Neru is a legal drama that delves into the life of Sara, a blind rape victim who opts for a legal course against a powerful perpretrator while having all odds stacked against her. Will justice prevail? The story here isn’t very novel and while reading its premise, it made me wonder on why Jeethu Joseph would opt for a ‘not so novel’ idea, given that he was the flag bearer of twisted iconic trailers like Drishyam. But on watching the drama, I was absolutely marvelled by his craft and his ability to create genuine gooseworthy moments while also touching upon the legal barriers of the system with respect to a person who is differentially abled. The screenplay standing at about a 150 minutes is compelling and taut while not allowing room for any sort of distraction along the way. And along the way, the writers take you on a roller coaster of emotions that allows you to invest in the drama and its characters. 

Now unlike the usual template used effectively by the Malayalam Industry in using world building and characterization to their advantage, Neru starts on an exact opposite note. The viewers are thrown into the action immediately from a point where the heinous crime has already been committed while you aren’t aware of the setting or the baggage that the characters have been carrying. This was a tricky proposition on paper that gets even more tricky after the identification of the ‘supposed’ culprit through a sculpture, thereby nudging the viewers with two vital information about the victim – that she is blind and she has identified the perpretrator of the crime directed towards her, through a sculpture. The drama follows a predictable beat from this point while highlighting the shortcomings of the judicial system outside the courts, quite effectively. This, while you are introduced to the protagonist(Mohanlal) amidst some cheers in the auditorium. The characteristics of the protagonist are also similar to that of a recluse who has given up practicing law only to return for this case. So there is every little cliche thrown in the narrative, but how does it eventually work? Through some sharp writing, splendid performances and the direction! 

One of the key aspects of a rousing courtroom drama is the confrontational scenes that form the core while in enticing the audience in the drama that is unfolding. It is almost like a boxing match with two individuals pitted against each other – be it the two lawyers or the victim and the accused. Some of the instances that instantly pop in your head as far as legal dramas are concerned are Pink and OMG 1 and 2 amidst the others. The sense of arguments presented in these films were sharp and crisp to involve the viewers wonderfully well in the proceedings. As far as the Malayalam Industry is concerned, there were two polished legal dramas served here in the form of Kaathal – The Core and here in Neru, both diabolically different from each other, but both equally effective. While the former dealt with a sensitive issue, the latter is more in your face but both create different moments to entice the viewers(and needless to say that Mammootty and Mohanlal were at the helm of it). 

One of the put-offs for me in a legal drama is the overuse of comedy during the court cases. And to the writers credit in Neru, the drama never dropped a beat with needless emotions other than the ones in hand while the proceedings were on. The first half does end on a predictable beat too, but it is the second half that truly elevates the drama much like the narrative style of Jeethu Joseph wherein the narrative blossoms in the secomd hour. The authenticity of the drama cannot be denied either, wherein a supposedly simply case also is shown to go through its various twists and turns through the back stories and the different witnesses along the way. The complication here isn’t because of the case itself but more to do with the laid out laws that do not assist the differentially abled victim, and that forms the crux of the drama. 

There are several goosebumps worthy sequences that did make the capacity crowd erupt, and if you manage to do that then you do know that you have nailed the drama. I also liked the idea of a female protagonist defending the accused(when Priyamani took over the case from her father Sidhique), something that added a layer to the proceedings in terms of the morality and the gender discussions that were core to the drama. The events leading to the final act are interesting and engrossing, leading to a moving final act(with its share of twists and turns) that absolutely hits home! Overall, the screenplay is well written and makes for a solid watch. Oh and see if you can spot the ‘Drishyam’ homage in one of the scenes(in fact, the case unfolds through the ‘Anti-Drishyam’ gaze, a term that I have used without giving you a context).