'Narivetta' Movie Review: A cop’s fight amid state betrayal

The forest is theirs, yet they have no land to call home. Adivasis are failed over and over by the very system that claims to protect them. 

‘Narivetta’ draws from the real-life Muthanga tribal agitation in Wayanad in 2003, where protesters demanding land rights were fired upon by police under orders from the Kerala government.

On paper, the toll remains one cop and one tribal. But the film reveals a darker truth, where the casualties ran deeper and accountability was quietly buried in the corridors of power.

Betrayal, brutality and institutional silence drive the narrative as Tovino Thomas plays a reluctant police constable who lifts the lid on a truth the higher-ups are desperate to keep hidden. 

It’s a disturbing story that had to be told. Tovino’s conflicted cop, Varghese, initially views the tribal community with contempt.

After all, they are the reason he is stranded in the hills among unpredictable wildlife, far from his hometown and his love (Priyamvada Krishnan). While the romantic subplot feels too drawn out, Varghese’s bond with his senior Basheer (Suraj Venjaramoodu) has more emotional depth.

Varghese is part of the battalion deployed to the protest site, as the government fears the agitation could turn violent, with alleged support from “Maoists”.

‘Narivetta’ wears its politics on its sleeve as it exposes the inner demons of the police force, where morality often rests on the shoulders of the lowest in rank. As a portrait of lone voices rising against the establishment, it deserves praise for the quiet conviction at its core.