Maruthi Nagar Police Station review: An investigative crime thriller that works in parts

Maruthi Nagar Police Station is an investigative crime thriller that works despite the gaping holes in the story.

This direct OTT release works because of the performances of the actors. The intense performance by its lead actor, Arav, is what makes the film watchable.

Synopsis

Maruthi Nagar Police Station begins with Jaishankar (Mahat Raghavendra) returning from work one night when he gets a call from his girlfriend Archana (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar).

Jai stops his bike outside what looks like a defunct factory to take the call. As he begins talking to Archana, he notices the hands of a young girl waving over the fence of the factory, as if appealing for help.

He cuts the call and scales the compound wall, only to see a young girl being carried away by a group of men inside the premises.

He shoots the incident on his phone and hurries to the nearest police station, which happens to be the Maruthi Nagar police station.

Just as he reaches the station, he sees the inspector (Amit Bhargav) standing outside. He narrates the issue to the cop, who asks him to take him to the spot.

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— aha Tamil (@ahatamil) May 20, 2023

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Conflict

The two reach the factory. However, once inside, Jai realises that the inspector is hand in glove with the gang.

The gang is headed by notorious land grabber Naga (Subramaniam Siva), who is also wanted for several other crimes, including kidnapping.

Jai gets killed, but not before he manages to send the clipping of the video he has on his phone to his four close friends, which includes Archana and Bala (Santhosh).

Archana, a police officer herself, and Jai’s three other friends realise he has been killed by Naga and the inspector. They decide to take revenge. What happens then is what Maruthi Nagar Police Station is all about.

Flimsy plot

The film’s plot is flimsy and has a lot of gaps. But thanks to some fine performances from some of its actors, the film manages to keep you interested.

For instance, Archana’s plan to get one of Jai’s friends to shoot the inspector inside the station during a power cut is just so childish that it makes you want to laugh.

She happily does not take into account the other prisoners who might be next to Jai’s friend at the station and the other cops who might be on duty at the station when the crime occurs. This is just one of the lapses. There are more such flaws in Maruthi Nagar Police Station.

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Pluses & minuses

One other big drawback of Maruthi Nagar Police Station is actor Varalaxmi’s dialogue delivery. The actress rattles off her lines so quickly that audiences will likely find it difficult to comprehend what she is saying.

On the brighter side, the film does not come across as boring, simply because of three actors doing a fantastic job.

Arav, who plays the investigative officer Nedunchezian, does a mighty fine job. It is only after the arrival of Arav’s character that the film gains some credibility.

Arav looks menacing, stern, and determined as Nedunchezian. His look, his body language, and his dialogue delivery all add up. One has no problems accepting him as a senior cop investigating a daring crime.

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Performances

Actor Mahat Raghavendra, who plays Jai, appears only for a short while. But he does a splendid job as the character and leaves an indelible mark.

Thanks to his fine performance, the first half an hour of Maruthi Nagar Police Station moves at a brisk pace.

The third stand-out performance comes from director Subramaniam Siva, who plays villain Naga.

Casual in his approach, Siva plays the role with considerable ease and with absolute confidence.

Manikanth Kadri, son of the late Carnatic musician Kadri Gopalnath, delivers an apt score for this film and impresses.

Final verdict

On the whole, Maruthi Nagar Police Station might not be perfect, but it certainly isn’t boring and keeps you reasonably entertained.