Author
action drama
the director: franklin jacob
starring: Samudrakani, Iniya. Lizzy Antony, Maheshwari, Hari Krishnan, Subramanya Shiva, Antony and Manickam.
Director Franklin Jacob’s ‘Writer’ is an intriguing and engaging thriller that stands out for two reasons. Perhaps for the first time ever, a film explains what really happens in the lower rungs of the police force and how those at the bottom of the force are treated with contempt and almost like slaves. Is.
The second reason is that it tries to make a case for allowing police force personnel to form a union, which is not possible at the moment.
The film begins with Thangaraj (Samuthirakani), who works as a writer in a police station in Trichy. On the verge of retirement, Thangaraj has two families to support – his first wife Amutha (Lizzy Antony) who has separated from him and his second wife Subha (Maheshwari) and his younger son with whom he is currently living.
Thangaraj has only one dream and that is to form a union for policemen. He has filed a case for this right and continues to fight despite many hurdles.
Thangaraj’s move to register a case against the police administration did not go down well with the top officials of the police force. One day, a senior officer slaps him and abuses him for demanding a union for the policemen. When he stands his ground and looks back, the officer orders a sentencing transfer.
Thangaraj has no option but to go to Chennai. Here again, he is looked down upon by the people at the station and makes him do things that are far below his grade. He endures everything and continues to work.
One day, he is asked to do “para duty”. His duty is to find and protect a suspect named Devakumar (Harikrishnan), who has been illegally detained by the Inspector and the Deputy Commissioner in a marriage hall.
With no case file or details of why the person has been taken into custody, Thangaraj hesitantly rushes to the place to protect the suspect. Devkumar, a PhD scholar, is a Dalit from a poor family. Thangaraj and the young man get on well with each other. A few days later, Thangaraj is asked to free Devkumar.
A relieved Thangaraj does so, but little does he know that both his life and that of the suspect are about to change…
The word ‘go’ is derived from ‘writer’. It boldly shows how the police keep crime percentages at optimum levels and how stolen goods are “recovered” and handed back to their owners.
It throws light on the bargains that the police go on strike to withdraw their complaints from the complainants. It also depicts how the police work to malign individuals in the team and create non-existent cases. In fact, there are sequences in the film that show the writers engaging in imaginary situations. In short, it shows how unreliable the statements of police personnel are.
Franklin Jacobs seems to have a good understanding of how the system works and uses that understanding to tell a compelling story that draws our attention to the sad state of affairs in our society.
The film has some extraordinary performances coming from all its cast. The samuthirakani, in particular, are spectacular. He prefers to play the role of a conscientious cop who is caught between lying to protect his colleagues in the police force and trying to save an innocent man who suffers the wrath of the police.
Harikrishnan, the young Dalit who is being framed for no fault of his, is equally good. Subramanya Shiva excels as the illiterate brother of a Dalit suspect.
The music of Govind Vasanta is superb. It brings life to the proceedings and intensifies the emotions the film is trying to convey.
The ‘author’ does not talk only about caste atrocities or atrocities committed on the public by the police force. It also talks about the atrocities committed by the force on its personnel and makes a strong demand to set up a redressal mechanism.
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