Rating
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
Table of Content
Movie Details
- Director: Martin Prakkat
- Producer: Ranjith, P. M. Sasidharan, Martin Prakkat
- Writer: Shahi Kabir
- Starring: Kunchako Boban, Joju George, Nimisha Sajayan
- Music: Vishnu Vijay
- Cinematography: Shyju Khalid
- Editor: Mahesh Narayanan Rajesh Rajendran
- Release date: 8 April 2021
- Language: Malayalam
Review
The literal translation of the word ‘Nayattu’ is hunt, so before I watch the movie all I was left with are these questions.
Who is hunting?
What are they hunting?
Why are they hunting?
The movie answers all these questions in the first half itself. That’s when you realize the movie is not about the hunt itself. The petrifying experience of being hunted, the ruthlessness of the hunter, all the tension and nervy moments that make up a good hunt, this is what this movie is about.
Let me make it clear as water before it gets lost in words. Nayattu is a mighty brilliant piece of work.
When the system we created to protect and benefit us became corrupted and began hunting for anything that poses a threat even if they are from the system itself.
This is the thought behind the movie as Shahi Kabir has stated.
One thing you could see throughout the movie is how much Shahi Kabir’s experience from the police department became helpful in making the movie convincing and accurate. Whether it was Joseph or Nayattu, Shahi’s prowess in the police department procedures and cases has shined through.
Another commendable part about the movie is how important every single scene in the movie is. You can easily identify that this is a carefully stitched movie.
I loved the transition of the movie starting from a cheerful, colorful celebrative scene and ending with a grayish silent heartbreaking scene. The movie leaves the ending to the audience’s imagination.
Though this movie doesn’t come out as trying to defy patriarchy, there are subtle touches here and there that will strike you and grab your attention. Whether it was Praveen washing his mother’s clothes or giving Sunitha sanitary pads without her asking for it, add a delicate touch.
Coming to the music, I appreciate the background music because they played a crucial part in making the chase scenes in the movie as gripping as it is.
If you want to nitpick something about the movie, just as rightly pointed out by everyone, it’s just that portraying that the privileges given to the marginalized society are being exploited by them for personal gains is a slight misrepresentation of the reality.
But you have to respect creative freedom so there is no right and wrong there.
Other than that, there isn’t anything else to complain about.
This movie checks all the boxes.
Great script, direction, casting, performance, cinematography, nearly everything done right.
Synopsis
Praveen Michel (Kunchacko Boban) joins the Police force as a civil police officer where he meets his superior, Assistant Sub Inspector Maniyan (Joju George), and his colleague Sunitha (Nimisha Sajayan). Sunitha after being fed up by her nuisance relative Biju brought him to the station for minor intimidation. But Praveen and Michel went into a tussle with Biju and locked him up in a cell but had to let him go because of the political influence of his local Dalit party.
Maniyan and Praveen that night went for a wedding, where they offered Sunitha a ride. Maniyan had brought his nephew Rahul as the driver, as Maniyan and Praveen will get drunk. On their way back, their jeep met with an accident where they hit a scooter and realize it was Jayan, Biju’s friend. Being spotted by a civilian, they had no other option than to take him to a hospital. Rahul flees immediately, and the three took Jayan to the hospital to realize that he is brought dead. Biju who was present in the hospital realized the matter and chased them and the trio fled to the police station.
Despite telling them they are innocent and Rahul was the culprit, the police couldn’t help as the evidence was against them. When informed that they will be arrested, they escaped from the station and ran off to Munnar. They took refuge in an old acquaintance of Maniyan.
Because of the upcoming election and the dead one being a Dalit, the media constantly rebuked the current government for its inability to catch the suspected police officers. Because of this pressure, the Chief Minister himself get involved in the case. A squad of senior police officers leads by SP Anuradha was sent to capture the fugitive.
They track them down to Munnar but struggled to locate their exact whereabouts. The police finally tracked them down but required some more time to capture them without them fleeing. So the police staged a dummy arrest to influence the voters before the election. But as the squad finally made their move to catch the fugitives, Praveen and Sunitha run to find out that Maniyan hanged himself with his dying declaration recorded in his phone. Praveen tried to safeguard the video but police caught the video as well.
The police escort Praveen, Sunitha, and the dead body to the police club and gave them a choice, testify that Maniyan was the real culprit, and he suicided after reaching the police club as a safe solution for all. This would make them innocent and safeguard the fake arrest they carried out. Both of them declined the offer as they couldn’t frame Maniyan for the crime he didn’t do. The police destroy Maniyan’s dying declaration and sent both Praveen and Sunitha to the courted for their hearing.
Verdict
Definitely recommend this movie to all.
Unless you want some light-hearted ridiculously optimistic movie and have no appetite for a dark theme, you don’t need a second thought, just watch this one.