Director AMR Ramesh’s first two films ‘Kuppi’ and ‘Vanayudham’ were based on real life incidents. His third film ‘Oru Melliya Kodu’ was also rumored to be based on the suicide of a high profile politician’s wife. But the film does not have any resemblance to true incidents and it is actually a murder mystery which succeeds in engaging the audience by retaining the thrill element for the most part.

The film starts with the death of a rich woman entrepreneur Maya (Manisha Koirala) and her mortal remains which has been kept under the Police custody for post mortem in the forensic lab, goes missing at the night.  The doctor (Seetha) suggests that the person may have escaped death due to a rare medical condition; but the chief  police officer (Arjun) suspects that her young husband (Shaam) could have killed her with an eye on her wealth and abducted the corpse to erase the evidences, and starts interrogating in that angle.

Is Maya actually dead? If yes who is the real killer?

The film is based on a Spanish thriller ‘The Body (El Cupero)’. Director AMR Ramesh should be appreciated for his screenplay as that is biggest plus of the film. He has not deviated much from the main storyline except the songs that come as dampeners of the pace of the narration. Thankfully there are just two full songs and a short one.

The story has been narrated in non-linear pattern, which keeps the audience hooked. The suspense factor is maintained till the end and we keep making various guesses over who would be the real killer or what would have happened to the lead character Maya. The film ends with an interesting twist and a good message against drunken drive.

On the downside the film seems a bit lengthy with a running time of around 127 minutes. The flash back scenes between Maya and her husband could are redundant to an extent and a few scenes could have been done away with. There is a logical flaw relating to a particular character that plays a vital part in the climax twist, which if detailed would spoil the thrill of watching the entire film. If this was portrayed in a convincing manner, the film would have become much better as a thriller flick.

We have seen Arjun as a dashing and super powerful cop in many films. In this film he comes with a police officer character, which warrants more of acting rather than action and he has done a fantastic job with subtle expressions, suave body language and strong dialogue delivery.   Shaam has given a impressive performance in a character with negative shades.  Manisha Koirala does justice with her looks and performance for the middle aged woman entrepreneur character and perfectly brings out the insecurity of a woman married to a younger male. With a notable supporting character as the Arjun’s subordinate, director AMR Ramesh proves his mettle as an actor too. Debutant Aksha Bhat as Shaam’s secret lover is adequate for her role.

Isaignani Ilaiyaraja’s songs are packed with some noteworthy interludes but remind his old tunes. Rerecording raises the tempo and adds well to the thrill element. Krishna Sriram’s cinematography is apt in parts, especially the interrogation scenes. Editor K.V.Krishna Reddy could have implemented a few more cuts to make the film crisper.

Verdict :  On the whole, ‘Oru Melliya Kodu’ is an engaging thriller that deserves a watch.