'Uyir' Review, Roshan Mathew's Restrained Performance Anchors A Film About Duty Rather Than Heroism

'Uyir,' which was released in theatres on June 26, 2026, has finally arrived on JioHotstar on August 4, 2026. It features Roshan Mathew in the lead.

Malayalam crime thriller Uyir has recently arrived on JioHotstar on August 4, 2026. Notably, director M. Padmakumar returns to the crime genre with a quiet, procedural drama led by Roshan Mathew as probationary ‘SI Ajeeb.’ Set in Kannur, the film begins with a body found in a well and unfolds into an investigation about missing women that becomes personal for the officer.

Avoiding big twists and heroic tropes, Uyir focuses on routine police work, grounded performances, and emotional sincerity. It’s a slow-burning film that values realism over spectacle.

A police story that chooses realism over drama

Uyir centers on ‘SI Ajeeb,’ a probationary officer posted at Dharmadam Police Station in Kannur. The film opens with a grim discovery: a woman’s decomposed body in an abandoned well. What starts as a single case soon widens into an investigation about several missing women, and it eventually ties back to ‘Ajeeb’s’ own past.

Director M. Padmakumar frames this as a workplace drama inside the police system. There are no heroic entry scenes or stylised chase sequences. Instead, the film spends time on FIRs, station discussions, field visits, and the slow process of following leads across Kannur, Coorg, Palakkad, Kochi and Mumbai. The writing draws from real police experience, so the procedures feel lived-in rather than cinematic.

Roshan Mathew plays ‘Ajeeb’ with quiet restraint. He doesn’t portray a fearless super-cop. He plays a young officer who is still learning the job, making mistakes, and trying to stay honest under pressure. The performance is internal since a lot is conveyed through silences, tired expressions, and the way he keeps pushing when the case stalls. Baiju Santhosh as a senior SI provides a steady presence, and the rest of the ensemble, including Athulya Chandra and Shruthy Menon, help ground the story in its local setting.

On a technical level, the film keeps things muted. The visuals are naturalistic, the background score doesn’t push emotions, and the editing lets scenes breathe. At 145 minutes, the pace is deliberate. The idea is clearly to show policing as routine, repetitive, and often frustrating, rather than glamorous.

The core strength here is sincerity. The film wants to show what happens when one officer decides to keep digging after others have moved on. It’s not trying to reinvent the crime thriller. It’s trying to show the human cost behind the files and statistics.

Familiar structure, but held together by performance

Story-wise, Uyir follows a familiar path. The investigation moves from clue to suspect to new lead. There aren’t major surprises, and the resolution lands where you expect it to. What keeps the film watchable is how it’s carried.

Roshan Mathew is the anchor. His ‘Ajeeb’ feels real because the character is not written as infallible. He gets things wrong, he faces pushback in the system, and the case becomes personal for him. That personal connection gives the last act its emotional weight. Without overplaying it, the film suggests sadness and a kind of moral discomfort about the issues it touches, especially around missing women.

The supporting performances add to that grounded feel. The interactions in the station, the conversations with locals, and the travel across different locations make the world feel tangible. The film doesn’t sensationalise violence. It focuses more on the emotional toll on the people involved and the officer handling the case.

Where the film struggles is in breaking out of genre conventions. It doesn’t offer new angles on the police procedural format. The structure is straightforward, and viewers looking for twists may find it slow. But the intent is clear: to show persistence rather than heroism.

By the end, Uyir leaves you with a quiet impact rather than a loud one. It’s not a perfect thriller, but it works as a character-focused drama about duty. Roshan Mathew’s controlled performance, the realistic writing, and the decision to stay away from melodrama are what make it hold together.

If you go in expecting a fast, twist-driven mystery, you might be underwhelmed. But if you are looking for a sincere film about one man trying to do his job properly, Uyir delivers that.

BollywoodShaadis Rating: 2.5/5

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