Politics and its effect on government employees, especially the police force, has been the subject of many movies in the Malayalam film industry. However, where movies in the past never held the officers accountable for their corrupt ways, Salute puts the scanner on the policemen. And this is where the Rosshan Andrews directorial stands out.
Screenwriter duo Bobby and Sanjay joined forces with Andrews after Kayamkulam Kochunni in this film, while Aslam K Purayil was at the helm of cinematography. Salute stars Dulquer Salmaan in the lead role of Aravind Karunakaran and Diana Penty, Manoj K Jayan, Boban Alummoodan, Lakshmi Gopalaswamy, and Saniya Iyappan, in pivotal supporting roles.
The movie is a through and through Dulquer Salmaan movie because he is at the very centre of focus and has the most screen time. However, the rest of the cast added a certain level of depth to the screenplay.
Salute follows Aravind Karunakaran, who decides to open an already investigated and convicted case from three years prior to the start of the film. He does so to rid himself of his guilt and to give justice to the innocent man framed for a gruesome murder he didn’t commit. However, to do this, he must defy his older brother Ajith, whom he greatly idolises. What follows is an interesting cat-and-mouse game between the brothers and a chase for the real culprit.
Manoj K Jayan’s performance as a police officer who learned to bow down to the politicians the hard way, adds the much-needed tension in Salute. Dulquer too is convincing as a conscientious and frustrated police officer and a doting younger brother, who idolises his elder brother to the point of utter compliance (mostly) and blind faith. The performances of the cast were natural, but what outshone everything is the restrained and realistic pitch of the film.
You will not find dramatic monologues or fight sequences in the film. Instead, you get conversations, thoughts, and actions that a regular human being may experience. The lack of songs pushed forcefully into the screenplay also works well for the 143-minute film. All of these elements result in a tight script without any lag.
Salute is an unusual police procedural film with a different treatment till the climax makes it engaging. This is not the first film on the police force that Andrews made in association with Bobby and Sanjay; in fact, their notable work, Mumbai Police has a cult favourite status.
We meet Aravind when he is disillusioned with his dream of being a just police officer and ridden with guilt for his actions, but above all, still holding his brother in high esteem. Unfortunately, we leave him in the exact position, albeit, he no longer feels all the guilt. Otherwise, there’s no human aspect to Aravind and nor is there any arc for his character. Moreover, in its quest to be clever, the film invites a few plot holes. Nevertheless, Salute is an engaging watch for the weekend.