Vela Movie Review; Thriller Exposes Police Corruption, Loses Focus

Vela, directed by Syam Sashi, features Sunny Wayne and Shane Nigam as police officers, revealing corruption within the department through plot twists and revelations. However, the second half struggles to maintain focus.

Gist of the Story

In Vela, two men engage in a tense struggle—one having nothing to lose and the other struggling to accept the reality that he isn’t as strong as he had thought.

Detailed Plot

The plot of Syam Sasi’s Vela centers on Ullas Augustine (Shane Nigam), a recently hired civil police officer stationed at the control room who defies authority structures. The movie, which is set in Palakkad, opens with Ullas being suspended for breaking protocol and informing a passing patrol car about a minor’s drug use. Additionally, since Sunny Wayne (SI Mallikarjun) is a member of the network that provides narcotics to students, this puts him at conflict with the vicious Sunny Wayne. In the meantime, the minor disappears, and Mallikarjun succeeds in persuading everyone that the child ran away out of terror. Ullas, though, feels positive Mallikarjun is connected to the child’s disappearance. Despite not being able to take on Mallikarjun, Ullas begins gathering evidence to expose him.

Mallikarjun is a powerful man in the area with royal ancestry, high-level connections, and a reputation as a brutal police officer who will stop at nothing to get his way. With so many allies inside and outside the police force, Mallikarjun is able to anticipate Ullas’ every action and easily counter it. He also launches personal assaults against Ullas. However, things change when a lady who goes by anonymity calls the control room and tells Ullas that she killed her husband. Sadly, Mallikarjun is ‘conveniently’ stationed close to the crime site once more, so Ullas will have to direct him there. The rest of the movie centers on how one call changes their lives forever.

Artistes’ Performances

Shane Nigam is excellent in the role of Ullas. His portrayal of the officer’s candor never comes off as cartoonish, and even his on-screen emotional outbursts seem quite real. Sunny Wayne, who played the adversary, was the true standout because of the way he embodied the character, particularly in his facial expressions. He does a wonderful job with the Palakkad dialect. His adventurous and careless demeanor with other characters and fellow police officers is quite believable. Actor-director Siddharth Bharathan makes a respectable cameo as an elderly police officer with white hair in a new avatar. In the second part, Aditi Balan plays a pivotal role as the lady who makes the call to the control center. She is also good in her role.

Direction / Technical Side

In the Malayalam film industry, police dramas are nothing new. The majority of the main actors are veterans of the police uniform. This time, it’s Sunny Wayne and Shane Nigam, the young actors who portray cops in Syam Sashi’s feature debut Vela. Vela does not exactly follow the pacing and manner of procedurals, even as it departs greatly from standard cop masalas in terms of tone and plot. Instead, it tries fusing the two and switches back and forth between them from time to time to give viewers a novel experience. Writer M Sajas makes sure that the picture has its distinct rhythm throughout, even though some scenes in succession could appear a little jumbled at times.

The audience is kept on the edge of their seats as Syam Sasi and his crew deftly negotiate a number of storyline twists and turns, revealing the corruption inside the police department. Despite the film’s multi-layered script, the second half finds it difficult to maintain focus as the creators try to make everything link. Particularly considering that the creators don’t go into great depth about their connection, the romantic music featuring Ullas and his lady love Smitha doesn’t really fit in with the story. Due to the rather ambiguous nature of various backstories and motives, along with the somewhat excessive running time, the film also carries the danger of losing viewers’ attention beyond a certain point. There were a couple middle sections where the protagonist’s obsession with pursuing meaningless knowledge caused to lose interest in the story.

The cinematography and soundtrack for the film elevated the overall production value. Sam C. S. s original score and background music greatly enhanced the viewing experience. Scenes were brought to life through the skillful use of music to set tone and convey emotion. Additionally, Director of Photography Suresh Rajan displayed remarkable ability in capturing compelling nighttime imagery and festival scenes. The night scenes had a rich sense of atmosphere and intrigue dueled through Rajan’s lighting and camerawork. Both the music and cinematography contributed tremendously to setting the film’s mood and visual esthetic.

Additionally, screenwriter M Sajas crafts an intriguing storyline that grips viewers’ attention in the first half. Still, the film may have benefited from tighter script editing in the latter stages to ensure the various story threads concluded in a more streamlined and satisfying manner. Director Sashi and writer Sajas demonstrate clear creative potential with this debut work, but refining their abilities to tie a film together from beginning to end will likely serve them well on future projects.

Verdict;

Vela portrays Sunny Wayne and Shane Nigam as cops in Syam Sashi’s directorial debut, delivering superb performances. It departs from standard police films in tone and plot. Writer M Sajas ensures a distinct rhythm to the movie. The audience is kept engaged as corruption in the police department is revealed amid twists. However, the second half struggles to maintain focus as creators link everything. Overall, film shows promise for Syam Sashi as a new film director thanks to his handling of the compelling subject matter and strong lead performances.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.