Malayalam cinema has a long tradition of doing crime thrillers quietly, patiently, and then hitting you with something you genuinely did not see coming. Dridam, now streaming on JioHotstar, follows that tradition more faithfully than most films released this year. Directed by Martin Joseph — a long-time associate of Drishyam creator Jeethu Joseph, who presents the film — it follows a rookie sub-inspector whose first rural posting turns into the worst possible introduction to policing. A murder, a bank robbery, a station full of pressure, and a public that is watching everything.
If that sounds like your kind of evening, here are five reasons to start watching tonight.
1. The Jeethu Joseph DNA — and That Climax
If you are drawn to Dridam because of Jeethu Joseph’s name in the credits, the association is legitimate. Director Martin Joseph spent years as an associate director under Jeethu, and that investigative storytelling sensibility — careful, methodical, building toward something — runs clearly through this film.
There is even a clever easter-egg reference to Drishyam tucked into the narrative for fans paying attention.
But the real reason this point matters is the ending. Critics and audiences who saw the theatrical run are unanimous on this: the final fifteen to twenty minutes contain a twist that completely reframes everything you watched before it. The slow build-up that some viewers found testing in the first half pays off in a way that is genuinely satisfying. Malayalam thrillers have a habit of doing this, and Dridam does not disappoint on that front.
2. Shane Nigam as a Rookie Cop Who Does Not Have It Together
This is not a police hero film. SI Vijay Radhakrishnan, the character Shane Nigam plays, is not the seasoned detective who walks in and figures everything out in twenty minutes. He is overwhelmed. He hesitates. He makes mistakes and feels the weight of departmental and public pressure in a way that feels completely real.
Nigam’s performance is grounded and sincere — the kind of acting that does not draw attention to itself but accumulates steadily until you realise you are genuinely invested in whether this person survives the situation he is in, professionally and personally. It is a quietly impressive piece of work.
3. The Slow-Burn Atmosphere Actually Works
Set against the hills of Kerala, Dridam uses its rural location deliberately. The landscape looks peaceful. The people seem ordinary. The police station feels mundane and lived-in. And that contrast — between the surface calm and the darkness underneath — is exactly the tension the film is building.
The pacing is deliberate. This is not a film that cuts fast and plays loud music during every scene. It takes its time constructing the environment and the characters. If you are patient with it, it rewards you.
4. Shobi Thilakan Makes Every Scene Better
Supporting performance of the film, without question. Shobi Thilakan plays an experienced ASI who serves as both foil and anchor to Shane Nigam’s rookie — and the dynamic between them gives the film much of its emotional texture. Thilakan is a veteran who knows exactly how to play experience and moral complexity without tipping into cliché. Kottayam Ramesh and Dinesh Prabhakar round out the ensemble in ways that keep the investigation feeling real rather than theatrical.
5. The Technical Craft in the Final Act
Cinematographer P.M. Unnikrishnan and composer Sreerag Saji both step up considerably in the film’s closing stretch. The visual approach during the climax is more adventurous than what precedes it, and the background score shifts into a higher gear at exactly the right moments. Together, they amplify what is already a strong narrative payoff into something that genuinely lands.
The film is available in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada — so the language barrier is not an issue regardless of where you are watching from.
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Dridam is streaming now on JioHotstar. If you have two hours and a tolerance for a film that earns its ending slowly, this one is worth your time.