Garudan

Biju Menon as usual is brilliant here compensating for Suresh Gopi's performance which even from the writing phase is filled with the ghosts of his past police roles. The film has a fascinating premise although the story eventually becomes predictable. But the screenplay and the making make the film a totally engaging thriller even if there's nothing special to boast of. The ending felt like it wrapped up too fast through dialogues and the epilogue felt weird. Maybe they wanted the twist and the stars to make an impact more than telling it through the visuals. The film totally relies on Suresh Gopi's past as a successful actor in police roles so much that it makes you feel as if even he has started believing he's one, although not an impressive one however much the film tries to make him look like it.

Garudan just about flies, failing to soar. The first half of the movie is quite good raising our hope but then the second half lets us down by poor writing. Weak storyline; they could have done a lot better if they had used more imagination, or put in more effort.

As far as acting is concerned, the main players are Sidhique and Biju who have done a good job while Suresh Gopi's was average.

The direction and screen play (with too many unnecessary scenes) are again average.

My main complaint is that the makers have tried to present a mystery but without following the ground rules of writing/making mystery stories/movies. A good mystery story teller has to follow the basic rule that you cannot hide anything from the reader/viewer! They don't have to elaborate or explain to the reader/viewer at each step of the way but they should take us along as they investigate and discover clues. The best movies/books are those where the viewer/reader gets all the information by the end of the movie along with the investigator thus giving us the chance to think, use our brains and make our own deductions. Finally when the investigator discloses the identity of the killer/criminal - we get the pleasure of having deduced correctly or at least the surprise, the thrill at how the investigator reached his conclusion; that's the thrill of reading/watching a mystery story.

And this is where this story fails. They dont tell us anything about the antagonist - his history or background or character. There is no indication as to what kind of a person he is; we dont even know if he had really commited the crime? And then suddenly in the last reel, the SP starts pulling out rabbits out of his hat, one after another - proving that he was right all along and that he had arrested the right person.

Nor do we feel any empathy or respect for the investigating SP; because again the writers have failed to build up his character. All we know is that he is Suresh Gopi - looking quite old. At the verge of retirement the court orders him to compensate the antagonist for wrongful investigation. He immediately becomes a drunkard and starts fighting with everyone around him - all in the name of investigation! But by then we are past caring for this character.

My rating is 5.

A young girl Theresa(Chaithanya) is raped and slips to coma. IPS officer harish madhav(Suresh gopi) with the help of the eyewitness salam(jagadeesh) arrests professor nishanth(biju menon). The court sentence nishanth for life imprisonment. 7 years later, nishanth is released from prison losing his family, career and dignity. Nishanth appeals to high court that the investigation was done hastily and wins the case by being the advocate himself. Nishanth wins back his family and starts working as a public prosecutor. On the other hand, harish who was retired is asked to pay compensation to nishanth for framing him. Where the whole world starts believing nishanth's innocence, harish is still adamant that he is not done a mistake. Rest of the film is harish trying to prove that he was right or not.

Story of garudan is interesting and first half was pretty good. But second half loses grip were suresh gopi turns alcoholic and stubborn to prove he was right. Climax was also a bit underwhelming as the killer could have been well explored. It could have been more creepy but makers tried to play safe.

On the whole, garudan is a decent one time watch.

The movie is different from usual investigation thrillers. The duration was perfect. Since the script is good enough, throughout the movie is engaging. Really like the bgm and cinematography.

All the characters were performed so well. Normally thrillers follow some cliche patterns but this movie I really like. There were no extra gimmicks. Film flows so naturally.

Suresh gopi did a good job. Don't expect the vintage police character of suresh gopi. In this movie he is a retired police officer and hos mannerisms and gestures including voice modulation were good.

Still we get goosebumps when we see sSureshettan on big screen.

After all SG nailed it. He should do back to back movies.

Garudan" is a gripping crime investigative thriller that keeps you engaged throughout. The movie is filled with unexpected twists at the beginning and end, making it a truly exhilarating watch. The performances, especially by Suresh Gopi and Biju Menon, are top-notch, adding depth to the intriguing storyline. Through out the movies i was on the edge of their seat. It had some trilling plot make it a must-watch for people who love crime dramas. It's truly amazing to see how far Malayalam cinema has come, and "Garudan" is a shining example of the industry's excellence. Can give solid 8/10 for the movie and the ending.