D3 - An interesting premise that engages to a certain extent

Television actor Prajin has made a few attempts in the past to make it on the big screen. His latest offering is 'D3' an investigative thriller with a strong Mollywood touch.  Whether this film will satisfy the genre lovers remains to be seen.

Set in Courtallam, a missing person case, an accident and a murder all happen on the same day, and Inspector Vikram (Prajin) starts investigating.  As he gets deep into the case one connection is revealed which is that all the victims received a mysterious phone call that took control of them and led them to their deaths.  Is inspector Vikram able to solve the case, what were the challenges he faced and sacrifices he made is what the rest of 'D3' is all about.

Prajin has put in a sincere effort to nail the intense cop and succeeds to a certain extent. He is quite agile in the fight scenes and his emoting is also good when reacting to a couple of tragedies he faces.  Vidya Pradeep who is billed as the female lead has less than a couple of minutes screen time.  Rahul Madhav as the doctor is good in both the shades his character has.  Charle brings his experience to the typical good hearted constable character.   Among the rest of the cast the homosexual henchman is menacing.

What works best in 'D3' is the first half which engages the audience making them follow the main lead character investigating the mind numbing case.  The climax reveal of what really happens to the missing persons is shocking. The director moves the story in such a way that the mastermind cannot be easily guessed about.  The deceptive character of a rich father ordering a killing for the sake of his son works in keeping the audience from guessing the truth.

On the downside the screenplay is inconsistent and needs better writing to drive home all its points effectively.  The film clearly struggles to deliver the immersive experience one expects from an investigative thriller.  The crisp run time of a little over two hours seems to take ages.  The climax twist of another villain appearing out of the blue is comical at best.

Manikandan PK's cinematography and Sreejith Edavana's background music are the biggest strengths of the film.  Director Balaji shows promise with his core idea as well as in staging of few scenes and should do better in his next.  BMASS ENTERTAINMENT & JKM Productions have bankrolled the project.

Verdict : Go for it if you fancy thrillers and your expectations are not too high