Cast: Tovino Thomas, Mamta Mohandas, Giju John, Renji Panicker, Reba Monica, Dhanesh Anand, Prathap Pothen
The movie Forensic, written and directed by Akhil Paul and Anas Khan, is claimed to be the first Malayalam movie where the lead character is a forensic officer. In the movie, Tovino Thomas appears as the forensic officer Samuel Kattookkaran.
The movie begins with a scene where a boy keenly observes activities in a butcher shop. He has a strange habit of keeping insects, both alive and dead, in bottles. He steals the head of a hen from the shop and keeps it. His father hates his habit and punishes him. One day, he kills his father. Soon, the audience is transported to a series of killings happening in a city where girls below the age of five are killed and dumped in various parts of the city. Ritika Xavier IPS (Mamta Mohandas), who finds a pattern in these murders, takes charge of the investigation. She is joined by Samuel and Shikha (Reba John) and a few other officers. Forensic looks at how they resolve the mystery surrounding those deaths.
As a crime thriller, Forensic follows an interesting narrative technique. It has a kind of reverse style. The audience is aware of the killer’s track. What remains is how the officers reach him. Akhil and Anas try to keep the surprise element in their script, and, to some extent, they succeed in that. But the basic story is not unique. The basic motive behind those murders has been told before in Mollywood. Also, the forensic officer overtakes the investigation officer most of the time. There could have been a balance between Samuel and Ritika.
Forensic has a compelling first half. It turns emotional and drags a bit in the second half. It assumes the tone of a revenge drama in the latter part. The good part is it provides insights into a forensic department’s contribution in proving cases. It shows the amount of effort they put in gathering data, compiling them and finding the right match.
Tovino Thomas is good at dashing Samuel. Mamta plays her part well. Gino John too delivers a good performance. Other actors include RenjiPanicker, Sreekanth Murali, SaijuKurup, Dhanesh Anand, Rony David, PrathapPothen and Reba.
Background music by Jakes Bijoy complements the plot. Akhil George’s cinematography helps the movie’s tone. There are some thrilling action sequences, too.
Forensic is a crime cum revenge thriller drama that attempts to be different and succeeds in parts.
Verdict: The movie has a fair share of ups and downs!
Rating: 3/5
