Nayattu: When the hunters get hunted

Nayattu
Malayalam (Netflix)
Director: Martin Prakkat
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Joju George, Nimisha Sajayan and Jaffer Idukki

The film starts off with a tug of war between two teams as a politician is simultaneously canvassing for votes. One of the team members is Praveen (Kunchako Boban), a police officer.

The scene is a teaser to what follows — how police and politicians can pull down innocent people. ‘Nayattu’ is a tale of an unsympathetic system that often destroys those who sustain it.

A Dalit man is put behind bars after a fracas inside a police station. A chain of events leads to a tense situation where three police officers — Praveen, Maniyan (Joju George) and Sunita (Nimisha Vijayan) — are on the run, trying to avoid punishment for a crime they didn’t commit. It is a classic case of the hunters becoming the hunted.

The film shows how even arrogant policemen can be helpless before political power. A scene towards the end shows a visually handicapped woman being guided to a polling
booth, symbolic of how citizens are blinded by propaganda when they go out to vote.

Kunchako Boban, chocolate boy of yesteryear Malayalam cinema, impresses with his choice of scripts. Joju George, the man in form, brilliantly portrays a clever policeman and doting father. Nimisha Sajayan’s no-makeup look suits her character.

The director-writer duo Martin Prakkat-Shahi Kabir keep the viewer pinned to their seats, and wrap up the film with an open-ended climax. Shyju Khalid’s cinematography is a delight.