Of late, with merely a handful of movies, Vineeth Sreenivasan has made it clear that he is a tremendous performer, with a range you may not believe possible based on his off-screen soft persona. He appears to specialise in roles with a dose of villainy mixed with a lot of humour. But the humour does not always work for no fault of his, as in the case of Kurukkan, his latest film which has him in the role of a police officer, who keeps becoming the laughing stock in the force. Vineeth does not hold back, he throws his body about, unafraid to be loud or slapstick-level comical. Unfortunately, the making does not help his act.

Kurukkan, meaning fox, is the first film of director Jayalal Divakaran, made of a script written by Manoj Ramsingh. It introduces you to the system that the local police seem to be following in collaboration with a lawyer, to prove cases they don’t have ample evidence in. Senior actor Sreenivasan, in the robes of a middle-aged commoner, plays a smart aleck who would appear as a “reliable” witness for the police in every difficult case, clever with his words and wise to the ways of courts and lawyers. He doesn’t flinch when a lawyer points to a discrepancy in his statement. The character is meant to be quick-witted, and every time he speaks, the whole court and especially the judge helplessly burst into laughter. This happens so often you almost feel left out at not finding any of it remotely funny. You may also feel an urge to treat the judge, clearly fed on poor jokes all his life, to a series of comedies that actually are funny.

It is not poor making. The scenes are straightforward, and at a little more than two hours, the script is not boring at all. The seed for the comedy is also genuine. Unfortunately the writing fails in stretching out the idea, in bringing out the best of these skilled actors. Shine Tom Chacko plays another important part of the script, a very interesting character who lands into the thick of a murder investigation by Dinesh, Vineeth’s character. The name Dinesh might be a nod to the massively popular role played by his father Sreenivasan in Vadakkunokkiyanthram, as a man ending up in difficult situations because of his paranoia about losing his pretty wife.

Watch: Trailer of the film

But the Dinesh in Kurukkan has no such paranoia. Only an over-confidence of making it big, despite the many flops he’s had already. He clearly has no moral scruples in framing a man who could be innocent, after making sure the man has no one influential in his immediate circles. Shine gets a long and interesting role, which he performs with a smoothness he is known for, and a few forgettable slurs in the courtroom dialogue, reminiscent of his recent interviews.

Appreciably all the impactful male characters do not overshadow the women. Malavika Menon and Sruthy Jayan get their dues, one as a companion in good times and bad, and the other an official always on the move. Sruthy and Aswath Lal have a few nice scenes together, playing subordinates to Dinesh, exchanging tidbits all the time. Only Gowri Nandha’s role seems written as an afterthought. Surprisingly, the murdered woman (Mareena) hardly has a few scenes in all, unlike your typical crime story where a past life is in order. Not that it weakens the script, as the focus of the story is not entirely on the crime, but the characters circling it. That too is an interesting strategy, missed in the mayhem.

Kurukkan definitely has material in it that could make for a funny and engaging thriller. Some amount of rewriting and better placing of jokes could do it. Maybe next time.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.