FIR Review: Thriller with loopholes

 Kollywood actor Vishnu Vishal’s new film, FIR under the direction of Manu Anand had a simultaneous release in Telugu with the same title. Let’s see how it is.

Story:

Irfan Ahmed (Vishu Vishal), a chemical engineer from IIT-Madras leads a normal life with his mother who is a lower-level policewoman. As a subplot, the NIA will be searching for the most-wanted terrorist named Abu Bakkar Abdullah. How is Abu Bakkar’s plot interlinked with Irfan Ahmed’s life story? Forms the main USB of the film.

On-screen performances:

Vishnu Vishal has given his best for the film. His settled acting as a sufferer just in the name of religion brings authentic texture to the proceedings.

Actress Maala Parvathy gave a convincing performance as the protagonist mother. Her performance as a low-grade policewoman is good and showcases how women are treated at the workplace.

Filmmaker turned actor Gautham Vasudev Menon is apt in his role as the National Security Advisor. Gautham’s screen presence and sharp dialogue delivery emote a few key scenes.

While Manjima Mohan creates an impact as a criminal lawyer, Raiza Wilson is good in her key role as the hero’s girlfriend. Actor Praveen Muthurangan did a decent job as lower-ranked police.

Off-screen talents:

The editing work is GK Prasanna is effective as he made sure that the narration part has racy moments. While the cinematography by Arul Vincent adds realistic texture to the film, the background score by Ashwath is engaging as the music elevates all the key scenes on the screen.

Coming to the director Manu Anand, looks like Manu has been working on the script for a long time as his pre-preparation work is visible on the screen. Manu tried to present the film on a racy note and succeed to an extent but would have focused on writing a better version for the second half proceedings where the logic goes missing.

The production design department did a good job is presenting the entire setup on a convincing note.

Positive Points:

• First half
• Lead artists performance

Negative Points:

• Narration in the second half
• A few over the top episodes

Verdict: In an overview, FIR is a thriller that explores sensitive issues like religion and terrorism. Though the presentation in the first half is good, the execution in the second half lacks proper clarity making the film a half-baked thriller.

Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.25/5