Kerala Crime Files 2: What doesn’t work in Arjun Radhakrishnan-led Malayalam thriller series

Kerala Crime Files, directed by Ahammed Khabeer, returned with its much-awaited second season, which dropped on JioHotstar recently and is being eagerly discussed among Malayali viewers. The Kerala Crime Files Season 2 features Arjun Radhakrishnan in charge of the police probe into the missing case of CPO Ambili Raju. Though the Malayalam investigative thriller series checks most of the boxes, there are some nitty-gritties that haven’t gone well with the audiences. Let’s take a look at what works and what doesn’t work in Kerala Crime Files 2 (be warned, spoilers ahead)

What works in Kerala Crime Files Season 2

Suspenseful plot, hardly any deviations

The biggest strength of Kerala Crime Files Season 2 is its taut plot, as the first few episodes build up the mystery surrounding Ambili Raju and his vast connections as the SI Noble and his team try to track him. But for the few scenes involving the families of cops, there is hardly any deviation in the plot that remains suspenseful up until the last episode.

Relatable performances

Relatability is the biggest factor in the first season of Kerala Crime Files, and the second season also stays grounded. Ahammed Khabeer had earlier said that when he visited police stations, he did not find any super cops but ordinary folks doing their duty. This is exactly what we get to see in the series, with ordinary people who do the best in their jobs using their wit and the resources at hand. Arjun Radhakrishnan, Aju Varghese, and Lal effortlessly slip into the roles of everyday cops. Indrans stands out as the mysterious Ambili, while Harishree Ashokan is also spot on as ex-convict Ayyappan.

Also read: Kerala Crime Files 2 review: Ahammed Khabeer delivers a sequel that is a fitting testament to its genre 

What doesn’t work in Kerala Crime Files S2

The big reveal of KCF2

The six-episode series carefully builds the story and the suspense as the cops slowly piece together the evidence. But after all the build-up, the big reveal in the sixth episode doesn’t match up to the expectations of the five episodes. The final culprit and the motive do not come across as convincing as the rest of the plot.

Some questions left unanswered

The why and how of the crime was constructed by the cops based on the evidence they found, though this could be the real scenario, it does leave room for questions. We are told in the fifth episode that Ambili Raju and his aide Ayyappan killed a dog to get hold of an antique ring, and this cost them their lives. Ambili asked Ayyappan to kill the dog to bribe the Karnataka police to settle a different case. But if the killer got this info from Ayyappan, how was he able to lure Ambili into a trap? And if Ambili did fall for this, how was he able to bribe the Karnataka cops if he had already gone with the killer? The initial episode shows Ambili desperately searching for Ayyappan, meaning that he hasn’t so far received the money.