The director and the main lead get together after one of their better outings, 1983.
At the very outset, let me mention that I prefer that over this, both in terms of storytelling, and the plot itself.
Not to say that this doesn't have meat on its bones, but its a largely plot less series of vignettes in the life of a passionate, honest cop, who believes in bending the rules to an extent, to justify his empathy for his fellow human being, whom he just happens to haul in the slammer (with reason!).
Shot much better than '1983' was, with Pauly giving as great a performance as he did in that one, along with 'Premam, 'Ohm Shanthi Ohshaana', 'Premam', 'Bangalore days', 'Oru vadakkan selfie' and 'Neram'. Listed all those just to let you know that neither this, nor 'Premam', were flashes in the pan for this young talent.
He has bulked up for the role, and I think I did see evidence of changes in his body language to be role-appropriate.
The movie is more about its sub-plots, with the main lead, and the characters in his station, being our anchors. Most plot threads reach their conclusion, but if one comes in expecting 1 solid plot that unravels all the way to the end, you're in for a colossal disappointment (not that, exactly, but a let-down of sorts, that most of my friends seem to have experienced, and are quite vocal about). All the sub-plots are decent with one featuring Suraj Venjaramoodu (national award winner for the fantastic-yet-underseen 'Perariyaathavar') and another featuring character actress Rohini ('Baahubali', 'Ala Modalaindi', 'Nenu Sailaja').
The songs, other than for the impromptu folk song at the station (gimmicky-than-organic, for a movie that's mostly organic, sadly), are completely forgettable, and could have been edited out. The background score, on the other hand, by Rajesh 'Premam' Murugesan, is pretty decent, though not as great as 'Premam' was.
Also, for a movie that gives many of its sub-plots a chance, the leading lady is given short-shrift, leading me to conclude that her track could have been completely edited out, and the movie might have been all the better for that.
Certain sub-plots also meander and go on for a while, like the one with the walkie-talkie, which ends, for lack of a better word, weirdly. Also, the irony that the makers wanted to highlight in another sub-plot, is far too heavy-handed/ham-fisted, except for the characterization of the family's patriarch, which is also something like a sore thumb sticking out.
In a kinda weirdly (there's that word again) faux-climax, the wire- fu that's been avoided all the way until them makes an unwelcome appearance. Plus, all the main lead's acting cannot hide his character's need to verbalize exposition, and perhaps breaking down the 4th wall might just have worked as a narrative method, considering the few occasions when he sermonizes for no reason, giving us his past information (alright, not us, but sub-plot characters) for little/no reason. Credit to Nivin that he pulls those off too...
All in all, definitely a good time at the movies, for a discerning audience, but something that could have been much, much more......