Saying “sir” five times followed by five seconds of silence while discussing murders, robberies and investigations with a completely serious face is something that is quite funny. This bizarre tempo eventually serves as the epilogue of Dridam, which is in real need of tension and atmosphere, but constantly fails to deliver due to its over-manufactured showcase. It should have been a cakewalk but there were the foggy hills in the road, the desolate police station, the series of crimes, and the young Sub Inspector played by Shane Nigam going into new territory for his first posting.
Gold Rate
May 09- 2026 - Time 10.30Hrs
Just the mention of Jeethu Joseph brings a lot of expectations. However, every scene is like a performance and not real life, and the setup has potential for a thriller story but that is not the case. There was no plan to watch this movie, but I was reading some movie reviews on The Dispatch Reviews, and I came across their review of this film. While the film itself they thought was good, it was not impacting enough, but the ending was good. I read it, thought why not give it a try?
It is a story about a young and unusually calm Sub Inspector named Shane Nigam where he comes for his first assignment at a hill station police station. He is neither the aggressive, larger-than-life police stations found in the commercial thrillers, but is instead composed and soft-spoken, and charming.
That’s the right thing to do, since it provides the lead character with a new personality. His companions are various actors such as Shobi Thilakan, Kottayam Ramesh, Krishna Prabha, Dinesh Prabhakar, Saniya Fathima, Vinod Bose, Unni, Prashanth Varma, Abhiram, Mathew Varghese, etc. After Shane arrives, robberies, murders and investigations continue to happen at the police station.
What I didn’t like the most was the execution. There is a lack of organic interaction in almost all scenes, which they are set up just to give the actors a chance to speak their lines. Characters pose as ones await their cue in a TV series. The rise, reaction and pause is the same, and typically unlike any human in real life. The artificiality is even more distracting because the film refuses to be anything but serious. Rather than tension, awkwardness is generated.
The one thing that stood out for me was Shobi Thilakan, and for the wrong reasons. The way that he looks and acts makes him appropriate for a policemans role, but the talking is too repetitive and theatrical. Lines such as “Sir, yesterday it became a bit too much. I poured water on my head” keeps going on the lines of television serial acting, “Sorry sir, okay sir, will do sir, okay sir, come sir.” Many others in the cast are in the same situation. In robbery investigations, one would find speech delivery quirks such as “Yes sir, definitely sir, they will be there sir,” which make for an unintentionally funny talk. The dialogue is more showy than realistic.
Things get worse because it is the junior artists. There are a lot of scenes that are too packed with people who are in an effort to be seen in the camera’s eye. Overreact, look towards the lens, and act unnaturally in the background. There’s a lot to be said for the direction here as it’s the fundamentals of film making to keep these distractions in check. Even fights and cops do not unfold as well as one would like as they predict the result before the police jeep even shows up on frame.
A thriller is based on suspense, tension and pay. Dridam is having trouble in all three areas. Particularly the first half has a loose, unstructured feel to it. The screenplay has a number of narrative elements that open up without being tied back in the end. Some scenes are placed in seemingly random, unmotivated ways. Some scenes are also in places without cause or effect. There’s never a follow-up or revelation that’s particularly important, so the mystery isn’t developed, it’s just dull.
Sometimes the seriousness of the film even turns to pure absurdity. In one sequence, Shane’s character is told by a high ranking officer, “Tell me man, this is like a jackpot for you.” The death of several people and serious crime described as a “jackpot” sounds rather strange. The same cops who later encourage him belittle him for lack of investigativeness and move the case on. Emotion is simply not consistent.
The police station itself is also lifeless throughout the film. Typically, police station action is set up with the wireless conversation, the background movement, the chaotic action of the officers and the constant police chatter. At this station there is a peculiar emptiness and immobility. Officers wander around scenes with the same grim look as if they could generate tension with being serious. However, the sound design is very little to help make the environment believable.
One subplot with Sanyia Fathima’s character falls for the handsome and charming Shane’s character. She is portrayed as a karate expert, yet she has a minimal meaningful role in the film except for some surface level things. The vast majority of other characters in the film have the same issue. Numerous actors are in for a fleeting glimpse and then gone.
A certain scene is frustrating due to irresponsible treatment of crime. Man blackmails a girl with nude pictures and videos. The police have evidence, a grievance, and even his on his own. They that instead of arresting him, filing an FIR, and even taking legal action, teach him a lesson and let him go and serve a warning. The officer adds, “Not again. If you repeat it, then my confession is in my hands, I have recorded the evidence.” The writing of this serious criminal act is done in an unconvincing and shocking light, and the entire sequence is a little unsure.
For all these shortcomings, Shane Nigam tries his best to not spoil the movie. He has a good grasp of the nature and plays with authenticity. The way he plays on screen is effective and he’s never lazy or detached. Unfortunately, strong acting will not save weak writing and outmoded staging. He is stuck in a film where he is barely is supported.
The writing is most likely to succeed in the climactic section. At least there’s a shoot for substance and complexity. Still, the execution doesn’t satisfy the emotional need or provide the dramatic propulsion. The investigation never goes anywhere near as far as the film is trying to go with the payoff.
Dridam is filmed in a dated fashion, with an acting approach that is not quite human, with a weak script structure and a lack of real suspense which prevents me from remembering the film. Shane Nigam is trying his best here but the film simply doesn’t get hooked as a thriller should.
Rating: 2/5
