Dridem

Dridam 

is a Malayalam crime investigation thriller. The lead actor is Shane Nigam, who was seen in Bhoothakaalam and Ishq, along with several Malayalam supporting actors. I have seen many of them in other Malayalam movies before, but I do not know most of their names. I could have searched Google, made a cast list, and acted like I knew everyone, but my conscience would not allow it. It felt like it was telling me You are still an amateur. Do not act like a big writer. So let us directly get into my experience of watching this movie.

According to the story, Vijay arrives at a hill village in Idukki to join duty as a Sub Inspector. There is no Inspector assigned to that station. So even though Vijay is young, he gets a lot of respect because he is now the highest ranking officer there. Since he is young and has come straight into an SI posting, he follows many protocols based on the suggestions of Krishnan, the senior most employee in that station. Vijay's uncle, who retired from the police force earlier, had already told him on the phone He is a very good man. You can ask him anything if you need help.

From the day Vijay joins duty, there are two women officers working at the station named Ramya and Vidya. Among them, Vidya keeps staring at Vijay as if she is completely focused on him. As viewers, we naturally start thinking Okay, maybe this is going to turn into a love track or something related to that. But what happens after that?

Until now, no major case has ever been registered within the limits of this police station. To put it simply, it is a very peaceful village. That is exactly why the government has never felt the need to appoint an Inspector there. You might wonder why the village even needs a police station then. Well, people still need police verification for things like passports, and crimes still need to be prevented before they happen. Even a peaceful village needs law enforcement.

Anyone reading this post probably already understands the importance of the police department. In such a station, just a few days after Vijay takes charge as SI, a severed human hand is discovered. During the police search that follows, a buried dead body is also found nearby. This is a huge shock for both the police station and the entire village. Everyone is wondering whether something like this could really happen in their village.

To make things harder, this case lands on the shoulders of Vijay, who has absolutely no previous experience as a police officer. It is like placing a huge burden on a tiny bird. Then, within the next few days, an entire locker cabinet is stolen from a finance company in the village. Another shock for the village. But wait, there is more. Within a few more days, another dead body is found in a river with its hands and legs tied up.

Both murders follow the same pattern. The injuries all over the bodies, the broken bones, and the way the victims were killed through head injuries are strikingly similar. Vijay comes to the conclusion that both murders were committed by the same person.

Now the pressure starts building. Vijay's superiors and even the villagers already see him as an inexperienced SI. Meanwhile Vijay himself is completely confused and keeps wondering What am I supposed to do now? The pressure reaches a point where he is told to either close the case with the evidence already available or catch the real criminals within one week. Otherwise, he will be removed and replaced with a more experienced officer.

What Vijay does during that one week is what shocks all of us in this movie. Only after the film ends are the blindfolds removed from our eyes. Suddenly, the way we look at everything shown earlier changes completely.

That village was never really as peaceful as everyone claimed. The idea that no crimes ever happened there turns out to be complete nonsense. The movie never forces this message on us. Instead, it slowly reveals the truth. If crimes are never officially registered, how will anyone know they happened? After all, this is a small hill village. People usually settle issues through mutual understanding before they ever reach the police station. Because of that, many incidents never become official FIRs.

The situation that had been maintained for years begins to change only after Vijay arrives. The truth is that neither the police station nor the villagers have much experience in handling real criminal investigations. They are used to solving problems informally and moving on without pursuing justice through proper legal channels.

Shane Nigam has performed brilliantly in a character carrying all this pressure. The shocking climax makes us realize who has really been acting in front of us all along. The fact that the movie made me feel like Malayalam cinema has added yet another diamond to its crown is enough to say how much I enjoyed it.

See you again in the next post.

See ya!