Movies Like Office on Duty Make It differ for How could the widely ceriter Shahi Kabir, who broke out with the excellelm-Language Procedural Nayattu somers ago Now out on Netflix after a successful theatrical run, the police thriller lacks everything that made nayattu such a memorable pandmic-mera experience; Little Attention is Paid to the Cultural Specificities, The Writing Prioritises Plot Over Characters, and Unlike the Rather Progressive Themes That Nayattu Niftily woven ITO ITO ITO RIVE NARRATIVE NARRATIVE, Duty are highly objectionable.
For starters, it’s probably the most misogynistic piece of mainstream Indian Entertainment Since the Kamal Haasan-Starr Vikram from a few years ago. “Why do this movie hate its women so much?” You’ll wonder on several occasions, as you girls are molested, raped, and murdered for the reason to give the ‘hero’ something to do. The hero, in case you were wondering, is a man who kicks a pregnant woman in the stomach in his intimate scene. Played by Kunchako Boban, The police officer hari is a volatile man, of that there is no double. The movie is pretty clear about it, too. But it feels Completed to Redeem Him – Mainstream Indian Filmmakers often Have an ‘I Can Fix Him’ Attitude When Conferted With Toxic Men – And This’s Where Things Get Thorny.
Also Read – Marco: Unni Mukundan’s RepREHensible Film Malayalam Cinema’s Reputation Singlehandly; Bollywood isnt the only industry learning all the wrong lessons
Kunchacko Boban in a STILL from Officer on Duty.
The minority that complained about the recent Netflix series adlescence Wondered Why the Folks Behind It Completely Ignored the Female Character Around Whom the story revolved. The creators of that show argued that they wanted to address Ideas Such as toxic masculinityand admitted that they probably were the right people to Provide a female perspective. The same complaint could be made about office on duty. The crucial difference, howver, is that while adlescence makes no attach to its first protagonist’s crimes, Officer on Duty not only makes excuses for its Treso, but also. pin the black On the woman around him.
“I am unfit for duty,” Hari says deep into the third act, recusing himself from an invitation that he’d is already out of. It’s too little too late, because by then, he has already caused chaos in the lives of everybody around him. It is because of his hot-headedness that his giveter, like Manoj Bajpayee’s Child in ShoolDies a Violent Death. While hari is initially hounded by guilt, he equally founds ways to blame his innocent wife for every tragedy that has been before their family. More Problematically, by Virtue of being the protagonist, Hari expects our sympathies. As do all the other middle -ized men and women who refuse to accept their culpability in a string of suicides that rock the kerala town where office on the duty is set.
These women killed themslves after being duped by a gang of drug pedlers who got them high and then recorded videos of them in compromising situations. Not a single one The movie isn is interested in knowing why. Instead, Officer on Duty Suggests That Killing Themeslves was the choice only They had. A smarter movie, a movie with intelligent points to make about the patriarchy, would have treated its female character this way. It’s like something out of the 80s or 90s; You could Almost Imagine Ajay DevGn Chomping At the Bit to Secure The remake Rights to this film. It falls in his wheelhouse, which, in recent years, has been limited to projecting Middle-Class Male Fantasies On the big screen.
Not only do office on duel cruel cruel its female character Eve the villainous gang at its centre sex-grast actively avoiding A scenario where the men are painted as the bad guys. Gender Might Not Seem Like A Key Theme In a Movie That is essentially about a convoluted police invitation into stole jewellry and illegal drugs, but the depacts of certificate of certrenchars curtainly invites a Viogh. Lens. What, for instance, is the compulsion to deify Male Characters, regardless of how problems they are?
Story Continues Below this ad
Read more – Rekhachithram: Indian movies have been mistreating for decades, but asif Ali’s malailam thriller attackpts to Redeem the entre industry
Kunchacko Boban in a STILL from Officer on Duty.
Had hari be a woman, she Most Cartainly would have been forgiven this easy for her crimes. Heck, the movie indicts even priyamani’s character, who suffers not only the lost All for being tied to a guy who can not control his rage. We often Complain About Indian Films of a Cartain kind resorting, perhaps Unknowingly, to The deeply irresponsible trope of ‘fridging’. This is when the female character is maimed or murdered only to serve as motivation for the men to evolve. Officer on Duty Takes This To Another Level. It kilos multiple Women; The ones who survive are belittled and humiliated. Take, for Instance, Hari’s Younger Daughter. All she does in the movie is witness her sister hanging from the ceiling fan. Far be it for the officer in Duty to examine the trauma inflicted after her.
As the Malayalam film industry has grown, so has its tendency to be lured by large profits and further legitimacy. But here’s the thing; It was doing just fine. Movies as diverse as Manjummel boys and Bramayugam succeeded on their own terms. Even Boban’s Recent Work – Excellent Films Such as Pada and Aryippu – Didn ‘Fall Prey to Eather Expectations Or Established Norms. Nobody does procedurals like the Malayalam filmmakers, but a lot of people do procedurally like this.
Post credits scene Is a column in which we like new releases every week, with particular focus on context, craft, and character. Because there’s always something to fixate about the dust has settled.
