sandoc2 Thoroughly enjoyed watching this off-beat movie which has more good aspects than the usual run of the mill movies coming out from India.There is bit of over glorification of the police force. But at the same time the movie gives a sympathetic attitude to other professions like doctors, advocates,teachers and other government officials. Politicians and thugs are given their own due. .. Quite hilarious at times, didn't feel bored at all even though there is no continuous story as in other movies from beginning to end... There is bit of too much violence at times which could have avoided... The music is OK, the end scene is clearly influenced by the ending of batman movies..To be frank, the music and the narration at the end of the movie is enough to lift Nivin Pouly to stardom..! Salute to Batman of malayalam cinema..

sesht The director and the main lead get together after one of their better outings, 1983. At the very outset, let me mention that I prefer that over this, both in terms of storytelling, and the plot itself. Not to say that this doesn't have meat on its bones, but its a largely plot less series of vignettes in the life of a passionate, honest cop, who believes in bending the rules to an extent, to justify his empathy for his fellow human being, whom he just happens to haul in the slammer (with reason!). Shot much better than '1983' was, with Pauly giving as great a performance as he did in that one, along with 'Premam, 'Ohm Shanthi Ohshaana', 'Premam', 'Bangalore days', 'Oru vadakkan selfie' and 'Neram'. Listed all those just to let you know that neither this, nor 'Premam', were flashes in the pan for this young talent. He has bulked up for the role, and I think I did see evidence of changes in his body language to be role-appropriate. The movie is more about its sub-plots, with the main lead, and the characters in his station, being our anchors. Most plot threads reach their conclusion, but if one comes in expecting 1 solid plot that unravels all the way to the end, you're in for a colossal disappointment (not that, exactly, but a let-down of sorts, that most of my friends seem to have experienced, and are quite vocal about). All the sub-plots are decent with one featuring Suraj Venjaramoodu (national award winner for the fantastic-yet-underseen 'Perariyaathavar') and another featuring character actress Rohini ('Baahubali', 'Ala Modalaindi', 'Nenu Sailaja').The songs, other than for the impromptu folk song at the station (gimmicky-than-organic, for a movie that's mostly organic, sadly), are completely forgettable, and could have been edited out. The background score, on the other hand, by Rajesh 'Premam' Murugesan, is pretty decent, though not as great as 'Premam' was. Also, for a movie that gives many of its sub-plots a chance, the leading lady is given short-shrift, leading me to conclude that her track could have been completely edited out, and the movie might have been all the better for that. Certain sub-plots also meander and go on for a while, like the one with the walkie-talkie, which ends, for lack of a better word, weirdly. Also, the irony that the makers wanted to highlight in another sub-plot, is far too heavy-handed/ham-fisted, except for the characterization of the family's patriarch, which is also something like a sore thumb sticking out. In a kinda weirdly (there's that word again) faux-climax, the wire- fu that's been avoided all the way until them makes an unwelcome appearance. Plus, all the main lead's acting cannot hide his character's need to verbalize exposition, and perhaps breaking down the 4th wall might just have worked as a narrative method, considering the few occasions when he sermonizes for no reason, giving us his past information (alright, not us, but sub-plot characters) for little/no reason. Credit to Nivin that he pulls those off too...All in all, definitely a good time at the movies, for a discerning audience, but something that could have been much, much more......

mspradeesh786 This movie fails to make impact.It's a failure from the start go...No matter how the makers love to portray a honest officer (the Jana maitri type)...this movie is full of pitfalls. Nivin should only try movies with Alphonse!!!! At-least the latter knows a know how about this lame actor. The music is not in tune with the scenes....The Actor is not in tune with Uniform...and a person like nivin should not have the globe visible in between his legs!!!!!The theme is brilliant...but it is not worth a dime!!!! The only like is...I went to see this movie with my child...who like- Nivin's son- do go to watch movies- to have pop corn.....To them theaters are places to eat their favorite soaps!!!! I did oblige!!!!!

Tejas Nair At the moment in Malayalam cinema, we have independent and experimental and new wave and creative films on one hand and masala entertainers and potboilers on the other. This film falls on neither, for it is a massively artistic venture by a team who previously gave us a film with similar undertones.Biju (Pauly) is a smart, suave, learned, fit, righteous, and almost self-righteous human being with a paunch who shoved his bunch of educational degrees aside and signed up to become a policeman, now with a glamorous work history of five years. So when people come to him with problems aplenty, he turns his station into a court of sorts and begins his people-friendly (jana-mythiri?!) policing and somehow manages to settle those problems. Always. Whether by his severe bashing-up routine or by shaping his piercing mustache's burns so that the man in front of him pees without even opening his fly - Biju settles the case. That is the fictional tale of a policeman's work - and what the film is all about.If you were to go to the Muvattupuzha police station and have a sneak peek, you wouldn't find Biju, nor would you find him or any policeman like him in Kadavanthara police station. Maybe in Angamaly? Nah. Why? Because what the makers have created here is a fictitious depiction of an ideal policeman, of course, with respect to the current times which are hard and harrowed. So while one cannot call the film a 'true case,' it definitely is entertaining if not believable. Biju handles all sorts of cases: from drug busts to catching 'freaks' (or 'freakers') with afros and fade-in hairstyles, theft cases, family issues, and awkward love stories to name a few, which are all, unfortunately, the current topics doing the rounds in our police stations. The social touch given by the makers is absolutely relevant and true to the effect that we need policemen like Biju.Nivin Pauly is, without a doubt, brilliant. Just brilliant in his portrayal of this suave and sharp cop who doesn't open his hands bare to be greased by henpecked ministers or those powerhouses that we see in other movies. He knows to smash words up their noses and still have no fear of suspension or transfer, because, did you forget, this is fiction! Venjaramoodu is good, but I won't call his portrayal great because it's his sympathy-attracting character that rolls the dice. We all know he is a good actor unless he starts blabbering 'valippu!'I am straining on the film being a fiction not because other similar films aren't, but because the gist of the film lies in this fictionalization of a real-life character who we all see and sometimes (often due to bad things) encounter. As a result, it definitely has its flaws, but the clever elements employed in showcasing policemen at work without involving bureaucracy is the mastery the film reflects. However, people shouldn't believe everything that they see, and with this film, this warning becomes bolder. You will still be going through a plight and the worse days of your life if you are caught with a drug smuggler.Well-directed and aptly shot sequences takes the audience on a field trip to not the life exactly, but the profession of a cop. The intricacies are shown to some extent and it causes joy. A newbie is cast as Biju's fiancée because all she does is talk to him on the phone in a montage that is more music than audio. But I won't blame anyone here, because if you observe the films coming out lately (since 2013), every other one has a new face for an actress. It's because films nowadays are filled with testosterone and mostly narrate stories centred on a male protagonist. Actresses are even behind supporting actors, only put there to satiate the male gaze or to add a romantic tone to the film. People may not even go to the cinemas if the film doesn't have an actress. Who's to blame? In this film's case, had there been no actress, I am pretty sure it wouldn't have done commercially as well as it is doing now or will do. Critics may take a note and appreciate it even, but the mass of people want the action hero to romance someone, and it cannot be a bark of a tree, now can it?Coming back to the film, the background score is the best thing about the film. Reminding me of Hollywood crime dramas like Sicario (2015) and True Detective (TV; 2014), the score consisting of drums and bass amazingly drives the story forward like it is the fuel. And this score is played at the right junctures and adds considerably to the entertainment quotient. Rajesh Murugesan has never disappointed us, and in here, he proves his genius.Overall, the film is a pure shine. Although it goes slightly off in the start of second half, there is not a single dull moment anywhere, not even during the songs. Shine really pulls off the story with great direction and clever attention to details.BOTTOM LINE: Abrid Shine's Action Hero Biju is an artistic depiction of a fictional tale about an ideal policeman that is well-directed, well-written, and well-acted, proving once again that Nivin Pauly is the king of Malayalam cinema at the moment. Recommended!GRADE: B-Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES