Kuttavum Sikshayum is a by-the-book police procedural drama that attempts to do some interesting things but falls short of the caliber of films that director Rajeev Ravi is generally known for.
A jewelry shop was robbed in the city of Kasaragod in the Indian state of Kerala in 2015, and this event serves as the basis for the film. Sibi Thomas, who wrote the screenplay, was a real-life police officer and a member of the squad that investigated the crime. In Kuttavum Sikshayum, the job of tracking down the jewel robbers is headed by CI Sajan Phillip (Asif Ali), followed by SI Basheer (Alencier Ley Lopez), senior CPO Rajesh (Sunny Wayne), CPO Abin Raj (Sharaf U Dheen), and SI Rajeevan (Senthil Krishna). The investigative aspect is nothing new that we haven’t seen before, but it is still absorbing and will keep you glued to your seats. The police are following fairly conventional leads, such as checking CCTV footage and phone records and interrogating a suspect who appears to have the means and the intent to commit the crime. After a string of dead ends, they eventually hit pay dirt when they start looking into migrant laborers and trace the robbers’ location to Rajasthan. Sajan Phillip takes his squad to a tiny town near the Rajasthan-UP border to apprehend the criminals.
The film suffers from poor characterization, as all the characters, especially the police officers, seem bland and one-dimensional. Even though CI Sajan Phillip is given a background, it is underutilized and proves irrelevant to the plot. Since we spend most of the film in the company of these police officers as they travel from Kerala to Rajasthan, their journey must be compelling to watch. Consider a similar movie about police officers like Khakee (2004), where every officer has a distinct personality and character trait, making their journey engaging. This film lacked that, and as a result, I got slightly bored in their company.
The third act of Kuttavum Siikshayum needed a progression, where the investigation’s rigor should heighten, and the police officers’ desperation to catch the criminals should grow. The setup for the final showdown was well done, with the police officers now in a different state attempting to capture the criminals in a hostile environment. There is also one tense sequence in which they scout the area, which is a dangerous place where law and order do not dare to enter. However, the payoff was disappointing because the climax felt poorly orchestrated, with things happening too quickly and conveniently for one side. It failed to live up to the hype that the setup promised.
The film’s redeeming feature is that by the end, one may question why Rajeev Ravi chose a minor crime like jewel thievery over a more serious crime like murder. Perhaps he is trying to show us the portrayal of an idealistic police officer by showing him doing his duty regardless of how small the crime or how high the risk is. Any other police officer would have questioned the value of putting himself in such peril to catch a criminal for an offense like stealing jewels, which shouldn’t bother anyone, particularly the jewel store owner, because he is insured and will be compensated for the stolen jewels. But not Sajan Phillip and his team because, despite their low pay and the fact that the criminals would almost certainly get bail if arrested, they do it for the satisfaction of doing their duty, being true to themselves, being honest, and having a clear conscience. You can watch Kuttavum Sikshayum now on Netflix.
Kuttavum Sikshayum movie link: IMDB
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