One doesn't go into a film written by Shahi Kabir expecting to feel good. Having said that, Officer on Duty, which reunites the writer with actor Kunchacko Boban — and marks the directorial debut of Jithu Ashraf, one of the Nayattu actors — goes for a relatively more wide-appeal storytelling approach wherein enough space gets allocated for its grey-shaded protagonist to go into a 'mass hero' mode. But before that, it will put you as close to Kunchacko Boban's character, Harishankar, and give you a sense of what kind of man he really is.
Right when Harishankar is introduced as a cop who is unsparing in his interrogation tactics, I began to get a positive feeling about what I was about to witness — that maybe I was about to witness another superb performance from Kunchacko Boban. And I was right!
Who would've thought that a seemingly small case of a missing gold chain would take us to multiple twists and turns, a series of heavy casualties, and provide us an entirely different dimension to the story we don't see coming? This 'more than meets the eye' method has been a defining quality of all of Shahi Kabir's scripts so far (Joseph, Nayattu) as well as his directorial debut which he didn't write (Ela Veezha Poonchira).
Without giving anything away, it's Kunchacko Boban's astonishingly convincing portrayal of a trauma-burdened cop and his personal struggles that stand above everything else in the film. When the reasons for why this cop is a certain way are revealed, we begin to sympathise with him and think, "Okay, maybe we would've behaved exactly like him had we experienced the same situations he did." This performance is, to me, just another example of a "former chocolate hero" (a cheeky reference to this is made in passing in the film) transforming unrecognisably before our own eyes. Office on Duty gives us Kunchacko Boban's most intense role after Ariyippu.
And cinematographer Roby Varghese Raj, who recently made his directorial debut with Mammootty's Kannur Squad, brings an impressive level of tangibility to the images. All those subjective framing choices that convey the psychological state of Kunchacko Boban's character simply serve to enhance the storytelling. The same can be said of Jakes Bejoy's score which, despite not being one of his best, gets the job done.
Despite the trailer already showing us that this is an investigation thriller and that a psychotic gang led by Vishak Nair and a few newcomers make up the "bad guys", the film springs some shocking surprises that offers a whole new perspective on the chain of events that started with a... chain. Now some might feel this one's not on the same level as Joseph or Nayattu, but I would say we need to eliminate that comparison because Officer on Duty is not trying to be like them. It doesn't even have the same director as the other two. We cannot even say that Joseph and Nayattu behave in the same way.
The directors of all three films written by Shahi Kabir have their own style and intentions, which can be said of the director of Officer on Duty as well. Jithu Ashraf's approach leans more towards the commercial side, and can we really blame him? Sure, there are some scenes in Officer on Duty that made me go, "Wait, how does Kunchacko Boban get up and fight after being hit in the head a few times?" but, you know what, I was fine with it because it was so satisfying to see this character who, after going through some of the darkest events in his life, is doing some heroic stuff that makes you cheer. Trauma fuels him. Duty fuels him.
The fight sequences work so well because the bad guys (and gals) are built up in such a way that we have nothing else but hatred for every single one of them, irrespective of the usual cliches that we see associated with drug-addicted villains. Of course, I wouldn't call this a flawless film, but it was a damn good time at the movies. When Kunchacko Boban does something cool at the very end, it's like having a warm cup of tea after experiencing an intense roller coaster ride.
Watching this film is like — and I don't mean this in a negative way — someone grabbing your throat and squeezing it to an extent that allows you to breathe for a little over two hours, but you are not angry at the experience because, in the end, you are rewarded for it rather than being punished.
Film: Officer on Duty
Director: Jithu Ashraf
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Priyamani, Jithu Ashraf, Jagadish, Vishak Nair
Rating: 4/5
