- Date of Release: 02 January 2024
- Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
- Language: Malayalam
- Watch On: Zee5
Identity
Introduction
It is difficult to categorize the Malayalam movie Identity in a particular genre. It is a whodunnit, a twisted thriller, a social drama, an action entertainer and a medical investigative drama, all at once. Yet, at the same time, it is neither of them too. And this remains the core issue of the film that tries to don multiple hats, yet comes across as a wannabe film that has literally nothing to say. On a concept level, Identity is rich with all its ingredients. It builds on a plot of a man being murdered inside his factory which is torched by an unknown assailant. And so, the whodunnit angle in the drama kick starts the narrative, even as you are tactfully introduced to a host of characters – including Alisha (Trisha), a character suffering from a medical condition known as prosopagnosia, or the condition of failing to recognize human faces. This was a unique plotpoint because it had the ability to open up multiple possibilities in the drama, one which would zero in on the identity of the killer whom she was an eye-witness for, while completely allowing him to be scot-free in the next breath. It was almost like the scenario in the film Ghajini (2008) wherein the protagonist suffering from a short-term memory loss would nab the culprit of his girlfriend’s murder, only to set him free because he failed to recognize him after a time-period. But Identity doesn’t wish to thrive on this one concept – it aspires to be a completely different film using this, just as one of its plot-points. And therein, it loses its identity!
Story & Screenplay
I wouldn’t be lying if I were to say that I was initially invested in the film Identity, particularly with the characterization of Haran (Tovino Thomas) and his character suffering from an obsessive compulsive disorder. Hence as a child, you see him tactfully arranging his books in the library while learning the art of sketching the portraits of accused criminals from his mother. And so as the worlds collide, he seamlessly becomes a vital cog in the investigation, while being asked to sketch the portrait of the accused at the behest of Alisha who us suffering from her face-recognition syndrome. The issue for me lay in the fact that the writers chose to put a sudden halt on the whodunnit element in the drama by revealing the identity of the vigilante almost at the end of the first act. This for me was a joykill of sorts given how the POV of Alisha could have atleast created a grey area as far as the identity of the vigilante was concerned.
There is a bit of a convenience as far as the writing is concerned, there are far too many coincidences that transpire in the case. For instance, inspector Allen (Vinay Rai) getting Alisha to stay in a building that had Haran and his family as her neighbour. A random stroll of Haran during the course of another investigation that eventually gets him the job here. The supposed hustling of the identity of the man in the portrait that felt like a simplistic reveal. Even the flashback portions involving Alisha and her tryst with the killer did feel like a stalemate. The writers never looked to build on the medical phenomena of Alisha, which in reality could have been the soul of the film. Instead, the focus did shift to proving the identity of the killer, a reason that itself was stale and quite a convenient plot-point in the drama.
The proceedings feel a little disconnected even tonally, given how the writing frequently shifts its tones from a whodunnit to a full blown action entertainer. Individual set-pieces in the narrative standout – a ten minute car-chase sequence through the tunnel that follows a predictable revelation, even an extended sequence in a plane that worked at an individual level because of the tension that was created in that intimate space. But, the writing is unnecessarily convoluted to the point of no return with ridiculous plot points that never really felt a part of this film. For instance, you cannot suddenly flip the identities of a couple of characters who upto that point have not shown any particular trait of their ‘alternate’ professions, just to satisfy the quench of the narrative.
It kind of felt pointless after a point even as the aspiring drama transformed into an action thriller out of nowhere, even as Alisha’s medical condition was barely used in the background. The suspension of disbelief is not a bad option provided the writing is committed to that trait. But here, it felt almost laughable how easily a plan by a supposed mastermind was foiled, wherein the convenience of the writing was in full display. Even the finale face-off was so convenient with absolutely zero build-up that it kind of made me chuckle while completely giving up on this ridiculous drama. The screenplay had the potential to unlock umpteen number of possibilities through that one plot-point, but sadly that was abandoned and something that led to identity issues for the film.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are adequate but there is nothing much to write home about. In fact at one point, the entire medical condition that was explained to the viewer felt like a Ted-Talk speech while leaving me with an impression of it being staged. The music and BGM are pulsating and atleast do their bit in trying to make multiple sequences work – be it the peppy notes playing out against a well choreographed sequence, or a more plausable approach to the investigation that unfolds. The cinematography comprises of frames that individually work well particularly in action set-pieces while giving you an impression of a bystander. The editing though is patchy wherein the scene transitions along with its share of lags are not quite accounted for. Directors Anas Khan and Akhil Paul largely stay unfocused with their drama, simply by trying out too many things. As a result, the viewers are never really settled with the core of the drama even as it continues to overstuff itself. The focus shifts from a promising characterization to something that was drastically different, even as the makers fail to impose their control on the proceedings while the drama goes haywire. The direction is poor and simply forgettable.
Performances
The performances are below the mark wherein not one actor leaves a mark. And none of the characters have any arcs to play with. Arjun Radhakrishnan (as Amar) is soon being typecast as the bad guy with different degrees of wickedness with respect to his characters. This character of his felt a little similar to the one that he essayed in Kannur Squad (ofcourse in a completely different setting) wherein the traits remained the same. I would like him to transition in a different territory (remember Rocket Boys and Dear Friend?), given the supreme talent that he possesses. Mandira Bedi as Supriya and Aju Varghese as DSP Dinesh barely have anything to do. Shammi Thilakan as Sudharshan is sincere but severely underutilized. Trisha Krishnan as Alisha is completely wasted simply because her character did hold the key to endless possibilities in the drama. Vinay Rai as Allen starts off on a good note but quickly transforms into a stereotypical character that doesn’t do anything extraordinary, even through his body language or mannerisms. Tovino Thomas is an incredible actor but here as Haran, he seemed a little disinterested and literally sleep-walking through his character. While his screen presence was very much intact, this wasn’t a performance to savour in any way (partly because of the erratic writing), wherein his dead-pan expressions didn’t quite work in the film’s favour. All other actors were wasted as well.
Conclusion
Identity is an unnecessarily convoluted drama marred by lazy writing and undergoing an identity crisis of its own, that makes for a rather disappointing watch. Available on Zee5.