Nayattu

Directed by Martin Prakkat, this Malayalam thriller takes its title from the word for hunt, and was written by Shahi Kabir, who was a serving officer in the Kerala Police at the time. Returning from a wedding, a jeep carrying three police officers collides with a motorcycle, the driver panics and flees, and the young man on the bike dies. Because the driver ran and because the three had a prior altercation with the dead man, the blame falls on them, and the victim was a member of a Dalit youth organization with an election approaching. Since that organization's support is critical, the government intervenes directly and the state begins hunting its own officers. Kabir sums up the premise this way: police hunting police, the system hunting someone inside the system. Released in April 2021, it could not recover even half its costs when the second pandemic wave closed cinemas, and found its real audience on Netflix. It won three Kerala State Film Awards and made the shortlist considered for India's Academy Award submission. The film also touched off a caste debate in Kerala, with some critics counting its focus on caste realities as progress and others faulting how it portrays its Dalit characters. Who it's for: Viewers who appreciate morally grey Indian thrillers that indict the system. Who it's not for: Not for anyone wanting clear resolution, since the film ends deliberately open.