Valathu Vashathe Kallan review: Biju Menon, Joju George's efficient thriller trips over its own cleverness

Valathu Vashathe Kallan movie review: Though the ending is nice and has an important message, Jeethu Joseph's film could have benefited from focusing more on the conflict between its main characters

Biju Menon and Joju George in Valathu Vashathe Kallan

Valathu Vashathe Kallan story: After Samuel’s daughter Irene goes missing, he is forced to approach CI Antony Xavier, a corrupt cop. When it becomes evident that Antony could be involved in the crime, Samuel decides to take matters into his own hands - carefully piecing together the evidence and setting in motion a dangerous game to force the truth into the open.

Valathu Vashathe Kallan review: If someone tells you that director Jeethu Joseph’s latest thriller, Valathu Vashathe Kallan, could be a reverse Drishyam of sorts, they wouldn’t be wrong. What if it was Georgekutty’s daughter Anju who went missing instead of Varun in Drishyam ? And what if this pushed the highly-intelligent father to take matters into his own hands, pitting him against an equally sharp but corrupt cop, whose own kin is dragged into this game?

The idea is compelling enough, but its execution reveals both Jeethu’s command over narrative misdirection when it comes to crime thrillers and also his tendency to sometimes overcomplicate the plot. While it was twists aplenty in his previous film Mirage, Valathu Vashathe Kallan, which is among his better thrillers, is weighed down by a battle of wits, where the cards dealt doesn’t need the audience to participate. And for that reason, the movie does miss a trick.

Also read: Drishyam 3: Jeethu Joseph on what inspired him to script the blockbuster, reveals first title

The central plot of the film places Samuel (Joju George), a grieving father, who decides to be on the offensive and challenges CI Antony Xavier (Biju Menon), whom he suspects to be complicit in the crime – setting the stage for a calculated battle of wits. Jeethu and the film’s scriptwriter Dinu Thomas Eelan raise the stakes by removing a crucial piece from the board and imposing a ticking clock, turning this game into a race against time.

But this time constraint element, while effective on paper, doesn’t quite translate on screen - especially when it comes to building and sustaining the suspense – due to the script’s tendency to keep shuttling back and forth to previous cases and introduce characters from the past. Though the ending itself is a nice touch and has an important message on toxic men and the influence of parenting, the movie could have benefited from focusing a little more on the conflict between the two main characters rather than just let Antony, who himself is not a likeable person from the start, do most of the heavy lifting.

To his credit, Biju Menon aces the role, as a man who is adept at manipulating people and is ice cold when it comes to the consequences. Even when he blatantly lies that he doesn’t know a prime suspect, despite the movie showing him with the youngster earlier, a part of you is convinced. Joju, meanwhile, plays Samuel with a restrained intensity throughout. Even when he faces a tragedy, digs deep on what happened on that fateful day, comes up with a plan or when he finally confronts Antony, there’s a quiet anguish, which is what makes him the most relatable character in the movie that needed a few more poignant moments.

The film also has decent performances from KR Gokul, Lena, Leona Lishoy and Shaju Sreedhar. While Vishnu Shyam’s music has shades of those in Neru, his earlier collaboration with Jeethu, it complements the mood of the film.

Valathu Vashathe Kallan verdict: Even as the screenplay of Jeethu Joseph’s film overreaches, the strong performances and the intriguing premise make the movie watchable. But you would wish the filmmaker had made better use of the time-bound thriller format.

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