Review of “Indra”

Indra is an engaging psychological thriller that follows a tense pace while incorporating a wide range of social and socio-political issues without ever attempting to pontificate on these issues.

Vasanth Ravi plays the male lead opposite Mehreen Pirzada. The supporting cast includes Telugu megastar Sunil, former child actress Anikha Surendran, Kalyan, Jeeva Ravi, Nizhalgall Ravi and Rajkumar. Sumesh Moor also plays a pivotal role.

Indra (Vasanth Ravi) is a policeman fighting many internal battles. While on suspension, a serial killer keeps the police and public on high alert. Just as the screenplay seems to be heading the route of a normal serial killer investigation, a disturbing revelation completely alters the course and pace of events.

Sabarish Nanda, in his directorial debut, shows a great deal of promise. The structure of the screenplay, the depth of his characters and the multi-levelled scripting all gel together in an impressive first outing. The strength of the screenplay provides the ideal platform for some truly outstanding acting performances.

Vasanth Ravi shines in what is clearly a very challenging role. He is able to navigate the multiple dimensions to his character with relative ease. Mehreen Pirzada puts in a very convincing portrayal of Kayal.

However, the star of the film in terms of acting strength is former child actress Anikha Surendran whose portrayal of Mathi shows a masterful combination of vulnerability, innocence, strength and determination – not limiting her emoting to facial expressions or voice modulation.

Sumesh Moor also plays a truly powerful role as Badhra, leaning but not falling into the influence of the socio-political influences on his character.

Sunil handles his role with the required venom and finesse while Rajkumar also impresses with his portrayal of Sub-Inspector Sivanesh. Kalyan and Nizhalgal Ravi are the best of the others.

Music by Ajmal Tahseen is outstanding and plays a major role in supporting the screenplay.

Prabhu Raghav creates wonders in his cinematography, making masterful use of light and showing great creativity on his framing.

It is an impressive debut for director Sabarish Nanda. Despite a slightly slower pace in the first half, the overall impact of the film remains intense.

Indra scores 8 points out of 10.