Vela review: A hard-hitting movie with compelling performances from Shane Nigam and Sunny Wayne

Cop dramas are nothing new in the Malayalam film industry. Many of the leading actors have worn the police uniform before.

This time, it’s the turn for young actors Shane Nigam and Sunny Wayne who play policemen in Syam Sashi’s debut movie Vela.

Needless to say, both actors have had a good time playing policemen in the film which has a unique plot. Their ego and professional rivalry that turns violent form the core theme.

The makers have taken an unusual path that’s new to Malayalam cinema. Vela also talks about caste discrimination, which is a welcome change.

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Synopsis

The rift between Ullas Augustine (Shane Nigam) and Mallikarjunan aka Mallika (Sunny Wayne) forms the crux of Vela.

Ullas is posted at the Police Control Room. He forwards an emergency call by a father about drug abuse by his son and his friends to the police party led by Mallika.

When Mallika reaches the spot in the night, he finds that the drug peddler is close to an MLA.

Mallika shows disinterest in arresting the drug peddler.

Meanwhile, the boy who is accused of using drugs by his dad goes missing the same night.

To cover up the case, Mallika reports that Ullas forwarded a fake call and the latter gets suspended.

Ullas, during his suspension period, starts an investigation regarding the missing boy and Mallika’s connection in the incident. He concludes that Mallika is involved in all wrong deeds and is covering many crimes involved by the MLA.

The story has many layers. It doesn’t mean it’s a complex story. But the plot is connected with a local festival in Puthussery village in Palakkad.

The title of the movie, Vela means job and the word also refers to a local festival held in a temple.

Ullas is dedicated to his job, but Mallika misuses his power as the sub-inspector of police.

The story is connected with the local festival as the policemen are sent for duty at temple grounds on a significant night when many incidents happen.

Plot thickens

On the festival day, Ullas is on duty in the control room. He gets a call from a woman saying that she had killed her husband and would commit suicide soon.

Ullas informs the police party headed by Mallika about the incident, but Mallika refuses to go to the spot and asks Ullas to check if the information is correct.

Ullas pleads with Mallika to reach the place and save the woman.

A war of words ensues between the cops. In the end, Ullas convinces Mallika, and he starts his journey to the secluded place where the woman had called from.

Meanwhile, the woman, on request by Ullas, reveals her tragic story. She says her husband was abusing her. Ullas tries to pacify her.

Ashokan SI (Siddharth Bharathan) is the superior officer of Ullas, and they both share a good rapport.

Ullas submits a report against Mallika to Ashokan, but the latter suggests that he should be obedient instead of questioning his superiors.

Meanwhile, Ashokan shows his true colours.

Performances

The first half sets the story moving. In the second half, the movie gets intense with mind-blowing performances from Sunny Wayne and Shane Nigam.

Their rivalry is evident in their body language, and they aren’t ready for a truce.

Sunny Wayne, who plays the negative character, gets a challenging role as Mallika. He plays a womaniser cop who doesn’t care about anyone, including his wife.

His usage of the Palakkad dialect is good.

His carefree and daring attitude against his fellow policemen and other characters is pretty convincing.

Moreover, his choice of playing an elderly cop is commendable and only shows his maturity as an actor.

Sunny Wayne actor mesmerised us all with his career-best performance in Appan (2022).

Shane Nigam proves his mettle as an actor with good potential. He portrays the frustrations, anger, and helplessness of a junior cop with ease.

Ullas is safe in the hands of Shane Nigam.

Siddharth Bharathan appears in a new avatar as an older cop with white hair and the actor-director is decent.

Aditi Balan appears in a key role in the second half as the woman who calls the control room. Her actions, if revealed now, would be a spoiler. She is good.

Sam CS composed the background music and songs for the film, and he did a neat job. Both the BGM and songs had a good effect.

The night scenes and the festival visuals are shot by Suresh Rajan with finesse.

Also Read: Garadi review: A ‘wrestling’ experience for almost two-and-a-half hours

Final take

Debutant Syam Sashi’s Vela is an intense film complemented by an impressive performance by Shane Nigam and Sunny Wayne.

(Views expressed here are personal.)