The Pet Detective Review: A Chaotic Carnival Of Laughter And Lunacy

Chaos, when crafted with purpose, can be delightful. Malayalam cinema has always had a fondness for the hilarity that emerges when everything goes wrong — when the hero, the police, the villains, and even the dog seem to be chasing the wrong clue.

Director Praneesh Vijayan’s The Pet Detective thrives on this manic energy, offering a rollicking, slapstick-filled ride that pays homage to the glorious era of comedies like Vettam (2004) and CID Moosa (2003). The film doesn’t aim for subtle wit or narrative precision — it embraces its chaos, dances with it, and lets the audience laugh their way through the mess.

Spoiler Alert:

The story begins in Mexico, 2008, where a gang war erupts over a cartel deal gone wrong. Amidst bullets and betrayals, we find Jose Alula (Renji Panicker), a Malayali private detective determined to photograph the elusive don Peter Mundak Sambai (Vijayaraghavan), whose face is unknown to the world.

Also, read| ‘Pathirathri’ Review: Navya Nair & Soubin Shahir Shine In A Predictable Tale Of Relationships

He succeeds, barely, but the act puts him in Sambai’s crosshairs. Fleeing to Kerala, Jose sets up a modest detective agency, hoping to leave behind the world of crime and conspiracy.

Years later, his son Tony Jose Alula (Sharaf U Dheen) inherits the agency — not out of passion, but persuasion. His childhood sweetheart, Kaikeyi (Anupama Parameswaran), is the daughter of an army officer who refuses to marry her off to anyone outside the forces. To impress her father and prove his worth, Tony decides to crack a big case — any case — and establish himself as a man of action.

But Tony’s first case is far from heroic. A missing dog named Kannan, a police officer Rajath Menon (Vinay Forrt) who happens to be Tony’s old friend and rival-in-love, and a series of bizarre coincidences soon spiral into a comedy of epic proportions.

When the police find Tony’s visiting card at a crime scene, he becomes a suspect in a kidnapping case involving a smuggled exotic fish worth ₹30 crore.

What begins as a hunt for a lost pet soon unravels into a full-blown underworld investigation with smugglers, gangsters, serial kidnappers, and a long-buried family secret.

Also, read| ‘Packed Runtime, Interesting Premise, Perfect Technical Work’: The Pet Detective Social Reviews

If you try to keep track of all the characters and subplots in The Pet Detective, you’ll likely fail — but that’s part of the fun. There’s Yaqat Ali (Vinayakan), the perpetually confused gangster; Thinkal Thomas aka TT (Shyam Mohan), whose loyalty is as unpredictable as his logic; Maqbool (Bhagath Manuel), Tony’s bumbling assistant; and Kanaka Sabavathi, the mafia king, Nishant Sagar as Shaji, whose menace is only matched by her absurdity. Joemon Jyothir as Sanoop, Praseetha Menon as Lolitha, and P.P. Kunhikrishnan as Jolsyan add to the confusion — and the laughter.

The second half takes us back to Sambai — the same don from Mexico, now resurfaced in Kerala, setting the stage for a chaotic yet amusing climax. There’s a cascade of mistaken identities, betrayals, and slapstick gags that culminate in a crescendo of comic mayhem reminiscent of Siddique-Lal’s Ramji Rao Speaking or Priyadarshan’s Vettam.

You don’t watch the film for logic — you watch it for the joy of watching a director orchestrate madness with flair.

Sharaf U Dheen, in his first outing as both lead and producer, is in terrific form. His effortless oscillation between earnestness and absurdity gives Tony a goofy charm that keeps the film buoyant even in its most ludicrous moments.

There’s an endearing self-awareness in his performance, as though he’s winking at the audience, saying, “Yes, I know this makes no sense — but isn’t it fun?”

Anupama Parameswaran, as Kaikeyi, lights up the screen with her vivacious presence. Though the script doesn’t give her much to do beyond reacting to the madness, she brings warmth and comic timing to her scenes.

Vinay Forrt is hilarious as the overzealous cop Rajath Menon, a man torn between duty and unrequited love. His facial expressions and impeccable delivery lift every scene he’s in.

Vinayakan, Shyam Mohan, and Joemon Jyothir deliver strong comic performances, keeping the energy alive even when the plot threatens to derail itself.

Cinematographer Anend C Chandran makes the most of the film’s zany tone, capturing Kerala’s coastal palette with a visual playfulness that complements the story’s comic rhythm. The action sequences are cleverly choreographed — not gritty, but gleeful, often turning brawls into ballets of buffoonery.

Rajesh Murugesan’s music is quirky and catchy, with the song “Tharalitha Yaamam” standing out as a playful, retro-themed number that became a social media favourite, especially after the film’s iPhone giveaway promotion.

The editing, though uneven, reflects the film’s pace — deliberately fast, borderline dizzying, and unapologetically messy. The Pet Detective doesn’t want you to sit back and analyze. It wants you to surrender — to laugh, to roll your eyes, and to revel in the absurd.

Timeline Verdict:

 Praneesh Vijayan crafts a world where everyone is either chasing the wrong lead or running from the right one. It’s overstuffed, over-the-top, and occasionally overbearing — but it’s also outrageously funny in bursts.

Cast and Crew

Cast:
Sharaf U Dheen
Anupama Parameswaran
Vinay Forrt
Vinayakan
Shyam Mohan
Joemon Jyothir                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Nishant Sagar
Bhagath Manuel
Vijayaraghavan
Renji Panicker
Shobi Thilakan
P.P. Kunhikrishnan
Jai Vishnu
Praseetha Menon
Sanju Madhu
Jagadeesh Kumar
Sunny Wayne (Cameo)

Crew:
Director: Praneesh Vijayan
Writers: Praneesh Vijayan, Jai Vishnu
Producers: Gokulam Gopalan, Sharaf U Dheen
Cinematography: Anend C. Chandran
Editing: Abhinav Sunder Nayak
Music: Rajesh Murugesan
Production Companies: Sharaf U Dheen Productions, Sree Gokulam Movies