Debutant director Jailani, who has also debuted as an actor, has come out with an emphatic message with his maiden venture. 'Kelvikkuri', meaning question mark, is a strong criticism on the police system with particular emphasis on the enquiry methods used by the police in the lock up.
The film opens with a man (Jailani) severely wounded infiltrating into the house of the Police Commissioner (Mudhalvan Mahendran). He waits till the commissioner departs for the duty. He makes the inmates of the house captives and brings commissioner back using his wife and daughter as hostages. He gets hold of a revolver.
The commissioner comes. He is brutally attacked by the young man and getting tied up with his chair. The man then calls some of the police personals to the house using the commissioner as his captive. He makes everyone his captives at gun point. He gives them back a taste of what they dole out to the ordinary citizens in the lock up rooms in the name of enquiry.
What is his demand? He and his wife, typical middle class citizens, get to experience the darker side of the system when the owner of the wife's company runs away with huge public money. The police suspect her hand in the financial fraud and hence call the couple for enquiry. Since a politician has lost a lump sum in the fraud, he is determined to catch the culprit and compels the police to unearth the truth.
The police, caught under the pressure, torture the couple to get some clue in vain. The 'enquiry' takes a bizarre turn when the girl is killed by the torture. The police, shocked by the incident, let the man free without telling him what happens to his wife. Back home, he finds his wife missing. The police say that she left a couple of days before. The man wants his wife back. He wants justice. So he has brought the police personals into his `custody' to unearth the truth.
The police still try to hide the truth but he brings it out with his uncompromising approach and the readiness to go to any extent. He exposes the darker side of the system to the world before getting gunned down by the Assistant Commissioner.
The question mark on the practice by police to treat the suspects looms large as the movie ends with the death of the protagonist. Debutant director Jailani has given us a film that effectively conveys a very important message related to human rights in India.
Everyone knows that the police violate the law and human rights by brutally beating up the persons in the lock up. We have seen umpteen numbers of films that deal with the problem. 'Kelvikkuri' stands out by its sharp and effective focus on the issue. The director has boldly exposes the brutality of police.
The attempt to make the movie a thriller has partially succeeded. The initial roles do kindle your interest and the mystery over the fate of the wife is well narrated. But the script is less convincing, as it shows an injured man successfully making a horde of police personals his captive. The usage of commando force too leaves much to be desired.
Jailani has enacted the lead role of a wounded warrior. He exudes the intensity and agony well. His body language is perfect. The scene outside the tea shop stands out. Sonia as Divya (wife of the protagonist) is naive and ineffective. Preeti Varma is just about okay. Karigalan (AC), Sampath (SI) Girija (lady constable), and Scissor Manohar (Ganja Sami) have done their respective parts well.
The background score by Sathyaprasad is effective. The lone song sounds good but the picturization makes it unimpressive. Cinematography by K.V. Mani is competent.
Despite some flaws in the script and moderate performances, the film is effective in terms of its content and the way it has bee
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