‘Sookshmadarshini’ movie review: Nazriya Nazim, Basil Joseph headline a cleverly written thriller that delivers a satisfying high

Sookshmadarshini movie review: Nazriya Nazim, Basil Joseph headline a cleverly written thriller that delivers a satisfying high

For prying eyes, the most innocuous action might seem suspicious. Priyadarshini (Nazriya Nazim) is the one with a bit of nosy behaviour in the neighbourhood in which Sookshmadarshini is set. At times, she almost behaves like the kind of neighbour that no one would ever wish to have. We get an interesting character detail that she is a microbiology graduate, for whom a Sookshmadarshini (microscope) is a part of her trade. Just that her lens is trained more on her neighbour, rather than microbes.

The inherent curiosity of this character and her suspicions of the newly arrived neighbour Manuel (Basil Joseph) drive the narrative of MC Jithin’s film. Manuel is not a typical suspicious character unless you look too closely as Priyadarshini does. He takes care of his ailing mother, hosts his new neighbours to a sumptuous feast and appears to be generally well-mannered. But there is always something peculiar about his behaviour, something on which one cannot exactly put a finger on.

Screenwriters Libin TB and Athul Ramachandran never let you get a complete grasp of this character or the happenings around him, until the end as they throw us off at various points with well-placed diversions. Only in a few junctures are we a step ahead of Priyadarshini, who is joined by a couple of equally bumbling neighbourhood detectives (Akhila Bhargawan and Pooja Mohanraj), connected perpetually through WhatsApp. It is in managing this sense of intrigue around Manuel’s household almost till the end that the writers turn Sookshmadarshini into a gripping watch.

Some of this is achieved through what might appear contrived writing in parts, but the way it is pulled off on screen makes us ignore such minor failings. What throws you off is also the unexpected humour in tense situations, which makes one wonder whether all this is a clever build towards a laugh-out-loud reveal, and not something sinister as one suspects all along. The writers really up their game in the latter half when they bring together all the elements planted along the way to deliver a satisfying high. The screenplay in the end accounts for all the minor details, right from a random dent in her car to a red cloth that Manuel ties up to a pole.

Just when Basil Joseph appeared to be getting a little typecast as the jovial guy next door, he picks a role that lets him explore effectively his not-so-likeable side. In her comeback after four years, Nazriya Nazim’s role is almost in the zone of her most popular bubbly characters, but there are points where her performance hits a notch higher than required. The supporting cast, especially Sidharth Bharathan in an uncharacteristic role, keeps the journey engaging all along.

Sookshmadarshini is a cleverly written thriller that turns what could easily have been a run-of-the-mill film into an elevating experience. It becomes yet another addition to Malayalam cinema’s unrelenting run this year, both in quality and variety.

Sookshmadarshini is currently running in theatres