Vettah is a thrill fest

The swansong of director Rajesh Pillai is a movie worth watching

The sad demise of director Rajesh Pillai closely followed the release of his fourth feature film, Vettah, now playing at theatres in the UAE.
Marking his debut with Hridayathil Sookshikkan, a film starring Kunchacko Boban, Rajesh Pillai sealed his place in Malayalam film history with the runaway hit Traffic. A multilinear film, then a novelty for audiences in Kerala, the film spawned what eventually came to be known as 'new generation' movies.
Subsequently, he directed Mili, starring Amala Paul and Nivin Pauly, a departure from his earlier movie, where Rajesh chose to bring a powerful female character with enough twists to deliver a heartwarming, feel-good movie.
Switching genres, his final film Vettah is a psychological thriller starring Kunchacko Boban, Indrajith and Manju Warrier. Written by Arunlal Ramachandran, the film is not the typical whodunit, but delivers a slice of life reality that is often lost in thrillers. So it is that Manju Warrier's role as a cop, investigating a series of murders, is not the typical firebrand lady cop but a more nuanced characterisation where life's ordinary worries are portrayed on an even keel with her professional integrity.
She is joined by Indrajith, a cop on suspension, to investigate murders that are zeroed in on Melvin, played by Kunchacko Boban. Melvin is arguably one of the most mature roles that the young hero portrays - almost reminiscent of Biju Menon in a similarly patterned film Masters.  
The murders are not random, and breaking the deadlock is the task that the two cops must do with very little cooperation from the prime suspect.
While reviewers have been moderate in their praise for the movie, perhaps due to misplaced expectations, given the hype the film had generated, the audiences warmed up to the film, which had a decent run at the Kerala box-office.
For fans of Manju Warrier, the film could be a treat, as she continues her quest to experiment on her roles rather than be typecast. As a committed cop, she delivers a swashbuckling performance with Indrajith serving as the perfect foil.
But laurels, indeed, are reserved for Kunchacko Boban, who delivers an inspired performance that could count among one of his more mature acts. Having now ventured into production, reviving his legacy of Udaya Films, Boban has also been more experimental with his roles.
He plays the central role in Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal, a take on the endosulfan victims in a small village in Kerala, which has now won the Best Film on Environment at the National Film Awards.
Departing from typical Malayalam film clichés to a great extent, Vettah is a strong work from a man who loved and lived for films. 
As the swansong of Rajesh Pillai, it reminds us how much more distance the director could have travelled in delivering Malayalam films that are not just also-rans but merit relevance at some socially significant level.

• South Stars