Randuper review: Unexpectedly thrilling film noir feature from Malayalam cinema

The very first scene of Randuper, directed by Prem Shankar, ensures it has your attention for the rest. Shot almost completely on the streets at night, the film is a well-crafted crime drama from the refreshing new-age Malayalam cinema.

Karun, excellently played by Bipin Basil Paulose, has been dumped by his live-in partner Tannu, who leaves all his belongings outside the door. This is where the film starts. For over a minute, we don’t see the man’s face, for the camera is fitted on his chest. The crude shots of Karun moving around, flipping the Post-it with the parting message by Tannu, make you sit back, relax, and let the story unfold.

With all his belongings in the car, Karun quits his job and wanders through the city, trying to figure out what to do. To bring excitement to the rather grave day, Karun, a movie fanatic, rigs his car with cameras to capture the happenings of the day that brought him to the street. His friends invite him over for a house party but he makes an appointment with a call girl, only to take the highway when she appears. Now on the road again, he saves a cab driver suffering a heart attack and agrees to drop his customer Ria (played by Santhy Balachandran) home. But that is not to be. The young woman has her own emotional baggage and asks Karun for help.

Usually watching only two actors on the screen for a long time takes the shine off a film. But not in the case of Randuper, which means Two Persons. The dialogues and Bipin and Santhy’s performances allow for no dull moments. The end, however, is too simple and does not keep up with the audience’s heightened anticipation — one of the flaws in the film.

While the story is not one of the film's strong points, the dialogues and execution win your heart. Narendar Ramanujam, director of photography, has played with the camera very well. When in the car, a space that the protagonists are comfortable in, the camera rarely moves and remains still, giving a sense of calm and peace. When out of the car, the space that the protagonists suffer in, the shots are jittery and unstable, representing the emotional turmoil in their world.

Manoj Kannoth’s editing is crisp. Not a single shot feels unnecessary or stretched. 

Randuper is one film noir feature from the Malayalam cinema you should not miss.