Shivaji Surathkal 2 review: Ramesh Aravind’s 103rd film is a seesaw between the personal and professional life of a detective

After a decent run at the box office — with the heavily talented actor-filmmaker Ramesh Aravind donning the role of a detective — the sequel to Shivaji Surathkal gets personal.

Case number 103, the mysterious case of ‘Mayavi’, unravels the personal side of detective Surathkal while maintaining a good balance with a decent whodunit thriller.

The mysterious case

Unlike Shivaji Surathkal, which was more or less a replica of Agatha Christie’s most popular murder mystery — Murder on the Orient Express — the sequel to it is far more decent and comes with a new mystery running for two hours and three minutes.

Here, Shivaji battles with the loss of his wife Janani (Radhika Narayan). At the same time, he shares a beautiful relationship with his daughter whom he “accidentally” adopts a few years ago.

Related: Ramesh Aravind to solve yet another mystery in Shivaji Surathkal 2

This is when he is asked to take up the missing case of a girl, the daughter of a reputed journalist. It turns out to be a case of a brutal murder committed in the most heinous manner.

This curious case of “Mayavi” in Shivaji Surathkal 2 proceeds with three more murders. With all three murders having a strange connection with each other, the question of Shivaji cracking the mystery before it’s too late for him is the endgame of this sequel.

ಶಿವಾಜಿ is back..#ShivajiSuratkal2 releases today..Keen to know your reaction.🤝watch trailer https://t.co/aPL3Iges29#shivajiuniverse @Ramesh_aravind @akashsrivatsa @AnupGow17425551 @thizizradhika @MeghanaGaonkar @sangeethaSring @judahsandhy @aanandaaudio @KRG_Connects pic.twitter.com/xy3ykbIrP8

— Ramesh Aravind (@Ramesh_aravind) April 14, 2023

Ramesh the saviour

Ramesh Aravind is the master behind and in front of the camera. The actor becomes the saviour of the average script which could have been better on various counts.

At a time, when the making of murder mysteries has exponentially reached another level — especially after the popularity gained by web series — it requires more than an impressive script to come up with a “wow” experience for the genre on the silver screen.

Ramesh, known for portraying emotional characters, fits perfectly here alongside his already-established image as a detective.

The ‘bond’ script

It’s not the James Bond style of the script but the bond between father, son, and daughter which runs parallel alongside the mystery that holds the key to solving the case.

Again, Akash does a fair job of tweaking the emotional connection and disconnection to good effect which in turn captures the interest of the audience till the end.

Also Read: Kannada actor Rishi talks about his forthcoming projects

Verdict

Shivaji Surathkal 2 is definitely worth watching for its emotional content which is nicely blended into a whodunit saga.

Nevertheless, it isn’t the finest murder mystery that makes the audience keep guessing till the end. But certainly, it’s a unique one that stands out for its honesty.

(Views expressed are personal.)