by Trailerman Sam
India is the largest producer of films in the world and has the second oldest film industry in the world. The country is home to some of the most important cities in the global film industry.
India produces 1,500 to 2,000 films every year in more than 20 languages. That makes it, if one wants to watch all of them, you will need to be a couch potato to at least watch about five movies each day and replace a new sofa set each month!
My personal record for 2023, I managed to watch only two from the start till the end. The first one was Cadaver, just because of Amala Paul, and the second was Jailer as I was overwhelmingly amazed by the super performance by Vinayakan as the big bad and ugly villain OG (original gangster). Anything else which is not science fiction or not on par to the standard of Star Wars, I would zip-zap (fast forward) it on the PC.
To spend three hours in front of the tube I have self-initiate rules: first there must be a big bowl of fried rice, as I might choke myself trying to chew on a piece of broccoli or appalam at the height of the movie climax. And a big mug of, oh yes, my espresso!
Cadaver or Corpse is a copy of the mystery thriller genre with a crime concept and forensic investigation that is quite interesting and worth watching. In the film, Dr. Bhadra Thangavel (played by Amala Paul), a pathologist and forensic expert skilled in analysing corpses while enjoying her meals in the midst of uncovered corpses and whiffs of formalin (an organic compound with the formula CH₂O). The compound is a pungent, colourless gas used worldwide to prevent dead bodies from decaying or turning into zombies, whichever might happen first.
After sometime in relative obscurity, Amala Paul is now back, not just as an actress, but also as a producer in Cadaver, a medical thriller that is alive and kicking, contrary to its title.
As the movie unfolds, we are introduced to Dr Badra Thangavel (Amala Paul), an expert pathologist, who aids the city’s assistant police commissioner, Inspector Vishal, in handling the case.
With Inspector Vishal (played by Harish Uthaman), both of them start investigating a high-profile murder involving a prisoner named Vetri (played by Thrigun).
The film starts off with a mystery man abducting and cruelly murdering the chief surgeon of a reputed hospital in the city.
In the movie, we also witness a prisoner, Vetri, who had already vowed to kill the same surgeon by drawing his portrait on the walls of his cell. As this news leaks out, the commissioner and the pathologist are left with no choice, but to interrogate Vetri.
What is surprising as they investigate one case after another, the murders and gruesome deaths continue while Vetri is still in prison. In fact, all the murder victims are closely related to each other in the cases being investigated.
Despite being in captivity, Vetri manages to kill his second target just as he vowed. Maybe Vetri is a copycat of David Copperfield — with abracadabra being the magic word and his “ability” to walk through brick walls.
As the situation spirals out of control, Dr Bhadra and Inspector Vishal’s superiors order them to back off from investigating further.
So, what do Dr. Bhadra and Inspector Vishal do to solve these complicated and mysterious cases?
When watching this movie, there will be moments that make us cringe. Amala Paul’s characterisation and transformation, with respect to her looks, is laudable and is definitely a bold move. With her short hair and a nerdy appearance, her performance as a pathologist amid dead bodies in a mortuary setup, is something to watch out for. Filled with intense intrigue, Cadaver creates the feeling of a properly-made investigative thriller.
The art director also recreated the mortuary and several cadavers to give an authentic feeling to further grip the audience. Director Anoop Panicker has transliterated what was inked on the paper neatly and brought to fruition a film that’s worth watching.
Even though the movie becomes predictable halfway of who is going to be killed next, the final intelligent twist would make you say…holy cow, so this is the murderer! No, I am not going to reveal who so as not to spoil the fun for those who have yet to watch Cadaver.
The last time I logged into Facebook, I was surprised to find a Malay-dominated group and its members’ love for Tamil movies. For Cadaver, it got 100 percent good responses or super positive reviews!
This brought back nostalgic feelings of how I grew up watching P.Ramlee movies, Empat Sekawan Chinese dramas, and loving Uji Rashid’s songs. Those were the days…