I Never Box a Film as Commercial or Offbeat

N FLASK, National Award-winning filmmaker Rahul Riji Nair's latest comedy drama that hit cinemas on July 18, a district judge and his Personal Security Officer (PSO) are thrown together in a pairing as unlikely as it is revealing.

- VIVEK SANTHOSH

N FLASK, National Award-winning filmmaker Rahul Riji Nair's latest comedy drama that hit cinemas on July 18, a district judge and his Personal Security Officer (PSO) are thrown together in a pairing as unlikely as it is revealing. The film gently chips away at the visible and invisible layers of hierarchy between the two, using humor and subtle emotional shifts to explore what happens when structure gives way to circumstance. "What really excited me was the idea of placing two people who are usually bound by hierarchy, in a situation where that hierarchy no longer exists," Rahul explains.

Jyoti Kumar (Saiju Kurup) is a low-ranking constable who once aspired to be a full-time singer. Despite the constraints of his demanding job, he still manages to sing with a local musical troupe. "In policing, it is not like other fields where you have the freedom to follow a flexible routine," says Rahul. "But many police personnel still find time to follow their passions on the side, whether it is music, acting, or something else," recalls Rahul, drawing parallels from real cops he knows. After a mistake on duty, Jyoti Kumar is reassigned as the PSO to Judge Venkitesh Balaji (Suresh Krishna), a stern and aloof figure. "The idea behind shaping Jyoti Kumar's character that way was to place him at the opposite end of the spectrum from the judge."