FIR (2022)

Critic No. 273

Director: Manu Anand

Written by: Manu Anand, Divyanka Anand Shankar, Gowtham Sankar Kavanat

Produced by: VV Studioz

Casts:  Vishnu Vishal, Manjima Mohan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Raiza Wilson, Parvathi T, Reba Monica John, Gaurav Narayanan, Ram C

Music: Ashwath

Language: Tamil

Genre: Action / Thriller

SYNOPSIS: 

The narrative captures the story of an innocent man, Irfan, who is caught in inexplicable circumstances that shatter his life and the media trials that’s quick to portray him as the evil incarnate.

REVIEW:

FIR follows the same thread of Kamal Hassan’s spy thriller, Vishwaroopam (2013), set against the terrorism backdrop that wants to push the blames on a particular community for the horrific acts committed by a few from that same. The film kicks off with the protagonist, Irfan Ahmed (Vishnu Vishal) is a chemical engineer from IIT-Madras, who is frustrated that his religion is a concern during interviews. He seems to be leading a peaceful life with his mother (Maala Parvathy), a junior police officer.

On a parallel narrative track, the National Intelligence Agency gets a tip that Abu Bakkar Abdullah, the most-wanted terrorist in their list, is actually in Chennai and is planning attacks in Colombo and India. The National Security Advisor Ajay Dewan (Gautham Vasudev Menon) sets up a team to track him down. Their surveillance on a Muslim cleric Zazi Manzul (Amaan) brings Irfan under their radar and they even take him into custody. With all evidence pointing towards him, can Irfan clear his name?

Kicking off with a thrilling note, FIR totally pulls us straight into the narrative in the first half with director Manu Anand smartly cutting between scenes from Irfan's life and the NIA's investigation. The scenes keep us at the edge of the seat and anticipate how the two tracks are going to join. When it does, the film throws us into a nuanced crime investigative mode where it keeps us guessing who is the real mastermind behind the terrorist attacks. 

Manu Anand also weaves in a very relevant social commentary through FIR, boldly attacking the stereotypical views placed against a particular community they are showing. He also intelligently mentions real-life terror attacks, especially the Easter Sunday Colombo blasts, to make his tale feel very real. We see how stereotyping plays a major role in this process and at one point a character tells Irfan that it is because of his name that he had gotten noticed and in every country, you will definitely can relate to how that can be true for some people’s eyes. Manu discusses this problematic issues without sounding too preaching or one sided which makes the attempt a more sincere one. 

Talented actor Vishnu gives yet another intense performance once again and should be commended for producing such a bold film as well. The supporting female leads, Raiza, Manjima and Reba are equally given strong roles, playing a part at various parts of the investigation process. I particularly liked how Raiza’s character was designed and progressed throughout the film as the Muslim police officer who is not only trying to crack the case but also rages towards the terrorist group that has painted a bad picture on her community. Though not a very demanding role, Gautham fits in well as the cool headed chief. Ashwath’s score encapsulates the film’s emotional graph very well. 

That said, the film does falter in its sub plots a little with some romantic flashbacks looking too thin to even invest any emotions on them in the first half which leads us to guess the second half twist quite easily. The climax reveal feels too fast and lacks much details as we might have expected, given the strong set up. Nevertheless, Manu Anand and team should be praised for delivering a neat, effective thriller that will be remembered for years to come. 

VERDICT:

‘FIR’ is a sincerely made intelligent action thriller that not only touches on an important social topic of labeling that comes with religion but also presents it with a few smart twists that ensures a thrilling watch. 

CELLULOID METER- 3.5/5: