The Tamil film industry loves the cop universe. There have been films that have celebrated encounter killings as “heroism”, elevating the action heroes as super cops. And then there are those that portray the reality of police brutality. But Taanakkaran is neither. It is one step ahead, where it delves deep to address the root cause of the problem and attempt to answer why police officers behave the way they do.
At no point does the film try to glorify or justify their actions. Taanakkaran represents the plight of the officers as it is - how they are forced to be the servants of the system built by the British, that has literally gone obsolete and is no longer relevant.
The film, which is streaming on Disney + Hotstar, is bankrolled by SR Prabhu and SR Prakash Babu under the banner Potential Studios LLP, and stars Vikram Prabhu, Anjali Nair, Lal, MS Bhaskar and Madhusudhan Rao.
Police Recruits School in Taanakkaran
Photo courtesy : Twitter
Debutant director Tamizh, who was a police officer himself before he became an actor-filmmaker, provides an insider's perspective on what happens within the walls of the Police Recruits School (PRS). He shows how ethically upright police officers are abused by those in positions of power.
The story revolves around Arivu (Vikram Prabhu) and similar aspiring police officers, who walk inside the training school with dreams to serve people, only to realise it is one hell of a place that is bent on destroying every ounce of passion they have for their jobs.
The exploitative nature is passed down to the successors, and the rot in hierarchy continues. Arivu has a strong backstory that justifies his mettle to push through severe tortures and stay glued to his ultimate goal. He questions and fights against the seniors in the system, played by Lal and Madhusudhan Rao, along with sporadic support from the good seniors (played by MS Bhaskar and Bose Venkat).
The film has a caste angle that could have been explored, especially because it set the context for it in the initial scenes. Similarly, the romantic angle with Anjali’s Eashwari had a lot of scope, but it only felt like a mere cosmetic addition. I was, in fact, so disappointed that the names of the heroine and one of the villains - Eashwari and Eashwaramurthy - sound so similar. But that’s just me trying to nitpick in an otherwise, almost flawless film.
Every department, including music, cinematography, production design and editing, comes together to deliver an impactful film that translates the pain an aspiring police officer goes through during the gruelling process of becoming one.
The film is real, honest, soulful and powerful in the way it instills hope and urges to keep the eye on the purpose and not on the hurdles that weigh one down.
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