Sathyam Mathrame Bodhippikku review: Dhyan Sreenivasan’s thriller has a ridiculous script that shoots the movie down

1.5/5

Story: IPS officer James (Dhyan Sreenivasan), who is on probation and hungry to prove himself, is assigned to investigate the murder of a leading criminal lawyer. The case is at a standstill and can only be cracked if two witnesses to the crime open up and decide to aid the police investigation. 

Review: There aren't a lot of things that are as appealing and exciting than a well-written villain who is smarter than the protagonist. What director Sagar’s Sathyam Mathrame Bodhippikku wanted to do was put forth such an antagonist who has the hero by the scruff and constantly outsmarts him, but instead it ends up becoming a movie that is bland and outright ridiculous.

The movie follows James (Dhyan Sreenivasan), a young IPS officer who is on probation and wants to prove himself. He lands the murder case of one of the leading criminal lawyers, but is stuck because the two people (Sudheesh and Rony David) who witnessed the murder but does not want to speak up.  

Eventually one of them opens up, which makes things easier for the policeman as he cracks the case and has four people locked up and waiting to be taken to the court. The story however, soon takes a sharp turn, paving way for the real villain of the movie, in the most cinematic way (as over the top as possible). It is at this point the movie’s script really loses its essence and becomes unbelievable and out of order. Soon the new villain is coined as a superbrain who has all the heroes numbers in check and has him by the neck. 

While a villain who is a few steps ahead of the hero is always a good sight, it is anything but in Sathyam Mathrame Bodhippikku. This is down to the screenplay disregarding the runtime that leads up to this and all characters and stories we have been introduced to so far. Everything ceases to exist, and only the villain, his aid and the policeman matter now. The story is conveniently (too conveniently) pushed aside for the backstory and the growth of the villain.

If you as a viewer think all this is too much, wait till the movie hits the final leg of its ridiculous and questionable story. The villain and his aid is given a backstory that link them with the policeman, and how. At this point you are praising the writer and director because the movie is only 126 minutes long and you just want it to end. And as everything leads up to the villain’s plan to have the policeman encounter a few baddies to death, the movie becomes unbearable. 

What makes the movie even worse to watch, is the performances of most of the cast members. For starters, Dhyan is a hit and miss as a young IPS officer, often looking forced and out of his bounds. To make matters worse (yes, it gets worse), the background music in the movie is a pain to the ears and the soul. It is plain, loud and feels like something you've heard before. And the music is used everywhere, from Dhyan walking off in slow-motion smoking a cigarette to just three people talking in a hospital.

The editing is also often choppy and the opposite of sharp. It takes a lot of the punch from the movie and the editor seems to have gotten all the cuts involving music terribly wrong. Even with Dhyan trying his best and Sudheesh also looking to have the time of his life, the poor script of the film pulls it down to being nothing more than a ameature movie which just wants to tell a tale of a villain, even if it means sacrificing common sense and other factors. 

Verdict: Sathyam Mathrame Bodhippikku is the result of a filmmaker willing to sacrifice common sense, and logic to create a villain who is a mastermind. While nothing goes right in the movie, to make matters worse, the story becomes absolutely ridiculous at one point. Coupled with all the slow-motion and the loud background score, the only positive about this movie is its short runtime.