You rarely see a film with a Muslim protagonist made in a Tamil cinema. Debut producer Manu Anand’s largely engrossing thriller FIR delves into the way we view people in terms of race. What’s immediately pleasing about the film is that it doesn’t try to preach why it’s wrong to judge people on the basis of religion. Instead, it makes us feel the pain of the movie’s protagonist being a proud Indian.

Vishnu Vishal plays Irfan Ahmed, a chemical engineer from IIT Madras who works in a small company but has big dreams. For a long time, he has been interviewing for a dream job. One question that haunted him everywhere he went was – are you religious? Irfan lives with his mother who works in the police department. He has a group of close friends, a girlfriend who lives in another city.

As we trace the life of Irfan Ahmed, we also see a parallel story where an investigative agency is looking for a fearsome terrorist named Abubakar Abdullah who is apparently planning a massive terrorist attack. Gautham Menon, who heads the agency, is working closely with a team to arrest Abubakar Abdullah before he wreaks havoc. When Irfan is accidentally caught on a mission for Abdullah, his life is turned upside down.

FIR, from first-time writer-director, hits a solid punch. Not only does it manage to keep the script lively, but even with a dozen key characters, it’s consistently engaging. Unlike most Tamil movies, FIR isn’t hero-centric, and that’s what makes it refreshingly different. This is one of those films where each character plays a big role and holds the film together. Manu Anand’s understanding of how Indian investigative agencies work is impressive. The terrorist angle as a backdrop is another key aspect of the film that is rarely explored in Tamil films. Doing this skillfully and not overdoing it in the process makes FIR one of the better commercial films in the field.

Vishnu Vishal continues to support and pick films that get him out of his comfort zone. After a huge success with the psychopathic killer thriller Ratsasan (now in a Hindi remake of Akshay Kumar as Mission Cinderella), he pushed boundaries as an actor and producer in FIR. The film gave him plenty of room to show off his acting skills. As someone eager to prove his loyalty and innocence to his country, the actor’s performance is genuine.

One of the highlights of the movie is its female characters and how they’ve been used effectively. Raiza Wilson, Reba Monica John and Manjima Mohan have solid parts to play with each one of them getting at least one scene where they leave their mark. Raiza’s portrayal of a Muslim intelligence agent is particularly interesting. Filmmaker Gautham Menon, whose recent good stint as an actor, continues with FIR, in which he plays the chief of the intelligence agency – a character that fits him like a glove. Composer Aswath helps in elevating the tension of the story with his pulsating background score. 

FIR has some smart, well-written twists for a thriller. As the twists untangle themselves in the end, the film feels more complete.

Film: FIR

Director: Manu Anand

Cast: Vishnu Vishal, Manjima Mohan, Reba Monica John, Raiza Wilson and Gautham Vasudev Menon

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times