Detective Ujjwalan on OTT: What doesn’t work in Dhyan Sreenivasan’s latest Malayalam film

Dhyan Sreenivasan’s latest Malayalam film, Detective Ujjwalan, dropped on Netflix recently, more than a month after its theatrical release. The second film in the Weekend Cinematic Universe, Detective Ujjwalan takes us to a once-quiet village Plaachikkavu, which is rattled by a string of murders. Quirky yet likeable characters, and a story that remains engaging for the first half are the positives from the film, but all that get undone by a climax that is certainly out of the box (or plot in this case). Here’s a look at what works and what doesn’t work in Dhyan Sreenivasan’s Detective Ujjwalan. (You can hit the back button right now, if you don’t want to read the spoilers).

What works in Detective Ujjwalan

World building of Plaachikkavu, attention to details

Directors Indraneel Gopalakrishnan and Rahul G are also credited for writing this film, which is set in a quaint village, possibly in the late 1990s. The rustic charm of the village and villagers are more or less portrayed well in the film, with a dose of comedy. The makers have also paid attention to weave in interesting attributes, such as Ujjwalan (Dhyan Sreenivasan)’s house number is 221B, or the book he is reading is A Study in Scarlet, all a hat-tip to the ultimate Sherlock Holmes.

Also read: Detective Ujjwalan Ending Explained: Does Plaachikkaavu's Boogeyman have a connection with Minnal Murali? 

Characterisation of Ujjwalan, cop Shambhu

The lead character of Ujjwalan is all well-developed with enough quirks. How he solves crimes, purely by observation and wit, is also portrayed decently in the film. The cop characters of Shambhu, the new cop recruited to solve the murders, and SI Sachin aare lso notable characters and played well by Siju Wilson and Rony David Raj, respectively. Siju Wilson does get a meaty role, and he convincingly pulls it off, outshining the lead character at times.

What doesn’t work in Detective Ujjwalan

Over-the-top climax

Despite setting up the film quite well, the makers resorted to introducing the villain Jomon, who up until then had no stake in the proceedings up until then but for brief appearances as local TV news reader. The back story of how an abusive childhood, and the tyrant of a father led him to being a serial killer looked jarring to say the least. Jagdish as a messiah teacher, who gives him the book on a boogeyman and then finally commits the act, is way over the top. But that is not it, we even get an evil twin in an anti-climax that surely was not needed. The makers were probably aiming for a shock value, but ends up undoing all he good work in world building.

Some loose ends

Initially, SI Shambhu says he had visited the village many times as a child that even prompts Ujjwalan to blame him as the murderer. Though Shambhu comes clean, we are never told what is his real connection to the village. There is also Ujjwalan’s cousin Dasan who goes missing but the makers have probably kept it for the next installment.