Pet Detective movie review: Sharafudheen and Anupama Parameswaran’s film is partly fun and partly funny

Director Praneesh Vijayan manages to establish early on that he has attempted something unique, both visually and in terms of treatment, and succeeds in piquing audience interest almost immediately, pulling them into the film’s world. However, his script struggles to keep pace with the visual uniqueness and often comes across as confused. Although we get a proper backstory of Jose Alula at the start, as the focus shifts to Tony, the film starts to stagger, particularly due to the lack of an organic flow in the scenes. While only the makers can confirm if this was an issue with the script or if several shots were cut from the final edit for whatever reason, the end result is the same.

Also, there are quite a few junctures where random characters appear from nowhere, as if we are expected to know them without any introduction whatsoever. For example, when Tony leaves the police station after being summoned by Rajat as part of the probe into the girl’s disappearance, we see Joemon Jyothir waiting outside. Without any clue as to who or what he is, we are thrust into their conversation, and it’s only later that we get to know he plays Sanoop, Tony’s assistant. While it’s clear that Praneesh was trying to avoid spoon-feeding and ensure a realistic portrayal, his efforts to reduce exposition haven’t generated the necessary results.

There are also quite a few instances where Pet Detective appears choppy, with scenes coming across as stitched together rather than naturally evolving, as if abruptly jumping from one moment to another and lacking coherence. Nonetheless, what keeps it from becoming an endurance test is the fun elements Praneesh has managed to introduce in the scenes and the effortless manner in which Sharafudheen has handled the character of Tony. The whimsicality and ludicrousness that the filmmaker has ensured in almost every scene keep it engaging, even in the absence of ample reasons to continue watching.

Watch Pet Detective trailer here:

Nonetheless, Pet Detective also stands as a testament to the fact that an abundance of quirkiness and uniqueness alone can’t make up for an engaging experience, and that a film, at the end of the day, needs a narrative that keeps viewers hooked. Although the movie introduces us to several comically eccentric characters — like Yakkathali (Vinayakan), Dilraj (Vijayaraghavan), “Meeshakkaran” Shaji (Nishanth Sagar), Thinkal Thomas (Shyam Mohan), and Kanaka Sabhapathi (Muthu Kumar) — and hints at their outlandishness, which could have made Pet Detective a laugh riot, Praneesh’s inability to weave them meaningfully into the narrative leaves them adrift. They appear only occasionally to deliver caricatured actions. Meanwhile, the character of the psycho-killer played here by actor Amey Wagh is arguably one of the most pointless and forced ones I have seen in recent times.

What adds to all the predicament is that the jokes, including the one-liners, aren’t just that funny. Although the movie includes some references to real-life incidents, such as the character of “Meeshakkaran” Shaji, they don’t impress so much. At the same time, the sporadic shifts in tone — from seriousness to comedy — also feel jarring.

In a way, Pet Detective feels like a timid tribute to classic action comedies such as CID Moosa (2003) and Vettam (2004), with splashes of Aadu (2015). However, while films like CID Moosa and Vettam wholeheartedly embraced absurdity and thrived on it, Praneesh Vijayan’s movie seems hesitant to dive in fully; as a result, it fails to hit the mark.

Although the Sharafudheen-starrer does not reach the level of evergreen comedies, it makes a solid effort by trying something different. At the same time, Pet Detective also shows what Gautham Vasudev Menon’s Mammootty-starrer Dominic and The Ladies’ Purse could have been had the filmmaker put in more thought into writing and tried a different treatment instead of presenting it in a soap opera style.

Though the combination scenes between Sharafudheen, Anupama Parameswaran and Vinay Forrt are fun to watch, they are kept afloat only by their chemistry, as the humour most often fails to land. (Credit: Facebook/@SharafUDheenOfficial)

Though the combination scenes between Sharafudheen, Anupama Parameswaran and Vinay Forrt are fun to watch, they are kept afloat only by their chemistry, as the humour most often fails to land. The amateur manner in which the characters of Kaikeyi and Rajat have been developed has also detracted from their performances. Had the writing been even a bit better, these issues could have been easily resolved.

While Anend C Chandran’s experiments with cinematography have given the visual fabric of the movie a unique quality, Rajesh Murugesan’s music also deserves credit for elevating the experience at several junctures. Although Abhinav Sunder Nayak’s editing is impressive in many portions, his inability to ensure overall cohesiveness is indeed disappointing, considering that it comes from someone who has previously delivered top-notch work.

Pet Detective movie cast: Sharafudheen, Anupama Parameswaran, Vinay Forrt, Vinayakan, Vijayaraghavan, Shyam Mohan, Joemon Jyothir
Pet Detective movie director: Praneesh Vijayan
Pet Detective movie rating: 2 stars

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