'Rekhachithram' Movie Review: A Stunning Mix Of Crime And Cinephilia From Director Jofin T. Chacko

Director: Jofin T. Chacko
Cast: Asif Ali, Anaswara Rajan, Jagadheesh, Manoj K Jayan, Siddique, Indrans, Nishant Sagar
Writer: Ramu Sunil, John Manthrikal
Language: Malayalam

Speaking purely as a whodunit that begins with the discovery of an unidentified corpse, Rekhachithram is particularly pedestrian. The movie starts with a confession, and we cut to a person who could predictably be one of the murderers. It is not a film written for suspense or leading towards one major climactic twist. Still, nothing prepares you the way Rekhachithram takes you deep into a crime that took place so long ago — back when Mammootty hadn’t yet become the megastar he is today.

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This is partly because the whodunit is always in service of a spectacular amount of cinephilia. Right from the title font which reminds you of classic ‘80s cinema (as though Bharathan himself was the calligrapher) to the way the lost art of fan mail gets integrated into this crime, the love for cinema isn’t merely a flavour in Rekhachithram as much as it is a part of its soul. Even the wordplay of its title, which could be read both as “composite sketch” as well a movie about Rekha, reveals the film’s dual personality.

One needs to highlight this aspect of Rekhachithram because we’ve had investigative thrillers even earlier that used cinema as a part of the setting. Jagratha: CBI Diary - Part 2 (1989), starring Mammootty, was about the murder of a leading heroine, and in Lekhayude Maranam Oru Flashback (1983), the death of an actress was used as a springboard to talk about the underbelly of the movie business. But what Rekhachithram does differently is go deeper into the making of another ‘80s classic, Kathodu Kathoram (1985), by staging the murder of a supporting actress as this film was being made.

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Take for instance, how we see actor Jagadeesh playing himself to reveal the film’s most important clue. As he pieces it all together, not only does he speak about Kathodu Kathoram, but also the film he was writing at that point in time. This is of course Mutharamkunnu P.O (1985), which released in the same year, but the fact that they could connect this comedy to the making of Kathodu Kathoram — and to then connect it to a film like Rekhachithram — feels like the stuff of a cinephile’s wet dream.

Poster of 'Rekhachithram'

 The writing is so intricate and detailed that every dialogue fits into the larger scheme of things. So, when an important scene is set while the classic song ‘Nee En Sarga Soundaryame’ is being filmed, a character is justified to say something along the lines of, “Mammootty is going to sing a better, alternate version soon.” Not only are such scenes loads of fun, but they’re never gimmicky to the point that we feel removed from the serious nature of the investigation.

And in this age of pointless cameos, Mammootty himself makes an appearance in the flashback, but not because his stardom is required to lift this film’s second half. Everything about his AI avatar from the ‘80s is important to this investigation, right to the mood he creates on set to a seemingly innocuous photo that gets clicked when he arrives. Not only is the writing in these portions careful enough to not get weighed down by his presence, but instead the writers use him as an important tool to get us to know the victim even better, and the reasons why everyone remembers the incidents of the shoot so clearly.

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That is finally what makes the difference in an otherwise straightforward whodunit. Asif Ali, who plays Vivek, the investigating officer, humanises his character beyond that of a regular cop because he also gets a redeeming arc to incorporate. After getting suspended for winning a jackpot playing online rummy, he needs to go to any length to solve this case and save his reputation.

You feel this with a character like that of Rekha too, played by Anaswara Rajan. What comes across as a regular character until the ending, suddenly transforms into the very symbol of small-town fandom and the kind of madness that cinema created in people before the social media era.

And all this comes together smoothly because director Jofin T. Chacko is exceptional at exercising control over his source material. Even when timelines switch between past and present, and even when we’re fed with loads of information, it never feels like it’s too much to take in, or that we’re being talked down to. We feel this the strongest with respect to how the film ends; instead of giving us closure by ensuring the murderers get what they deserve, the film is sensitive enough to ensure the victim gets the dignity she deserves.

This elegance in storytelling, merged with a truly original idea, results in a delicate film about an aspiring actor and her incomplete dream to meet her favourite Mammootty chettan…once and for all.