Identity (Telugu) Review

Akhil Paul and Anas Khan's directorial venture Identity ambitiously attempts to merge action with psychological drama, but ultimately serves as a cautionary tale of prioritizing logic over emotional resonance. The over-analysis makes the movie confusing and ultimately pointless.

Amar Felix (Arjun Radhakrishnan), a cunning employee at a clothing store, secretly records women in changing rooms to blackmail them. His sinister operations are carried out from an abandoned warehouse. One day, a mysterious killer burns Amar and the warehouse down.

Weeks later, DSP Dineshan (Aju Varghese) teams up with CI Allen Jacob (Vinay Rai), who is investigating Amar's murder with the help of a protected eyewitness, Alisha (Trisha Krishnan). Alisha, suffering from prosopagnosia (a neurological condition that makes it difficult to recognize faces) after a traumatic accident, claims she can identify the killer. Allen and Alisha move into Dineshan's building, where Haran Shankar (Tovino Thomas), an OCD-afflicted karate instructor with a troubled past, resides. Haran's sketching skills help Alisha describe the killer, but the sketch eerily resembles him.

Haran is eventually revealed as Amar's killer, avenging his sister Neerja and her friend Sakina, who were victims of Amar's crimes. Meanwhile, Allen's darker motives emerge - he's a corrupt officer exploiting the Witness Protection Scheme (a program that protects witnesses who provide information to the police or courts about a crime) to sell identities to criminals. There is a syndicate behind Allen who kills witnesses through him.

Now it's up to Haran to take on Allen and save the witnesses.

From the very first frame to the interval, this movie is nothing short of golden. It delivers flawless character introductions, compelling characterizations and sensible explanations that ground every action and motivation. By the halfway mark, the story has masterfully laid its foundation - you know who killed whom and why, and how the killer was identified. The stage is set, and you're perched on the edge of your seat, eager for a thrilling escalation.

However, post-interval the film takes a sharp nosedive, undoing everything it so meticulously built. What began as a gripping narrative descends into chaos, a rare misstep in Malayalam cinema. Everything from this point onward is a reflection of the film's unravelling - a bitter disappointment after such a promising start. The movie becomes an example of Murphy's Law - anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Identity stumbles in its execution. The script inundates you with psychological jargon and backstories without grounding them in relatable emotions. Characters remain sketches, lacking depth and resonance. The disjointed narrative, punctuated by flashbacks and convoluted twists, undercuts the tension, failing to weave a cohesive narrative of suspense.

However, the action sequences - a thrilling car chase and an intense mid-air confrontation - offer glimpses of brilliance. Chaman Chakko's editing shines here, amplifying the adrenaline, but even these moments are marred by a script riddled with inconsistencies.

Tovino Thomas delivers a restrained performance as Haran but struggles to flesh out the character's emotional complexity. Trisha Krishnan's Alisha, central to the plot, is underdeveloped, with her portrayal oscillating between detached and artificial. Vinay Rai's Allen Jacob, intended to be menacing, feels like a caricature, lacking nuance. Despite the star power, none of the performances leaves a lasting impression.

However, while Identity falters narratively, it excels visually. Akhil George's cinematography crafts striking frames, complemented by Saby Misra's art direction and stylish costume design. Yannick Ben and Phoenix Prabhu's action choreography infuses energy into the otherwise uneven screenplay. Jakes Bejoy's sound design is the highlight. His background score elevates the action sequences. Yet, all the technical brilliance often feels just like a polished veneer over an uninspired core.

Identity is a mixed bag. For action enthusiasts, its high-octane sequences may warrant a watch. For the rest of us seeking a taut thriller that resonates emotionally will definitely find it lacking. The film is a reminder that even the sleekest visuals and most meticulously crafted concepts cannot compensate for a hollow emotional core.