Paaleri Manickam:
At the outset it can be classified as "who did it?" category. But it is not your normal investigation thing. The film unfolds in different levels with the layers surrounding the incident making it more complex.
The investigator from Delhi has a strange coincidence with the murder that happened 52 years ago, he having born on the night the murder took place. The journey he embarks upon takes him back to a period, which is seperated by half a century from the present. He in trying to unearth the hidden pieces, unsure whether these pieces still exist but nevertheless continues.
He has only the police crime records of his native town Paaleri to fall back upon, which are again doctored. Accompanying him in this journey is his friend turned mistress. He tries to put all pieces together with the help of some people who were all witnesses to the happenings and who are still alive. How he finally arrives in front of the perpetrator [a nice twist here] is told in a measured pace.
Here you don't have the fast chases, multiple suspects, some action scenes with unknown goons all associated with murder mysteries and instead the narration is told through the eyes of the investigator.
Kudos to Ranjith for coming forward to film this story by T.A.Rajeevan written some decades back. Though slow paced, he never allows the sudiences' concentration to waver. While traversing through the incidents that surrounded the murder, he deftly uses the screen play to capture the various facets of the village mileu of the 50's Kerala, where the dominant landlord castes treated the less previliged in a brutal and humilating manner. He had taken the pains to bring alive the village of 1957 in all its earthiness. The film makers of Kerala have always had the courage and took the artistic liberty of pointing out the wrong doings of the politicians irespective of who is in power and here the story happens when the world's first democratically elected communist government under E.M.S. was about to assume charge. How the government asked its party cadres to spread out and how the cadres used influential men for furthering the party's hold and how the Congress [in opposition] tried to exploit situatons are told in fleeting moments but do leave an impression.
When I see such types of protagonists, always used to think why such roles are not to be seen in Tamil. Here the investigator himself declares that he was born of a illegal relationship more due to the fact his mother had no way but to obey the village chieftan's diktats. Again in the course of his conversation, he matter of factly says that he had told some excuses to his wife at Delhi for taking this trip and talks about how his friendship towards colleague has been taken to the next level. Such flesh and blood characters make our protagonists as mere caricatures.
If Mammootty as the investigative Haridas is cool and poise, he has given out one of his best performance as Ahamed Haji, the village chieftain personifying all the evils. In a never before seen role, where he is shown to treat all the lower castes as his bonded labourers and not to forget his lust for all women who come before him, he has delivered a splendid performance. Let me not delve more for the reason it would be a give away for someone wanting to watch the movie.
Srinivasan as the old age barber, Siddique as the present day man friday dish out a natural performances. Swetha Menon is good in her part. Gowri Munjal as the friend accompanying crime analyst passes muster. For all other roles, Ranjit has chosen stage artists and trained them and for their part, they have come out without blemish.
Will not say it is a film par excellence but a very good attempt made memorable by Mammootty's Hajiyaar.
Regards