Ronth Review -  A Watchable Cop Drama with a Stunning Climax!

Ashwin Ram

Ronth is a cop drama starring Dileesh Pothan and Roshan Mathew in the lead roles. Directed by Nayattu fame Shahi Kabir.

Premise:

Dileesh Pothan is the Patrol officer and Roshan Mathew is the jeep driver. Takes place in a single night with the two cops dealing with different cases. During the course, how a woman missing case changes their lives is the crux of the story.

Writing/ Direction:

The film does not follow any template of Police movies which we have seen earlier, as it explores the worklife of the Patrol officers. It did not use the specification to get into an usual thriller space, the story is true to the genre till the very end. Rather than showing the cops solving a crime, it avoids the stereotypes and presents how an incident can turn the lives of two policemen upside down. There is a swift incorporation of their family backdrop, which makes sense for the intended sensitive ending, sadly the impact is on the lower side. To keep it simple, the climax is the soul of the film which changes the dynamics of the film. However, enough foreshadowing is done at a bunch of places in the flow, the real limelight towards the core lies only in the last 20 minutes. Until then, the screenplay is all about setups and fillers. There are a few interesting moments, approached like horror to keep the interest alive. Unfortunately there is no hold of a steady story for us to focus on for the majority of the runtime. The realism of the leads going behind the complaints they receive through walkie is appreciable, but one cannot ignore going through the repetitiveness of the factor.

Performances:

Perfect casting as both the powerhouse performers drive the film. Versatile acting by Dileesh Pothan, he is damn serious when he is got to be and his sarcastic expressions in certain scenes are so lively. Roshan Mathew on the other hand underplays with his calculated subtlety and leaves a strong mark in the final act.

Technicalities:

No songs as the story did not demand any. Background score steadily maintains the film’s momentum during its highs and lows. Excellent camera work, starting from showcasing the focus points through fine disturbances and every frame of the night shots look fantastic. Despite the duration being around 2 hours, there could have been more cuts with respect to the disjoint moments that don’t really link with the main subject.

Bottomline

A decent flow that stays true to the genre, the Patrol duty scenes are separate blocks and it demands coherent follow-ups. The ending is shocking and also discusses a sensitive topic, just that it deserved a tighter setup.

Rating - 2.75/ 5