‘Sirai’ review: How Vikram Prabhu’s Tamil thriller finds empathy where police dramas usually don’t

It is ironic that Suresh Rajakumari’s debut film ‘Sirai’, starring Vikram Prabhu, landed on OTT and quietly slipped past most conversations. ‘Sirai’ is one of the few recent films that understands the power of empathy and trusts it enough to build an entire story around it.

Set in the aftermath of the 1998 Coimbatore bomb blasts, ‘Sirai’ follows police inspector Kathiravan (Vikram Prabhu), who is assigned to escort an accused man named Abdul (LK Akshay Kumar) on transit duty. What begins as a routine police procedure slowly turns into a journey that unsettles both men, forcing them to confront the system they are trapped inside and the invisible hierarchies that govern it.

At first, the film positions us firmly within Kathiravan’s perspective. Like him, we observe closely, alert and suspicious, tracking every movement and decision. Writer Tamizh smartly uses this viewpoint to lull the audience into familiar territory. We think we know where the story is headed. But ‘Sirai’ repeatedly sidesteps expectations. Just when it seems ready to become a conventional police drama, it shifts its gaze.

The title, which means ‘prison’, starts to make sense once the film steps into Abdul’s world. When the story begins to see the system through his eyes, the tone changes entirely. For an ordinary man caught inside an authoritarian legal structure, the machinery of the state feels overwhelming and frightening. The film captures this imbalance with quiet precision, never needing to raise its voice to make the point land.

The escort becomes less about procedure and more about what the system does to those caught inside it.

‘Sirai’ exposes systemic injustice, institutional prejudice, and the silent struggles of people at the lowest rungs of society. Yet Suresh Rajakumari never allows the film to collapse into despair. There is a steady undercurrent of hope, fragile but persistent, running through the story.

One of the film’s most effective choices is its refusal to soften bigotry or dress it up as incidental. A particularly telling moment comes when a police officer questions why a gun is loaded during a transit escort. The response is chilling in its casualness: it is because the accused is Muslim. What makes the scene powerful is what follows. The officer simply asks, “So?” In that pause lies the film’s moral centre. ‘Sirai’ is less interested in preaching and more interested in asking uncomfortable questions, of both its characters and the audience.

Actor Anishma Anilkumar, known for films like ‘Maranamass’, delivers a restrained but impactful performance as Kalayarasi. She represents resilience, but in a way that feels lived-in rather than written for effect. She understands what is right and wrong, even when the system around her refuses to acknowledge that distinction.

That said, ‘Sirai’ is not without its flaws. At times, it leans into a familiar saviour narrative, positioning the morally upright police officer as the one who steps in to correct injustice. Certain moments, including a song sequence meant to underline Kathiravan’s sensitivity, feel predictable. These choices momentarily dull the film’s otherwise sharp edge.

However, what ultimately works in ‘Sirai’s favour is its commitment to character arcs. Kathiravan, despite his righteousness, initially views the world in straight lines. As the story progresses, that certainty fractures. Abdul’s perspective shifts too, as does Kalayarasi’s. The transformation is not sudden or explicit. It is gradual, painful, and emotionally earned. The heartbreak that follows feels honest, not manipulative.

The film also shows admirable control in its storytelling. Romance, flashbacks, and emotional beats are used sparingly, only when necessary. Nothing feels overstated. Everything exists to deepen understanding and connection, not to heighten drama for effect.

Ultimately, ‘Sirai’ is not a film that asks you to lose faith in the system. Instead, it urges you to recognise its flaws while holding on to the belief that empathy, even when exercised within limited power, can still create change. The film’s impact comes from what it holds back rather than what it spells out.

And perhaps that is its greatest irony. A film about unheard voices has itself gone largely unheard.
Where to Watch ‘Sirai’: Zee5