Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (2016)

English translation: Sixteen extremes

Director: Karthick Naren

Story: Karthick Naren

Cast: Rahman, Prakash Raghavan

Music: Jakes Bejoy

Time: 105 minutes

Bottom-line: Superb work for a debut, but far from flawless

In recent years, most of the debut films made by new directors have all amazed me: Thegidi, Soodhu Kavvum, Jigarthanda and Neram to name a few. Having heard the latest such debut film, Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (or D16) is quite good, I had to see it. While the immediate reactions of the audience would have been gasps of surprise and shocks at the plot twists, a little mental rewind revealed to me, several plot holes and loose ends.

2021, Ooty: Retired inspector Deepak (Rahman) is living a peaceful life in Ooty, when he gets a visitor aspiring to join the police force. They discuss Deepak’s last case, which cost him his leg: that of a psycho killer, back in 2016, Coimbatore. At around 2AM, a masked assailant commits a murder in an apartment complex. At the same time, three boys accidentally kill a stranger who jumps in front of their car. They hide the corpse in the car and plan to dispose it off in the morning. The next morning, a girl complains that her flatmate has gone missing, and it is the same house of the murder. In a situation full of coincidences and surprises, what really happened that night?

 

Rahman as Deepak (left), and his assistant Gautham (Prakash Raghavan)

The first half leaves us with too many unanswered questions, which would have been really good if only all of them were answered. Yes, it is impressive in terms of the suspense, atmosphere and the setup, and the fact that we get our dose of entertainment in a compact 105 minutes, not to forget the jolting plot twists… but while these are what you register in your mind immediately, a little pondering and revisiting of the events make you question the logic. A lot of “whys” crop up which you may satisfy with your imaginative answers (I doubt it), but the onscreen content is vague.

The cinematography is something I really liked, especially the way long shots and slow-motion have been employed here. The background score is chilling and sets up the atmosphere beautifully. There are no songs or unnecessary violence/cop-beating-up-10-guys-with-one-punch type nonsense, which is good! I also liked the fact that the acting crew was entirely new, except for Rahman. The acting was a bit monotonous, but I felt it matched the situation.

So, depending on how many loose ends you can let go unnoticed or solve with your own logic, you will find the film that much sensible. The visual presentation is excellent, and credit must be given for making an unconventional thriller film. However, if a good edge-of-the-seat-suspense detective thriller is what you expect, then Thegidi or even Yavarum Nalam is a far better alternative.

P.S: Don’t get confused by the YouTube trailer. It’s only job is to make you more interested in the film!

My Rating: 3/5