Benyamin – Movies of the Soul

What is the movie about? :: ACP Abraham Ozler (Jayaram) spends most of his time hallucinating and has sleepless nights after his wife Maneesha Ozler (Anju Kurian) along with their daughter are kidnapped and brutally murdered by a drug addict named Vineeth Ram (Arjun Ashokan), whom he had earlier apprehended in a narcotics case. Vineeth does not hesitate to reiterate the fact that he was under the influence of drugs and killed both of them. Yet, he does not reveal where he buried the bodies and keeps saying that he is not able to remember as he had a heavy dose of drugs. Ozler still continues to be in the police force even though he is not of the same strength and sanity that he used to be. Counsellor Varghese Uthup (Sai Kumar) asks him to get himself busy or the hallucination and insomnia will only get worse. It is then that a young man working in the IT field, Naveen Sivakumar (Harikrishnan) is brutally murdered in the hospital after being hit by a pick-up truck. Maya Naveen (Darshana S Nair), his wife, finds him dead in the hospital room with a note saying Happy Birthday and a note.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ozler, supported by SI Divya Sreedharan (Aryam Salim) and SI Sijo Venu (Senthil Krishna) takes over the case. They understand that this hospital was the only place where the victim would have ended up after the accident, and it was really the day on which he was born. As they start with the investigation, another man is murdered in a similar pattern in another hospital, but this time it is a thug who usually gets into fights. He is also left with a similar note where he was murdered. The third murder also takes place without delay, and this time, it is someone who runs a successful restaurant business – the hospital chosen here is different, but the pattern remains the same. The media calls the murderer by the name birthday killer, as Ozler and his team continue to search for possible answers. Whenever they seem to come very close to finding the answer, they realize that it is a dead end.

And what more is there to be seen here with a killer on the loose? :: They understand that the quotes which are given by the killer are from a Latin phrase related to medicine which could be seen in only one area in Kerala, and they reach the Kozhikode Medical College. There is also the understanding that the murders were committed by someone who had medical skills, but not someone who has been practicing regularly as asserted by Dr. Satheesh Madhavan (Anoop Menon). Everything seems to point to the medical college and a number of students there, among which Suja Jayadev (Anaswara Rajan) had committed suicide. From all of these, they find Dr. Sevi Punnoose (Jagadish) as the next potential victim, and he seems to be least bothered about it. A man who underwent surgery at the same hospital, Krishna Das (Saiju Kurup) seems to be missing, and they feel that he might have a role in the murders. But he is not a man who is capable of doing all of these, and the police officers know that death awaits more people and they have no time to waste. Can they finish the investigation in time and bring and end to this sensitive case with no more lives lost?

The defence of Abraham Ozler :: Our world of thrillers is strong, as proven by Drishyam and its powerful sequel, and Abraham Ozler gets a chance to be part of that list. This movie’s ability to keep the audience so interested and engaged from the beginning to end needs to be appreciated – it never asks for the unrealistic from its main characters either. The dark shades are used to its advantage, and the power going off becomes the foreshadowing with ease. Even with many things tried by the same director in Anjaam Pathiraa, this movie is a clear improvement from that one which had a struggling flashback and weaker ending in comparison to Abraham Ozler. The visuals are very good with a dark and gory feeling provided all the time – there are almost no moments of positivity in this one. This movie is also an improvement on the struggle for heroism that the earlier thriller Garudan seemed to possess. The background music further powers our movie here so well – it keeps us immersed in the overall mood of the film, and we are left excited all the time. The emotional side has the power to keep the interesting going too.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have released during the Christmas holidays, and if that happened, it could have given Neru a challenge which would have helped the audience to be in a full celebration mood, but surprisingly this one backed out despite having everything to make that challenge which would mean healthy competition. This feels like the right holiday movie with all the thrills that it provides. The characters of Anju Kurian and Darshana S Nair gets too less presence in the movie, and we hope that the former can come back for more in a possible sequel. The same can be said about the big names, Sai Kumar and Anoop Menon. The extended cameo becomes the big thing in the movie, even though one would not have wanted the secret to be out too soon. A little bit of predictability comes in with the flashback, and it should not have been this long or detailed, as we have an idea about it from the present situation itself. The serial killer motive remains similar this time too.

The performers of the soul :: This movie means that Jayaram’s run without making impression in new releases have come to an end, for his last best movies were Lonappante Mamodeesa and Panchavarnathatha, both of them not having the quality to live up to the actor who made our childhood awesome. If I have to go back to a movie with him as the solo hero which I really liked, that would be a long way back in the form of Nadan which released in 2013, even though Makal did make some impact in old style. This time, he is just brilliant in this role, as we see the character of the trouble police officer safe with him, and we know that there is more to come in a possible sequel. Mammootty’s extended cameo makes the movie feel even bigger, even though the big revelation should have come only in the later stages. Anaswara Rajan shines in the flashback scenes, and there seems to be no going back for her. Arya Salim whom we remember the most from Minnal Murali, plays her police character incredibly well, and we have the best lady police officer in some time. Senthil Krishna does the same in another way, while Arjun Ashokan seems to promise to bring an even more interesting character in a possible sequel. Jagadish’s serious character once again has our attention here. Saiju Kurup scores well in between.

How it finishes :: Abraham Ozler is surely a better movie than Anjaam Pathiraa and somewhat ahead of the other thrillers like Forensic and John Luther. The last one might still have more similarities with this one than the rest, as in both cases, we have a troubled police officer tracing the murders back to medical students. Memories had the police officer who lost his wife and daughter, and could seek out the serial killer looking for vengeance, and the similarities end there, with this movie coming up with a twist in the end and setting up things for a sequel. Most people would feel that the sequel would do even better, as the film seems to end to point to its beginning, and has everyone thinking deeper. Abraham Ozler never hestitates to bring that mood of investigation with a serial killer lurking in the shadows – the feeling of danger is always there, and even when looking for revenge, there is always the indirect way of going through the same, leaving the red herrings further away. As the predictability only comes late, and with new twists to come, the movie remains engaging from the beginning to end, and we do not feel it to be long.

Release date: 11 January 2024
Running time: 144 minutes
Directed by: Midhun Manuel Thomas
Starring: Jayaram, Mammootty, Anoop Menon, Anaswara Rajan, Arjun Ashokan, Jagadish, Senthil Krishna, Arya Salim, Dileesh Pothan, Sai Kumar, Harikrishnan, Assim Jamal, Arjun Nandhakumar, Aneesh Gopal, Sreeram Ramachandran, Boban Alummoodan, Benyamin (cameo)