Kerala Crime Files review: A perfect thriller that hooks the audience through all episodes

Thrillers with police investigation are always loved by movie-goers. Kerala Crime Files – Shiju, Parayil House, Neendakara is about the murder investigation of a sex worker who dies in a lodge in Kochi.

Directed by Ahammed Khabeer and writer Ashiq Aimar, this is the first Malayalam web series streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

With just six episodes, each around 30-minutes in duration, it will only take three hours for the viewer to complete the series. But it’s surprising to see that, in those three hours, the makers can convey what they wanted to without stretching it.

Synopsis

Kerala Crime Files deals with a low-profile murder case that happened in 2011-12 and the local police of Kochi city who investigated it.

Swapna, a sex worker, is found dead in a lodge in Kochi. The investigation team manages to get the address of the person who booked the room but soon realises that it’s fake and fails to trace him.

The five-member probe team includes Circle Inspector of Police Kurian (Lal), Sub-Inspector Manoj (Aju Varghese) and constables Navas Vallikunnu (Sunil), Vinu (Sanju Sanichen), and Pradeep (Zhinz Shan).
The team members have different characteristics. Kurian is a shrewd police officer and Manoj is sincere in his job.

A fresh recruit, Vinu is excited to be part of the investigation team.
Vallikunnu isn’t happy to be part of the probe, as his wife is pregnant. But he tries to balance his work and family life.

Pradeep is an experienced policeman, and his expertise helps the investigation team. How they trace the murderer forms the crux of the story.

Kerala Crime Files showcases many areas in Kochi city like Fort Kochi, Edapally, Eloor, and Kadavanthara, as the story is based in the financial capital of Kerala. Small restaurants also become a part of the plot as the killer worked in restaurants.

Also Read: Prithviraj Sukumaran injured during ‘Vilayath Buddha’ shoot

Sensitive portrayal of sex workers

The web series sensitively portrays the lives of sex workers.

For instance, in a scene, when the police visit sex worker Lathika’s (Devaki Rajendran) house as part of its investigation, the worried daughter of the woman asks them if she can call her mother. The director subtly captures the young girl’s fear through the dialogue.

Similarly, at a crucial point in the story, the way the cops tell Lathika to file a case reveals how the force can take advantage of the situation of a sex worker or a marginalised woman in reality.

There are many such touching moments in the series. However, the details of Swapna, the sex worker who gets killed, aren’t shown.

Nevertheless, the theme deserves appreciation as it highlights the fact that the life of every human being matters. This is very unlike the commercial potboilers that give importance to only high-profile cases.

Another highlight of Kerala Crime Files is the realistic portrayal of the common man hailing from the lower strata of society. The web series narrates how the hotels and lodges located near railway stations and other such areas don’t even ask for the ID cards of customers and also how illegal activities are carried out in these places.

Also Read: ‘Tiku Weds Sheru’ review: Leaves you with a bitter aftertaste

Life of policemen

Kerala Crime Files also captures the lives of policemen. In almost every episode, the personal life of a cop is given importance.

In a sequence, Vinu explains to Pradeep how hard his life was before he got a job as a cop.

Manoj is a newly-married young policeman who applies for leave but is denied the same as he has to probe Swapna’s murder case.

Kurian is a well-experienced and successful policeman who is separated from his wife.

At the end of the series, all of these policemen are rewarded for solving the case.

The web series is a straight story of a murder and the efforts put in by the local policemen in nabbing the killer.

There are no police gimmicks but crisp editing add to the racy plot and keeps us engrossed till the end.

Kerala Crime Files is a pure crime story told conventionally — the police solve the case and it’s not a herculean task.

ഒരു ഇന്ത്യൻ കോഫി ഹൗസ് അപാരത#KeralaCrimeFiles is now streaming on #DisneyPlusHotstar.

Watch now – https://t.co/DjrrifsjXs@AjuVarghesee @LalDirector @rahulrijinair#HotstarSpecials #Malayalam #WebSeries #Exclusive pic.twitter.com/7pCOidwV6b

— DisneyPlus Hotstar Malayalam (@DisneyplusHSMal) June 26, 2023

Performances

Kerala Crime Files have some good performances by the police team.

Aju Varghese has an important role to play and he has done it efficiently. In Helen (2019), he played a negative cop in Helen. But in this web series, Aju plays a soft-spoken policeman.

Lal gets a good role. He is hot-tempered and uses cuss words like a typical cop.

Navas Vallikunnu and Sanju Sanichen, as the two young police constables, make a good combination.

Zhinz Shan as Pradeep shines in the series.

Devaki Rajendran as Lathika and Rooth P John as Swapna, both sex workers, are appreciable. Swapna appears in only one episode though.

Related: Malayalam audiences are awaiting quality OTT content : Ahammed Khabeer

Technically sound

Kerala Crime Files is shot in Kochi, Angamaly and Thiruvananthapuram as described in the series.

The frames by Jithin Stanislaus give it a different look and elevate the story.

Fort Kochi and other parts of the city are beautiful to watch on the big screen.

Music director Hesham Abdul Wahab plays a key role in setting the story through the background score and the song.

The colour grading of the movie is too good as most of the scenes are shot inside lodges that aren’t clean. It’s a commendable effort by Srik Varier.

Final take

Kerala Crime Files is a well-made web series and a compelling watch. It realistically narrates a low-profile murder case.

(Views expressed here are personal.)