Passenger

A unique theme with a unique approach, that sums up ‘Passenger’. Ranjith Shankar, through his directorial debut, shows how a complex and relevant theme can be presented in a simple but effective way.

Sathyanathan (Sreenivasan) falls asleep during a late night train journey and fails to get down at his station. On waking up, he meets advocate Nandan Menon (Dileep). Nandan and his wife Anuradha (Mamta Mohandas), a TV journalist, are on a mission to expose the corrupt deals of minister Thomas Chacko (Jagathy Sreekumar). Nandan is abducted by the goons of the minister.  Things take a new twist at this juncture and Sathyanathan himself gets involved in the whole affair. He considers it his duty to rescue Nandan. Mystery is revealed, the plot is unravelled and it is the triumph of truth at the hands of Sathyanathan.

The brisk narrative style of the director, who also has penned the script, proves that a thriller can be made without the ‘mandatory’ punch dialogues, fight sequences, songs and glamour. Though the film does not boast of modern editing techniques and camera gimmicks, Ranjith’s brilliant handling of the theme keeps one on the edge of the seat till the last minute.

The director’s smart way of story telling is well supported by the background score, which sets a thrilling mood throughout.  Sreenivasan, with his effortless style and usual satirical dialogues, does the job to perfection. Jagathy’s portrayal of the villain is simply superb. It is a relief to see Dileep shedding his hero image and taking up such meaty roles.

‘Passenger’ reminds us of the social commitments that we often leave unnoticed or try to avoid. Get on to this ‘Passenger’, it is worth a ride.