Salute Malayalam Movie Review & Rating: There have been a handful of films in Malayalam about the lives of policemen and cases, including ‘Mumbai Police’ directed by Roshan Andrews himself. Roshan Andrews’ new film starring Dulquer Salman is also moving around a case investigation.
In a nutshell, ‘Salute’ is the truth-seeking of a policeman named Arvind Karunakaran (Dulquer Salman). Ajit Karunakaran, a senior police officer and senior, is the inspiration behind Aravind’s joining the police force. Aravind sees Chettan as a hero. However, Arvind himself begins to feel confused about the morality of his work when he has to take part in the investigation of a murder case with Chetan and his team. Aravind is on unpaid leave for five years when his conscience started blaming him. That old case is coming back as an assignment to the man who is running away from his past.
The story of ‘Salute’ begins where SI Arvind Karunakaran returns two years later to unravel the life-changing old case. Although ‘Salute’ tells the life and investigation of the police, the film is not framed in the frame of a regular police film.
The tagline of the film is ‘Lies- Truth- Justice’. That is the essence of the film. Arvind is fighting to ensure justice for an innocent man caught in the crossfire of law and order, between contradictory lies and truth.
Dulquer has a brilliant performance as Aravind, a truth-seeking police officer. Dulquer has given the character all the mannerisms of a confused policeman. However, Aravindan is not a challenging character for Dulquar. Dulquer’s heroine is Bollywood actress and model Diana Penty. In general, Diana manages to capture the viewer’s attention despite the limited screen space.
The film also stars Manoj K Jayan, Alansier, Binu Pappu, Vijayakumar, Lakshmi Gopala Swamy, Sania Ayyappan, Deepak Parampol and Indrans. The film fails to give the characters accurate detailing. Therefore, when the film is completed, none other than Dulquar’s character will be left in the minds of the audience. The script also fails to convey the conflict between Chettan and Aniyan to the audience.
The story of the film begins in a slow rhythm. Although Arvind’s journey to find the real killer enlivens the second half, the line – up is unable to maintain that curiosity for long.
The subject matter of the film is always relevant. The salute shows that when politicians put pressure on the police officers to carry out their duties, they lead to serious irregularities. In the first half, the director shows exactly how innocent people are framed. However, the screenplay does not convey the theme deeply to the audience beyond just saying and showing. Such flaws in the script limit the salute to an average viewing experience.
Salute is produced by Dulquer Salman under the banner of Wafer Films and is streamed on Sony Live.