Dhyan Sreenivasan's most recent Malayalam film, Detective Ujjwalan, was just released on Netflix, more than a month after its theatrical debut. In the second movie of the Weekend Cinematic Universe, Detective Ujjwalan travels to Plaachikkavu, a formerly peaceful hamlet that has been rocked by a series of murders. The film's positives are its eccentric yet appealing characters and a tale that keeps you interested for the first half, but all of this is ruined by a conclusion that is undoubtedly off the beaten path (or plot, in this instance). The following is a review of what works and doesn't work in Detective Ujjwalan by Dhyan Sreenivasan. (If you don't want to read the spoilers, you may press the back button right now).

In Detective Ujjwalan, what actually works?

Concentrating on the specifics of Plaachikkavu's universe creation

This movie, which is set in a charming community that may be from the late 1990s, is also said to have been written by directors Indraneel Gopalakrishnan and Rahul G. With a hint of humor, the movie accurately captures the village's rustic appeal and its residents. The creators have also included intriguing features, such as Ujjwalan (Dhyan Sreenivasan)'s residence number being 221B and the book he is reading being A Study in Scarlet, all in homage to the great Sherlock Holmes.

Ujjwalan's characterization, cop Shambhu

Ujjwalan's main character is well-developed and has a sufficient number of eccentricities. The film also gives a fair depiction of how he solves crimes using just his intellect and observation skills. The new police officers, Shambhu, who was hired to investigate the murders, and SI Sachin are also notable characters who are well portrayed by Siju Wilson and Rony David Raj, respectively. Wilson has a meaty role and performs it admirably, occasionally eclipsing the main character.

In Detective Ujjwalan, what doesn't function?

A spectacular climax

The movie was well-introduced, but the filmmakers then introduced the antagonist Jomon, who, with the exception of a few cameo appearances as a local TV news anchor, had previously had no role in the plot. The tale of how his abusive upbringing and tyrannical father caused him to become a serial murderer was, to put it mildly, jarring. Jagdish is over the top as a messiah teacher who hands him the book on a boogeyman and then ultimately does the deed. However, we are given an evil twin in an anti-climax that was definitely unnecessary. While the creators were likely going for shock value, they end up undoing all the hard effort put into creating the universe.

A few loose ends

Initially, SI Shambhu says he had visited the village many times as a child that even prompts Ujjwalan to blame him as the murderer. Though Shambhu comes clean, we are never told what is his real connection to the village. There is also Ujjwalan’s cousin Dasan who goes missing but the makers have probably kept it for the next installment.

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