Anand Sreebala review: A well-written investigation thriller with fine performances

Investigative dramas often work well with audiences, provided they manage to keep the plot intriguing.

In recent times, Malayalam cinema had a slew of investigation thrillers like Thalavan (2024), Anjaam Pathiraa (2023), and Kiskindha Kaandam (2024), which worked well.

Vishnu Vinay’s Anand Sreebala is an addition to the same genre, and it ticks all the boxes to be a worthy investigative thriller.

The movie based on real incidents has an engaging plot that is executed well. It deals with the death of a law student Merin in Kochi.

Let’s check what the movie is about.

Synopsis

The title Anand Sreebala piqued the interest of movie buffs, with the trailer giving the impression that it is a thriller, with Arjun Ashokan playing the titular role.

Anand Sreebala, played by Arjun Ashokan, is a youngster with a past, who wants to join the Kerala police. While he manages to clear the physical tests, he fails the medical tests as he is said to have psychiatric issues.

Later in the movie, it is revealed that Anand’s mother Sreebala, played by Sangeeta, was a police officer, who was killed by goons. Due to the incident, Anand starts to have hallucinations about his mother, and her presence makes him feel confident.

Anand’s girlfriend is also named Sreebala. She is a journalist and is seen covering the Merin death case. The case which was dismissed as a suicide, will be reopened due to her intervention and reporting. Anand too joins the case to help his girlfriend. Parallelly the police also investigate the case, led by DySP Sankar, played by Saiju Kurup.

Does Anand help in cracking the case? How did a case closed as suicide turn into a murder?— these form the crux of the film. The twists and turns of the investigation make Anand Sreebala a watchable thriller.

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Tight screenplay

Anand Sreebala has a well-written screenplay by Abhilash Pillai who had earlier written scripts for Malikappuram (2022) and Night Drive (2022). But his shift to a thriller has been impressive.

The first half is slow-paced, with the audience being introduced to the characters. It also gives space for Anand’s character to grow on the audience, with all his facets—expertise as an investigator, and shortcomings in his personal life— being put forward.

His mother is majorly shown through his hallucinations, which might seem superficial in the beginning, but they add depth to her character, who was a shrewd police officer. However, the scenes showing her murder are gruesome.

The investigation picks up heat in the second half, and are some of the best-written scenes. The climax too is well executed, as the mystery is unravelled with twists and turns.

The motive of the murder too doesn’t seem an exaggeration, as we have been seeing similar cases being reported.

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Performances

Arjun Ashokan portrays the role of Anand Sreebala well as a soft-spoken person, who is also a shrewd investigator. His mannerisms as an anxious person who gets hallucinations have come out well. The actor is definitely upping his game with a variety of roles.

For Sangeeta, Sreebala’s character—the mother of Anand, was a cakewalk, who has given impressive performances in her previous films Crime File (1999) and Chinthavishtayaya Shyamala (1998). However, there could have been more screen presence for her in the movie.

Aparna Das’s character as Sreebala— the girlfriend of Anand was great too, and the young actor performed well. It was good to see the young actor get a key role in a mainstream movie.

Saiju Kurup as DySP Sankar was another easy role for the actor who has been getting some interesting roles in recent times.

Aziz Nedumangad as Antony was definitely a different role for the actor who has been experimenting with films such as All We Imagine As Light (2024), and Kannur Squad (2023).

Anand Sreebala has a good technical team with music done by Ranjin Raj. The editing by Vishnu Narayan worked for the movie with a crisp runtime of 2 hours 14 minutes.

The movie doesn’t offer high-octane investigation scenes, but it has well-choreographed action scenes in the second half by Phoenix Prabhu. The cinematography of the movie is also decent.

Final take

Anand Sreebala has an intriguing plot that keeps the audience engaged making it a good investigation thriller. Sangeetha and Arjun Ashokan’s performance is a bonus for the movie.

(Views expressed here are personal, edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)