Detective Ujjwalan

Story: Ujjwalan runs a library and moonlights as the village detective, but will he be able to find the identity of the serial killer, who has cast fear over Plachikavu

Review: Detective Ujjwalan aims to use Dhyan Sreenivasan’s comic charm in a crime thriller.

He plays the titular Ujjwalan, who runs a library and moonlights as the village detective for small crimes, such as misplaced gold or a missing goat. In fact, apart from these, Plachikavu is so peaceful, that the police are laughably inefficient and rely unabashedly on Ujjwalan to solve the petty crimes.

But when the crimes get more serious and a serial killer is on the loose, the villagers and, gradually, the police, wonder if Ujjwalan will be able to crack the case and protect the village.

The problem with the film is that the script and direction by Rahul G and Indraneel GK is too all over the place and has several loose ends, like what happened to Ujjwalan's childhood friend Das. When a special investigation team, led by Shambu Mahadeva (Siju Wilson) is sent to solve the case, it just makes the story more wayward.

There are some rules that a detective story needs to make it work and for the effect to stay with us. Some red herrings that will confuse the audience so that we are emotionally and intellectually caught up in the story, a detective who uses logic that will baffle us with its brilliance and a final revelation of the culprit that will shock us.

Detective Ujjwalan does not use any of these devices in a forceful enough manner. The period settings are interesting and the village characters are loveable enough, though some of the superb comic talents from social media, Ameen, Nihal Nizam, Nibraz and Shahubas, are barely utilised. The film seems to go in the direction of most Dhyan films; a bit of an anti-climax