Keeps you engaged despite the rough edges

Lately, Dhyan Sreenivasan has been on a mission to have at least one weekly release. While it is inspiring to see someone working tirelessly, the harsh reality is that most of these films have been failing miserably, struggling even to cross the first weekend. In a welcome change from his dismal streak, the actor’s latest release, Partners, is largely engaging, which works despite all its rough edges.

Directed by Naveen John, who earlier scripted Ira (2018), Partners is a financial fraud-based thriller, inspired by real incidents. Income Tax Commissioner Parthasaradhi (Kalabhavan Shajohn) is investigating a scam centered around a low-key private bank and one of its branches in rural Kasaragod. In a flashback that takes us six months back, we see five new employees being recruited and their efforts to win the trust of the locals.

While Sanju Sivaram plays the branch manager Krishna Kumar, Dhyan Sreenivasan essays the role of cashier Vishnu Govindan. Devaki Rajendran, Aneesh Gopal, and Dinesh Kollappally play the other three employees. Their character sketches are mostly basic, letting the actors sleepwalk through their performances.

Much like Maheshinte Prathikaaram (2016) and Angamaly Diaries (2017), Partners attempts to capture Kasaragod’s life and culture with an opening song. The Kasaragod setting is crucial for this film for multiple reasons. Firstly, Kasaragod, unlike other parts of Kerala, is sleepy and crawling in development. In this film, set in 2005, we see the locals getting excited about a bank being opened for the first time in their village.

Naturally, it helps portray them as naive. Surrounded by sea, Kasaragod is also an ideal destination for smuggling activities—another crucial plot point in the film. The writers Naveen John, Hariprasad, and Prasanth K V also pay attention to fleetingly mention Endosulfan and the tragedy it wreaked in the locality. These are minute details that help paint a vivid picture of the milieu.