Anveshanam

It is true that Anveshanam (Investigation) hits hard, especially if you are a short-tempered parent and can relate with the main conflict in the film. It is also true that director Prasobh Vijayan likes to picturize messed-up human behaviour, first giving us a slight hint in his debut thriller Lilli (2018). And as with that film, this mystery thriller takes the messed-up route, this time originating in a hospital. But as the story is narrated through a confusing non-linear line, it soon becomes self-occupied, eventually turning into a hot mess where twists keep adding on. At one point, you feel there's no clarity in what's happening and would want to get up and shut the film. But if you persist and keep going, there's a fabulous scene towards the end that could very well be called one of the most haunting sequences in Malayalam cinema in recent years. But don't get hyped up because the film goes down after that scene and ends with a whimper. Lot of awkward sequences and dialogues - all mark of average direction - coupled with the non-linear narrative makes Anveshanam a below average thriller. But thankfully it's short at around 100 minutes, which is perfect to spend time during this self-quarantine days. TN.

What begins as a gripping procedural ends up a half-baked message-movie in the end - that's Anveshanam summed up in a single line. The first half of Anveshanam displays plenty of promise, though it gives us early hints that it isn't a whodunnit but a whydunnit/cover-up. Sujith Vaassudev employs an interesting colour palette that suits the storyline well. While I enjoyed the non-linearity in storytelling in the first half, the writing goes a bit haywire in the second, and when all the puzzle pieces come together at the end, it has a lacklustre feel to it.

The performances are uniformly good - a steady Jayasurya, a more-than-good Vijay Babu, an efficient Nandhu & Lena, and a neat Leona Lishoy. The sentiment-heavy sequences that take over the second half of the film thankfully do not descend into soap opera territory because of the actors mentioned above. While the film stays watchable throughout (with a run-time of 100 minutes), it fails to capitalize on its initially intriguing premise.

Feeling sad . .parents don't understand the value of a child

"Anveshanam" Malayalam movie.

Media man with his wife and kids....a son and a daughter living peacefully in a flat, in the city. The story starts in the evening, as the boy is injured and unconscious and taken to hospital by his mother and family friend. At the hospital, the mother and family friend claim, the boy fell down the stairs in the apartment and got the head injury. Mystery starts as everyone has their version of the events and they don't seem to match each other. The police got involved and an investigation is initiated. Meanwhile, the boy breaths his last.

The point of view, takes the audience through, whether the boy had an accident or is it a murder...any foul play involved, or any child abuse possible.

The IPS lady police officer, is very suspicious about some possible 'cover-up' activities, to hush up this boy's death. The investigation keeps the audience on their toes, suspense is nail biting, make us guessing who the villain is or villains are.

Jayasuriya as the media man father, Sruthy as the hapless mother, VijayBabu as family friend doctor, Lena as the suspicious nurse and Leona as the IPS officer ...all lived their characters well. The interactions between these characters and their chemistry between them, is exploited well by the director, to hike up the thriller taste.

Screenplay is watertight and dialogues are apt. Director with his team has posted each scene and each item in the canvas kept deliberately, which will help solve the mystery. Editing is superb, to keep you, on the edge of the seat ... even the interval slot felt irritating, as the audience were eager to know the truth.

The movie comes with a tagline... 'The truth is always bizarre'... So, are the events unrolling in this presentation. First half is packed with tensed investigation and suspense, to give way for more emotional and sentimental approach to the death, in the second half. Fast paced first half and a slower second.

7.5 on 10 for this investigation thriller, maybe a medical investigation.

The suspense levels were kept so high, the climax came bit bizarre to me as the movie's tagline suggested... abrupt and twisted. The screenplay is trying to justify this, through the police officer "There's something fishy".

Anveshanam can be the investigation involved or Is it a search into every family, while handling the kid's issues. Anveshanam gave me a feel of K.G George's movie 'Yavanika' .... One event, multiple character's version of the same event and their interpretations. You'll get confused.

Very serious watch.