens when the ‘home ministry’ decides to shut the police station and ‘transfer’ the four men to a relatively more violent locality?

NPNO is also pretty funny in parts. In a hilarious instance, Arulnithi (who frequently fantasizes of being a fierce police officer) chases down a couple of ‘thugs’ in the dead of the night – wearing dark sunglasses. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and that – just that – is heartening to watch.

Also, Arulnithi is called Shanmuga Pandian (…)

*****

Remya Nambeesan is a teacher; a profession deemed holy enough to be taken up by Tamil women, while Arulnithi – in a spectacularly unfunny scene – lapses into one of his ‘fantasies’ involving a library, a couple of towering book racks, and the two of them ‘trapped’ within the narrow alleyway.

Yeah, right.

*****

Even better is Remya Nambeesan’s ‘fantasy’. It involves Arulnithi on a 100m sprint thaali in hand, overpowering Remya, and finally managing to get it around her neck.

Clearly, no women were involved in the filmmaking process.

Or were ever consulted on their fantasies.

*****

The Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum Review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have an advertising relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.