Dulquer Salmaan shines in an engrossing investigative drama in Salute

For a long time, corrupt police officers and how they subvert the legal system for their political masters has been movie fodder. It’s so common that it’s become a cliché. A few films, however, stand out because they called out the khaki-clad men who abused their power.

Two such films are Vetrimaran’s Visaranai and Anand Mahadevan’s Mai Ghat, both of which are based on Udayakumar’s 2005 detention death. Salute, directed by Rosshan Andrews and starring Dulquer Salmaan, was written by Bobby Sanjay and stars Dulquer Salmaan.

The film does not waste any time in introducing its protagonist. In the first scene, Dulquer Salmaan’s character walks into a police station and inquires about the details of a three-year-old murder case. Dulquer plays Aravind Karunakaran, a police officer who has returned from a long leave to investigate the layers of a murder case. We’re perplexed by cops planting evidence in the wilderness, and the movie doesn’t follow a linear narrative. As the film progresses, we learn that an investigative team led by DySP Ajith Karunakaran — Aravind’s older brother — is working on a murder case and is under extreme duress from the ruling party to solve it within a short time frame.

The film depicts how an innocent man named Murali is falsely accused by an investigative team. Despite defying his elder brother and siding with the truth, Aravind is isolated by the department. Aravind takes a long leave of absence from his brother and family, unable to cope with the unethical system. The film then jumps to the present day, where Aravind, still haunted by the guilt of imprisoning an innocent man, attempts to reopen the old case. The film then follows Aravind’s solitary search for the true perpetrator.

The film is told in a realistic manner, without dramatising the events, and it remains focused on the film’s central theme. There are no dramatic twists in the film, and it avoids unnecessary emotional scenes. Instead, Salute focuses on the guilt-ridden Aravind, who is hell-bent on ensuring the innocent Murali’s release. Salute also depicts the professional pressures that police officers face when they are forced to deviate from ethical investigation methods in order to keep their jobs. Salute is unlike any other Malayalam film we’ve seen so far in terms of investigative thrillers. The climax sequences in which Aravind comes dangerously close to apprehending the real murderer are particularly memorable.

Dulquer Salmaan gives a strong performance as a man who is unable to cope with the lies that surround him. Even when he is helpless in the face of the police force’s hierarchical structure, he maintains his composure. Manoj K Jayan also does justice to his character. Bollywood actor Diana Penty doesn’t have much to do in the film.

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