Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru has the spirit and daring of an indie film but the slickness in its filmmaking will give big-budgeted and star-driven films a run for their money. Its director, Karthick Naren, is a first-time filmmaker a 21-year-old at that, but he displays such command over his craft that the film grabs us in the very first scene and keeps us engaged until the end. With help from his cinematographer Sujith Sarang and his sound team, Karthick turns this investigative thriller into an immersive experience for the viewer. At a time when mindless masala in the name of commercial films occupies the centre stage of Tamil cinema, here comes a refreshingly slick whodunnit murder mystery by 21-year-old debutant, who managed to belt out a believable murder mystery.
‘D16’ has been dealt like a novel, the attention to detail, the connections, unusual suspects, minor clues that get registered in the mind of the investigator during the inquiry, all these unfold like a page-turner from Sujatha or Agatha Christie novel and the best part is, it has come from a rookie director who has penned it with a sharp writing skill which makes you hooked for its 105 minutes run time. Since it is a mystery thriller, it’s best to watch and know what the film holds and let’s keep the article free of spoilers. ‘D16’ revolves around a missing person, a murder and an accident, all in proximity and as per the police ( Rahman ) the murderer is still at large and how the investigation of the incidents unfold over the next few hours make ‘D16’.
Most crime subjects are centred on the lead investigator-, his tactics, cleverness and other strengths. However Karthik the director deals it with it rather naturally, the investigating police inspector has a hard time with memory, is keen on getting advice from his fellow policemen, does not let himself into just the motive and rather works with the flow of the events with keen attention to detail and builds his theory knowing that they may go wrong. ‘D16’ has a lot of narrative elements, as and when each character approaches their play, they start relating their stories and how the events unfolded from their point of view. The director makes us do the guessing game – if their story is true or false, but while these narrative elements make the movie stretch its time, they start connecting dots when the final ploy unfolds in a good way indeed. There are long sequences in the movie with crisp editing makes it very natural, like the crime scene where the inspector gives various instructions to his fellow constables, enquires the neighbour, talks with the witness etc.
You can say a lot about the sensibilities of a filmmaker by looking at the fonts he uses. But there’s more than just surface aesthetics. There’s always something happening in the background – someone unloading a truck, someone looping a garden hose. Life goes on even as the investigation goes on. Most of our filmmakers think in terms of words. Karthick Naren thinks in terms of visuals. You can almost imagine these instructions in the script. At the end of the flashback, the camera hovers on the cop, and then it swoops down on him in the present day, one close-up giving way to another. Of course, all this would be empty showboating without a good story fleshed out into a good script – that’s exactly what we get here. A couple of revelations are underwhelming, but I was so gripped by the goings-on that I didn’t care. Plus, the film keeps pulling rugs from under your feet. You cannot afford to care, not if you want to keep up. Some detailing and dialogues in the first half may look redundant. But almost everything shown or spoken in the film has a connection with what unfolds in the climax. If you had missed anything you will struggle to connect the dots at the end. That calls for phenomenal hard work and expertise in screenwriting.
The dialogues are also curt and interesting in many places. The way the police professionals talk with each has been captured well. The conversations between Deepak and Gautham are sharp and witty at times. Rahman as the Police officer is quite right on the money, his looks, body language, the freakishly bold voice required for a cop, an intimidating attitude all that as he carries around from one crime scene to another in search of evidence or a clue. Tamil pronunciation has some minor flaws.
The film has many newcomers or less known actors and among them, the actors coming as Gautham, the senior police constable and the Newspaper boy make a good impression. Delhi Ganesh makes a mark with just one scene he appears. Jakes Bejoy’s background score enhances the thrill and mystery element throughout the film. Sujith Sarang’s cinematography has used lights and angles that give the feel of watching a crime investigation flick. The multi-layered complex script is easily conveyed with the razor-sharp and clear cuts of Editor Sreejith Sarang.
Of course, the film has its share of flaws. Despite the engagement factor, both the halves seem like a bit overstretched. There are a few logical loopholes and some areas which could have been explained a bit more. The reasons behind the crimes may also seem ordinary for a section of the audience. Despite these flaws ‘D16’ is surely the surprise end package to the year 2016, a good finish from a logically sound and promising director supported by a good cast and fine technicalities.
Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru is, finally, a first-rate procedural that understands that it’s not just about a hit-and-run, an apparent suicide, an instance of blackmail, but also about hatred, love, anger. These existential undertones aren’t oversold, but they remind us that the acts we consider inhuman are born from the most basic human emotions. This well-structured intriguing thriller from newcomer Karthik Naren keeps you hooked from the start to end just like a detective novel.
