Premise:  Vikram Prabhu is a sincere cop who is in the department of armed escort for the accused. How his perspective changes about his duty after meeting an undertrial innocent Akshay Kumar forms the crux of the story. 

Writing/ Direction: The opening scene establishes Vikram Prabhu as a strict Police officer who goes by the rule book, the rest of the movie showcases how he follows his heart. The filmmaker has found a midpoint in the way of presenting the cop characters, the highs and lows of their professional lives are portrayed well along with their personal sentiments. Akshay Kumar’s flashback is generic and there’s nothing really exceptional in terms of storytelling in that part. However it was taken neatly by getting the basics right, the starting point of the conflict has efficient staging. The love track seemed to be usual when the backstory was being played, but their wait for five long years made it special when their contemporary equation started to tune in. Crisp runtime is a big advantage, but it also comes up with a few filler scenes, thankfully they were used as a foreshadowing element to exhibit the behaviour of certain supporting characters. The overall screenplay progresses at a leisure pace in engaging to an extent manner with a teasing interval block just for the sake of it. The last half-an-hour stands out with great dramatic stretches in and out of the courtroom. The climax is terrific which uplifts the respect of the content’s intention, the ending could have easily been made as a tragic one which could have made the result several notches impactful. The team has taken the unconventional way by passing on a thought-provoking noble message for a generation of cops to come.

Performances:  Although Vikram Prabhu is not the main protagonist, he plays the central character who acts as the driving force of the story. He has reinvented himself by fitting in a proficient role, especially the climax lands so well due to his quality presence. Akshay Kumar is natural on-screen, the newcomer fortunately gets a tailor-made role of an innocent orphan from a rural place who struggles between the laws of the complicated system. Anishma earns all our empathy towards the end with her grounded performance.

Technicalities: Justin Prabhakaran delivers a couple of instantly admirable tracks in his favourite romance genre. He has given a thumping background score that maintains the required intensity and eases out as breathers too. Simple yet neat camera work, the night shots have been carefully lit and he has captured action well. Solid stuff by the stunt team, the realistic fights within the story are presented with utmost conviction. Philomin Raj’s editing adds a great value, cinematic narration through cuts for the realistically approached film brings in the balance and it does work as a tool to build the right amount of tension.

Verdict: A generic backstory is saved by a sincere writing in the contemporary portions. Vikram Prabhu’s relatable character arc sums up a welcoming moral message and the solid last act uplifts what could have just been a decent social drama.

SIRAI - An Unhurried Drama with a Phenomenal Finale!

Rating - 3/ 5.