Perhaps no Indian language industry takes the crime procedural as seriously as Malayalam cinema. (Bengali cinema, with its endless supply of private detectives, comes a close second.) There is a host of Malayalam thrillers revolving around the painstaking police work involved in nabbing murderers or serial killers.
The new Disney+ Hotstar series Kerala Crime Files: Shiju, Parayil Veedu, Neendakara is well aware of its heritage. One of the establishments in the show is named after Mammootty, who starred as a Sherlockian police inspector in a series of such films.
The six-episode series has been written by Ashiq Aimar and directed by Ahammed Khabeer. After Dahaad, here is another show that could have worked better as a movie. What Kerala Crime Files lacks in terms of momentum and urgency is compensated for by rich character detail and the satisfaction of seeing an investigation reach its destination after much deliberation.
A sex worker has been found dead in a lodge in Kochi. The lodge’s manager turns up an address (also the show’s title), which turns out to be false. Manoj (Aju Varghese) and his team begin the process of combining footwork with brainwork.
The show is set at a time when smartphones have not yet caught on. Information is painstakingly gathered by interviewing people who may have met the killer. The guest registers of hotels and lodges provide important clues to the investigators.
An early misstep by Manoj earns him the wrath of his senior Kurian (Lal). Kurian recovers soon enough to encourage Manoj on his pursuit. Each episode is dedicated to the days involved in cracking the case. Some of them feel very long – not because of the effort involved in following the murderer’s trail but the result of stretching out events until the big reveal in the final episode.
Designed with every intention of rolling out more seasons, the series benefits from the small touches , vividly sketched characters, and fine performances. Manoj, played winningly by Aju Varghese, is also a stage performer – a wonderful detail that is sadly not elaborated. Sarath (Harishankar), the lodge manager, has a vivid imagination that helps as well as hinders the investigation.
The focus is on procedure, rather than psychology. The result is an absorbing show that emphasises rigour but also demands patience.
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