Film: "Fingerprint"; Cast: Jayaram, Indrajith, Gopika and Nedumudi Venu; Scriptwriter: Siddique; Director: Satheesh Paul; Producer: Sabu Cherian.
It has become a recurring event in Malayalam cinema - every fortnight a new director claims to pull the industry out of the crisis, but hardly a couple fulfil the promise.
This week saw the entry of the internationally trained Satheesh Paul. "Fingerprint" - an investigative thriller - promised a Hollywood-style, song-less film.
True, it is song-less. But the charm of watching a thriller vanishes within the first few moments of the film.
The film revolves around the murder of the descendent of a royal family whose patriarch (Nedumudi Venu) assigns the task of finding the culprit to two of his police officer nephews - Vivek (Jayaram) and Kishore (Indrajith).
Both are eligible to marry Venu's daughter Preetha (Gopika) and inherit the wealth of the family. She is in love with one and engaged to the other and the whole conflict of interests in investigations makes one wonder whether it is a suspense thriller or a family soap.
If the audience is confused, the fault lies with the director who had claimed the film was a crime story banking on forensic sciences.
The only evidence of that in the film is a "forensic laboratory" board displayed outside a dingy building that looks like a college lab and actor Tom George as a forensic expert who refuses to remove his white apron even in a conference room.
Though Siddique tries hard to infuse some mimicry with the help of actor Narayanankutty, it does not boost the morale of the film.
The same can be said about the actors. The story does not inspire them to perform and all the lead actors seem to be sleepwalking through their part.
Jayaram and Indrajith try to make much out of their rivalry, but they do not succeed beyond a point.
Gopika suits the requisite feminine quotient, but Venu seems to be bored with the character he has so often portrayed in Malayalam cinema.
In short, watch "Fingerprint" only if you have missed the kiddie serials of "Famous Five" and "Hardy Boys".