Sirai movie review: Vikram Prabhu, debutant Akshay Kumar anchor a brilliantly written police procedural drama

Sirai movie plot:

Set in the late 90s, Kathiravan (Vikram Prabhu), along with two other cops from the AR department, are on escort duty service. The trio are put in charge of producing accused Abdul Rauf (LK Akshay Kumar) from Vellore Central Prison to the Sivagangai court. The journey isn’t easy when lines blur between humanity and duty for Kathiraven, who learns more about Abdul, a man who has been accused of murder but also bears the cross because of his name.

Sirai movie review:

There is a particular scene in Sirai (a film that comes as a sweet ending to 2025 despite carrying much pain and hope equally). It includes the accused Abdul practising his statement that he needs to tell in front of the Justice who is to decide his fate. Neither is he lying in his speech, nor is Abdul blamed for a crime that he hasn’t committed, but the very fact that Abdul must work doubly hard and learn the nuances of how to speak, to earn justice while carrying the baggage of his name and religion, makes up for the backbone of Sirai. It is a wonderfully crafted film that reminds you of the sharp injustices and systematic prejudice that law comes with.

Kathiravan and two other cops are part of the long escort squad. Kathiravan, familiar with escort duties, becomes the de facto leader when his colleagues falter, yet the film resists glorifying him. Much like Taanakkaran, the narrative builds tension through lived-in moments rather than sweeping commentary. It is not the first time Kathiravan has been put on this duty, and he knows the knacks of formalities. But the film doesn’t skip these steps, as Sirai takes us through what it actually means to land up in sirai (jail). Taanakkaran-fame Thamizh, who has written Sirai, opts for a grounded, procedural approach. He keeps the screenplay tight and crisp while also not letting go of showing us the ordeals of being a cop as well as an accused. Much like Taanakkaran, which builds on the happenings of the scene rather than showing a bird’s eye view of a conflict, Sirai takes a superbly simplistic but honest route in coining its chain of events. Sirai cleverly leaves space for the audience to confront their own biases, what assumptions one might make about a man named Abdul, before firmly calling out the systemic prejudice faced by minority communities.

Also read: Sirai movie 2025: Release date, plot, cast, OTT partner; Everything to know about Vikram Prabhu’s cop drama

Sirai unravels its plot points in the best possible manner, be it Kathiravan’s working relationship with his wife, who is also a cop, Abdul’s back story and a romance that is heartening to watch every time it shows up, or the judiciary system and its two sides represented by respective judges. Vikram Prabhu, who has a restrained acting which is much needed for the story, is balanced by debutant Akshay Kumar, who portrays a vulnerable man with great inner strengths and innocence at heart.

With its tightly written narrative style, honest performances, and neatly done technical brilliance, Sirai is a heartening watch, for all the hope it instils at the end. What if it wasn’t Kathiravan who had to escort Abdul, what if the judiciary system had to fail Abdul once again, and Sirai has many such what-if moments. Some of them really happen in the story too, making it not so convenient for its cinematic liberty. But that’s what works best for Sirai, which makes room for both leeway and restrictions. It builds on hope and pain at the same time, gives you slivers of optimism on what the judiciary and police services are capable of providing their citizens, but at the same time, shows what could possibly happen if they can get corrupt and ignorant, which is pretty much the case in reality most times.

Also read: Sirai OTT release: Vikram Prabhu’s cop film to stream on this platform after theatrical run

Sirai talks about the judicial injustice, the police force’s everyday happenings, the shade under which certain communities are looked down upon, the prejudice that people from these communities might not rise above the assumptions, glimpses of what women from abusive households go through and a lot more. But all of these come in just about a two-hour-long film, highlighting what tight editing and screenplay can do to create a wonderful feature.

Sirai movie verdict:

Sirai is a tightly packaged, well-written and enacted story from the police files, that deserves credit for its scripting, execution and performances. It is not a film that dishes out the heroism of cops, or milks brutality for shock value, but makes a calm yet strong case that revolves around a police procedural. Sirai, a must-watch, is heartening, hopeful, and rooted in reality.