PremiumMaruthi Nagar Police Station Review: Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's crime thriller is a passable entertainer that works in parts
Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's OTT debut has an interesting premise, but is let down by inconsistent writing and loose ends.
Last Updated: 08.57 AM, May 19, 2023
Story: Four youngsters are out to avenge the death of their friend's murder. When they hatch a plan to take down an accomplice of a dreaded don, they find themselves embroiled in a larger conspiracy.
Review: What happens when a police officer, who is supposed to protect the public themselves, turns against them? Those seeking justice take the law into their own hands. This is the premise of Kannada filmmaker Dayal Padmanabahan's thriller Maruthi Nagar Police Station. The film is not a typical whodunnit where the identity of the murderer is kept under wraps. Here the quest is to find out the killer of the murderers!
The plot revolves around police officer Archana (Varalaxmi) whose friend Jai (Mahat) goes missing soon after he speaks to her over the phone. When she finds out that her friend has been murdered, that too with the help of a police officer, she hatches a plan along with her three friends to avenge his death. But when their plans are about to be executed, the potential victims get killed by a mysterious person, leaving the four friends clueless.
The premise is engaging and it manages to keep the audience glued to their seats with many twists and turns thrown in adequate measure. While an impressive Varalaxmi headlines the show, giving her apt company are Santhosh Prathap, Vivek Rajagopal and Yasar. But, when Arav (who plays ACP Nedunchezhian) arrives to pick the missing pieces of the case, things begin to get interesting and he grabs the limelight altogether thereafter. Arav is compelling as the shrewd and composed police officer, who seems to be shrouded in mystery himself.
Though the film has its moments, there are many scenes that are either quite obvious and just don't add up. For instance, when Gurunathan (Amit Bhargav) asks Jai (Mahat) to head to the cotton factory in his bike instead of the police jeep, that too all alone, it's crystal clear that he is hand in glove with the thieves. Likewise, seconds after Arav arrives on the scene, it's pretty easy to guess what his character arc would be like. There is an inconsistency with the film's narration and pace as well.
There are quite a few questions that remain unanswered. Why didn't Jai's father (a police officer) go looking for him after his son went missing? How did the notorious don Naga and Gurunathan, who have had such a good rapport, blindly believe in Nedunchezhian when he pitted them against each other? Was Jai's body indeed thrown onto a railway track and if yes, how did Archana being a police officer, not get a whiff of her friend's murder?
Because of the many factors, the protagonists and the antagonists come across as weak.
We also don't get a peek into the nature of relationships among the friends other than the fact that they grew up together at an orphanage, which makes it difficult to empathise with any of their characters.
That apart, filmmakers need to be sensitive about portraying inhumane acts like manual scavenging, and not pass it off as just another scene in the film.
The background music passes muster.
With many such missing points in the film, Maruti Nagar Police Station, which could have been an interesting film, ends up as an average predictable fare.
Verdict: Dayal Padmanabhan's film might have its twists and turns, but fails short of becoming an impactful film due to the many loose ends and predictability.