Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum -2017- Malayalam D... | No Survey

★★★★½ (4.5/5) Tagline: A brilliant, bone-dry comedy-drama about a stolen chain, a swallowed truth, and a system that fails everyone equally.

You cannot discuss Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum without acknowledging the three lead performances.

Fahadh Faasil delivers perhaps the most restrained performance of his career. His thief is not a snarling villain; he is a sociopath with a degree in law (or at least a sharp understanding of it). He rarely raises his voice. When the constable beats him, he asks coolly, "Can you prove the chain was gold?" Fahadh uses his eyes—those blank, unblinking stares—to portray a man who knows that in a system devoid of evidence, the truth is irrelevant. It is a chilling, Oscar-worthy performance that redefined the "anti-hero" in Indian cinema. Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum -2017- Malayalam D...

Tone and themes

What follows isn't a high-speed chase, but a slow-burn psychological drama set almost entirely within the confines of a local police station. According to Wikipedia , the film brilliantly explores the legal and moral deadlock that occurs when the "exhibit" (the chain) and the "eyewitness" (the couple) are pitted against a mysterious, nameless thief. Performance Highlights ★★★★½ (4

At its core, the story is deceptively simple. Prasad (Suraj Venjaramoodu) and Sreeja (Nimisha Sajayan) are a newly married couple traveling by bus in rural Kerala. Sreeja’s gold chain (the Thondimuthal – the main offence/evidence) is stolen by a clever thief named Prasad (Fahadh Faasil). Yes, the husband and the thief share the same name.

Quote-worthy line

Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum (2017), directed by Dileesh Pothan