A young cop, Chandru ( Arjun Das)at the Kerala border, finds the body of a small boy inside a car, drowned in a lake. Unable to identify the body, forensics assigns it the John Doe category, aka identity unknown.
Meanwhile, in a remote mountain village in TN, near the border, a child Hridhay ( Master Nirav) goes missing. His mother Dharshana ( Srishti Y ) and step-sister Lucky ( Zaara Vineet Chandhoke) are distraught as no clues are in sight. A local inspector A Rao ( Sanchana Nararajan) is on the case.
As Chandru investigates his John Doe case, he feels there is more than meets the eye and his investigation takes him to the station of cop A Rao, who initially is sceptical but slowly realises, that the two cases maybe interlinked somehow.
As the duo now work together to probe the cases of John Doe and Hridhay, chilling new facts and clues emerge.Who is behind it all? What has happened to Hridhay? Who is John Doe? Do the cops find the killer? The film, directed by Madhumitha ( of KD fame) is a technically strong investigative crime drama.
The locations themselves become characters in this story, with the camera of Preetha Jayaranan bringing the hills alive, through shadows, darkness, fog and clouds, all adding to the mystery and suspense.The Sound design team deserves kudos for the well modulated synch sound, avoiding harshness and loudness, keeping the tone and tenor soft but powerful, mysterious and even more impactful.
The songs and bgm are soulful and powerful, adding to the impact of the scenes and heightening the mystery factor.
The screenplay moves between states and timelines in a way that keeps you glued, so as to not miss out on crucial details. The narration is such that the viewer is kept guessing till the end.
The action team has a done a good job in keeping things fairly real in the bodily combat fights between the cops Chandru and Rao with a kidnapping gang. Sanchana's stunts stands out in the action blocks, where her height and body build are used to to maximum advantage, in well conceptualised and executed stunt scene. The action blocks with Sanchana and Arjun Das are kept at realistic levels, and don't seem added just for effect.
The well chosen cast is amother plus for the film. Arjun Das stands out with his performance, a hero who is not perfect, but it's bent on overcoming inner demons and proving himself in his own eyes. The scenes where he combats child hood trauma in his head, are exceptionally performed. His voice modulation and controlled emotions are terrific. The scenes with a hint of his flirtation and growing chemistry with A Rao in the SUV and at her house, are delivered in just the right dose, written well and executed perfectly by the leads, adding another layer to the story ( with a hint of a sequel at the end).
Sanchana Natarajan's performance leaves you wondering why this gem of an actor is not seen more on screen! Kudos to Madhumitha for and bringing out the potential of every actor with her solid writing and characterisation, which is a big plus for the film.
Srishti Y as Dharshana is most natural in her performance while Zaara Vineet delivers a superb, well modulated act as the rebel kid. Master Nirav as Hridhay is superb while Anupama Kumar and Jayaprakash deliver a stellar act. In a well written portion at the beginning, Badava Gopi is outstanding as the surly father while Archana Chandhoke leaves a mark with her cameo.
On the flip side, the synch sound leaves certain dialogues unclear at crucial spots. The Kerala based characters in the film, speaking in Malayalam at important junctures, could have been given voice overs. Missing subtititles leave you wondering what they said.
At several places its not clear exactly what's cooking in Chandru's mind about the clues, since the character speaks too fast or the sound is unclear.
The climax though detailed, comes as a surprise, and leaves you with more questions.
The film touches upon the sensitivity of children, how cruel parents and conniving adults can hamper their growth and impact them considerably.
Overall, John Doe is a technically strong crime drama with a fantastic cast, shot in spellbinding locations, with sound music, considerable suspense and unexpected twists, all delivered with intense and realistic performances, making for a good watch.
Rating : 3.75/5
JOHN DOE CAST AND CREW
Actors and characters:
* Arjun Das – Chandru
* Sanchana Natarajan – A. Rao
* Zara Vineet Chandhoke – Lucky
* Srishti Y – Darshana
* Nirav S – Hridhay
* Anupama Kumar – Latha
* Archana Chandok – Chandru's mother
* Karthik Kumar – Dr. Ranjan
* Badava Gopi – Chandru's father
Technicians:
* Writing direction: Madhumita
* Producers: Prasad Devineni and Shobu Yarlagatta
* Co-producers: Kishore Kadary and Madhumita
* Story and Screenplay: Madhumita and Nicolas Chevalier
* Creative Producer: Soumya Sharma
* Music: Mujeeb Majeed
* Additional music: The Artist 404
* Cinematography: Preetha Jayaraman (ISC)
* Production Design: Ashwini Kale
* Film Editing: Vijay Venkataramanan
* Costume designers: Priya Karan and Priya Hari
* Fight training: Dinesh Subbarayan and Action Santhosh
* Public Relations: Yuvraj
* Sound Design: Atul Krishna S
