At the heart of Ranam is a psychological disorder, which the filmmaker argues and makes a case for being more of a fetish or a habit. Based on a controversial judgement that the abovementioned “disorder” is not a crime, director Sherief mixes worlds of redemption, revenge and taking justice unto one’s hands to present an interesting mix of a film, that makes us leave theatres with the perplexing question of what is indeed right or wrong.
As the disorder is the proof of the pudding, the reveal naturally comes pre-climax, until which several modus operandis are teased at. There are missing dead bodies, burnt body parts in boxes, and embalmed dead bodies without organs, to name a few. While the loose ends are eventually tied up quite neatly, some of these diversions are left unexplained. For example, Vaibhav asks what purpose could a criminal have with the organs of dead people. Well, this question poses a great red herring, as we wonder what the crime could be about. However, the explanation of the crime does not directly have an answer to this question, leaving us to make assumptions.
When it comes to perpetrators, there are not one but two red herrings, and so when the third potential perp is hinted at, you know it is them after all. In spite, Ranam gets all the more engaging at this point, as you’re curious to know the reasons for the crime. With a convoluted non-linear screenplay that fits well into the puzzle eventually, Ranam argues in favour of the popular Athichudi ‘Aranai Maravel’ which is restated as ‘Aram Thavarel’ in this film. It talks about why it is important to take up any opportunity to do a good deed, even if it goes against the judiciary or another crime itself. To put it simply, the film’s message can be summarised with one dialogue from the film itself, “Inga elaa unmaiyum adhukaana nyayatha thedikum. Indha unmaikum nyayathukkum nadula namma yaar?”
Another fascinating aspect of the film is its three female leads. Saras Menon’s character is more of a cameo, but it is important to cross all T’s and dot all I’s at the end of Ranam. Nandita Shwetha only makes an appearance in the second half, but her character Kalki, ends up as the soul of the film. For Tanya Hope, her character Indhuja, a police officer, is unlike her previous characters. She is bold and determined, but that’s just about it. While it was definitely a breath of fresh air to see a woman at the helm of things, I wish I got to know more about Indhuja or why she allows Siva to solve her case, as she only gives orders. But again, that story would probably be a film of itself.