Nadiya Kollappetta Rathri - Review

After much waiting and many shifting of release dates, K Madhu's Nadhiya Kollapetta Rathri has finally hit the screens. The film as expected has some thing fresh to offer providing edge of the seat entertainment, keeping us guessing, all through.


Nadhiya Kollapetta Rathri begins from where the Railway Division of Salem forms a Railway Anti-Criminal Task Force (RACT), which is headed by Dr. Sharafuddin Tharamasi IPS, an encounter specialist, whose is a hardened officer who has already taken 16 lives in his encounters. He with his trusted men in RACT provides additional support to hinder railway crimes. And as a part of their work, they start to investigate seven cases associated with railway that are still left without clues, of which top priority is given to the Souparnika Express case, who left a black mark on railway security.


Souparnika Express, between Chennai and Mangalore on its inaugural run, years back witnessed three murders, of which two were branded as suicides. Sharpshooter Nadiya Mather, who had boarded the train after missing her flight, was found brutally wounded, which left her in a vegetative state for a year. The assailant used a scalpel to stab her in the head, leaving her brain dead with no signs of recovery.


Two other ladies - danseuse Thulasimani was found hanging inside the coupe in which she was alone and was locked from inside. NDTV reporter Sreya Maria was later found lying dead on the tracks. All three were traveling in the same AC First Class Compartment, having seven coupes.


Sharafuddin Tharamasi and his team, calls back all those who were associated with the case, including all the travelers in the compartment, the TT Thatthankottu Muthu , AC attender and the railway officer Kathireshan who first investigated the case. The pieces of the jigsaw puzzle about versions and reasons for various murders are meticulously scattered across an engrossing first half. The later half explains how the forces solve the cases and what happens in the deceptions that various characters take into themselves. K Madhu and A K Sajan play by the rules but doesn't disappoint. The thriller slows down its pace in the latter half, but with more action and suspense ensue. The makers won’t let the cat out of this bag, till the dead end that keeps us glued in the seats.


The novelty of the film is definitely that there are three murders committed on a single night on a train, of which the victims are in no way related. The script is tight, with most ends tied up. Though the fake blood, some overdone dramatic sequences in the first half, and the super star mostly as a one man dialogue presenter looks foul, the overall production is slick. Shots of trains, top angle shots of moving express trains sprinkled all over creates the atmosphere of urgency. Snappy editing and quick-paced action help take the tension to a feverish pitch. Interspersed with the frantic chases are moments of relief provided by Suraj as the TT and Anoop as the A C attender.


Suresh Gopi as Sharafuddin Tharamasi does not seem fresh, because he has been doing such roles far too often, but the character is safe in his hands. Whatever its antecedents, this is just another cleverly packaged one-man show for him. The entire story is designed to suit his energetic style of acting as he infuses the drama with tremendous anxiety, particularly in the first half, with his edgy body language


Kavya Madhavan has got another two meaty characters in the film, to show her potential after a long time. Others in the cast including Siddhique, Shammi Thilakan, Urmila Unni, Subair, Sureshkrissna,Vijakumar and Madhupal too have done their respective roles well.


As for the technical aspects, art-direction by Gireesh Menon and cinematography by Anandakuttan deserve special mention, as both have worked to the extremes to give the real feel to the shots shot on train.. Editing too is slick to suit a fast paced thriller. .


Despite its a little lagging in the second half, Nadhiya Kollapetta Rathri makes an impact because of tightly written screenplay, the performances and the effective use of the moving train as a backdrop for some genuinely gripping sequences of investigation.


Altogether, definitely worth for a meticulous watch.