Officer On Duty Review: Disturbing, Engaging And Cinema At Its Best
Jithu Asharef directorial Officer on Duty starring Kunchacko Boban, Priyamani, Jagadish, Vishak Nair, Ramzan Muhammed among others is a true presentation of cinema with its entirety. If cinema is the art of visual storytelling through moving images encompassing narrative structures, mise-en-scène, cinematography, sound, and editing to evoke emotions and meaning, Officer on Duty serves its purpose with disturbing, riveting and engaging storyline clubbed with emotional subplots.
Officer on Duty, with power-packed performances, seamlessly embodies the essence of cinema, balancing realism and formalism to serve as both a cultural reflection, in which a thread that mixes crime, narcotics and family bonding with perfection, and a platform for discourses on what should be the approach of the society to someone who commits gruesome crimes. While, the movie’s visual composition, movement, and sound craft an immersive experience, the meticulous framing, lighting, and pacing enhance its emotional depth. But, as I mentioned in the approach of the society towards criminals, the movie will leave you with a question on whether the bullet or police justice or the extra-judicial can be the solution or not.
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Though there are elements of predictability in the movie’s overall progression, the film overcomes conventional storytelling stereotypes with the blending of changing locations and spaces with aesthetic innovation to provoke thought and evoke powerful emotions. Officer on Duty not only engages with contemporary societal themes but also exemplifies cinema’s engagement potential, making it a compelling and thought-provoking piece from the recent Malayalam movie making which has gained many followers for its variety.
When the movie begins, you see many deaths happening and a troubled police officer (Kunchacko Boban’s CI Hari) is entwined in its complexities. As the movie enters its main plot, Hari becomes encircled in the fight for justice in professional and personal plots. Shahi Kabeer, who is famous for directing Ela Veezha Poonchira, and writing police stories like Nayattu and Joseph, looks more fitter in his forte. The individuality and the personal hardships are the central themes of his writing, and the dialogues befits the entire storyline with an exhaustive exposition.
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Kunchacko Boban betters himself than from his recent works, Grrr and Bougainvillea, in Officer on Duty as he anchors the leading character with all the nuances the it demands. Priyamani (as Hari’s wife) and Jagadish (a father whose child becomes a centre of Hari’s investigation) justify their casting with perfection.
Jithu, who has been associated with Malayalam film industry for quite some time, proves that he has the ability to helm a serious subject with composure.
Timeline rating: ***
Officer On Duty Crew:
Directing: Jithu Asharef
Writing: Shahi Kabir
Cinematography: Roby Varghese Raj
Editing: Chaman Chakko
Music: Jakes Bejoy
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Priyamani, Jagadish, Ramzan Muhammed, Vishak Nair.
