‘Forensic’ despite all its admirable intentions and terrific performances fails to offer a genuine thriller ride to its audience. Striving hard to bring in as many interest elements as it possibly can, it indulges in a profusion of twists and turns, that only partly pays off in the end.
There is a psychotic killer on the loose, and he poses a challenge before the writers of ‘Forensic’ than anyone else, as they find themselves face to face with almost all of those distractive elements that could wreak havoc on the cumulative impact that the film has on its viewers. The director duo Akhil Paul and Anas Khan’s debut ‘Forensic’ is a run-of-the-mill thriller that tries hard, but not hard enough.
The chief problem with ‘Forensic’ is that almost everything about it is over indulgent, in that it really wants to make you fall for almost all the script traps that it has clearly laid out for you. It’s up to you, if you fall for it, or judiciously jump past each one of those decoys, but the fact is, after a while, it starts getting to you, irrespective of which category of viewers you would fall into.
Rithika Xavier (Mamta Mohandas) is a no-nonsense police officer who is determined to get to the bottom of a case that has been pestering her for a while. As she digs deeper, she soon realizes that she has much more in her hands than she had initially imagined. With the silhouette of a serial killer looming around the corner, she admits that they might actually be dealing with something or rather someone quite dissimilar to the ones they have dealt with before.
Tovino Thomas plays Samuel John Kattukkaran in the film, the forensic scientist who would help Rithika in cracking the case. The two, it is made apparent, have a bit of a past to share, and the professional that Kattukkaran is, he gets going in no time. The man, and his intelligence are established in haste as well.
If you ask me if ‘Forensic’ has the ability to hold you transfixed on the screens, perhaps it does, like any investigatory thriller of its kind, that you would let yourselves into, with not much of an expectation to be gifted with an exceptionally polished cinematic piece. In ‘Forensic’ though, this interest keeps fluctuating as the writers try every trick in the trade to keep you off the identity of the killer.
It would be unfair to compare it with ‘Anjam Pathira’, a delightful film that falls in the same genre, that had also recently impressed us with some intelligent writing. As unjust as it is, you end up doing exactly that, and walk out of the theatres, sympathising with the self-indulgent back-story that ‘Forensic’ has, that rips out of it all the fun that it had till then kept piled up in a corner.
Trust Mamta Mohandas to fit into the character that she plays with a finesse that has to be admired. Mamta is easily one of the best things about ‘Forensic’, and Tovino is certainly not one to be left behind. There are staunch supporting performances from actors as Dhanesh Anand, Reba Monica John, Giju John, Saiju Kurup, Rony David Raj and Renji Panicker just to mention a few. The film is remarkably shot, and Akhil George’s frames are downright competent.
‘Forensic’ also turns out to be one of those films in which the musical score overwhelms you in no time, making you wonder if everything is all right with the speakers at the cinema hall. Blaring away as if there is no tomorrow, Jakes Bijoy’s score literally engulfs you, leaving you with no other option but to keep a finger pressed close to your ears.
‘Forensic’ despite all its admirable intentions and terrific performances fails to offer a genuine thriller ride to its audience. Striving hard to bring in as many interest elements as it possibly can, it indulges in a profusion of twists and turns, that only partly pays off in the end.
Verdict: Run-of-the-mill Thriller