26/02/2016
I’ve never watched a film on its first day, as I always played it safe rather than risk wasting a couple of hours. Still, I thought Vetta (The Hunt) was worth taking that risk, given that it has Manju Warrier, Kunchacko Boban and Indrajith in lead roles and Rajesh Pillai of Traffic as director. Moreover, it was a thriller. So yes, a first day, first show means no chances of spoilers.
Manju Warrier and Indrajith, IPS officers and thick friends, are probing a high-profile case of an actress gone missing. They soon nab the suspect, a courtroom clerk (Kunchacko Boban), who confesses to killing the actress along with another man. He has buried the bodies near a dam, though he is unable to locate them afterwards. During the interrogation, Melvin, the clerk, reveals the motto behind the murders. The plot thickens.
Unfortunately, the script falters from there on. Often, thrillers seek to create confusion among viewers to keep them on tenterhooks, but great films achieve this without losing them in the process. Unfortunately, Vetta fails here. What has happened with many whodunit movies is that they come up with plots and sub-plots and characters and more characters, only to elicit a `wow-I-never-thought-of-it’ reaction from viewers at the end. When that stylized ending is all that film makers care for, the totality of the film suffers. This happened with Vetta too. Its makers seem to have only bothered about the ending.
The story is implausible, especially in these times. In a world where an overzealous media and hyper-active social media hunt for every bit of information, how on earth can events mentioned in this film happen? Given that the characters all use smartphones and drive around in latest cars, I would imagine the timeline is contemporary. And can two IPS officers be set up so easily? Are the ways of investigation so primitive? The scriptwriter Arunlal Ramachandran should have done some more research into the functioning of our police force. Watching Action Hero Biju would give some ideas, to start with.
The characters of Manju Warrier and Indrajith have nothing much to do, other than look bewildered, morose and churlish. (why Manju for the role in the first place?) None of the characters evokes any sympathy, appreciation or awe as they are never really fleshed out. There isn’t much to write home about other departments such as music and photography either.
I should’ve waited for a couple of days before watching Vetta on the first day itself.