We have lost count of the number of movies Suresh Gopi donned the cop's uniform and now it looks so jaded to see him in the same. But, the kind of energy and enthusiasm he puts into every such role is nothing short of magical. The script and the story of such films are peppered with events that have captured headlines; whether it be state or national politics, security threats, terrorism, gang wars; you name it, his films have it. So, you know what to expect from his latest Malayalam film IG directed by B Unnikrishan with the tag line 'the ultimate war on terror'.
With that kind of give-away tag line, it is not very hard to imagine the story of this film. Here, our man Durga Prasad (Suresh Gopi) is the inspector general in control of traffic in the state capital. As usual, this is a punishment posting for the highhandedness he has shown in some other posting.
Then there is a blast in the city and a murder of a high ranking officer in the secretariat. The high and mighty cannot of think of anybody other than Durga to solve the murder mystery. As expected, he gets assurance from the authorities that there won't be any interference from anyone.
The narrative moves in predictable lines. We have seen it all; from corrupt colleagues and subordinates getting tongue lashing to politicians indulging in vote bank politics.
Unnikrishnan should be complemented as he has made a film within the formulaic parameters yet make us sit through the entire film without experiencing boredom. His subject is topical, and he is able to put his point forward. If he had shown a little courage to be experimental with the craft, it would have taken the film a few notches above the ordinary.
As mentioned earlier, Suresh Gopi's enthusiasm is contagious, it takes us with him. But, he should request his writers to stop writing such absurd catch phrases in English; they act as speed breakers instead of invigorating us.
Rajan P Dev's performance as the chief minister is worth mentioning; he imitates the real persona without it being 'in your face' kind of mimicry. Lakshmi as the mother is wasted as her character is unhinged from the story and her absence would not have made much difference.
To sum up, IG is just an average Suresh Gopi fare.
Rediff Rating: