Ronit J

Kerala Crime Files Season 1 Synopsis:

Sub-Inspector Manoj and his team have to solve a murder in a lodge room. His only clues are a name and fake address: Shiju, Parayil Veedu, Neendakara. The case is simple, but the hunt for the killer ends up being more complicated than expected.

Kerala Crime Files Season 1 Review:

When I first saw Kerala Crime Files on my feed, I genuinely believed this to be a cheap OTT thriller. The name possibly alludes to two very popular titles: Delhi Crime (one of the best Netflix crime dramas based on the infamous case) and The Kerala Story (propaganda trash). The similarity in the title slates of the latter and this show is the main reason why I did not bother.

However, I later found out that Season 2 of Kerala Crime Files serves as the second part in Bahul Ramesh’s trilogy, including Kishkindha Kaandam & Eko. I was originally only going to watch Season 2, but then I realised that seasons 1 & 2 have characters appearing in both seasons. With only 6 episodes a season, each lasting 30 minutes, I thought it’s worth bingeing on. And here we are.

If you’ve read my reviews for Black Warrant, Paatal Lok, or even Santosh, you’ll know what I like and dislike about crime dramas. Kerala Crime Files follows the footsteps of many good OTT crime dramas, presenting us with a balance of procedure and personal life. The cultural fabric of Kerala serves as a rich backdrop to the heinous crime that’s reflective of the worst of humanity.

But all that ultimately boils down to one thing: is it a good watch?

The Lives of Cops

Few shows manage to humanise cops in a manner that feels real. Kerala Crime Files is one of them. From SI Manoj (Aju Varghese) to CI Kurian (Lal), the show treats each with equal parts admiration and reality. Manoj is a newly married man but must delay his honeymoon because of the case at hand. The junior cops mock Kurian for being too hungry for media attention. We learn later that this media attention is an important part of maintaining a healthy relationship with his daughter; he just wants her admiration. As serious and daunting their jobs are, their personal lives are equally tender and sweet. My personal favourite was CPO Suni (Navas Vallikkunnu), who juggles work and taking care of a pregnant wife who delivers his firstborn child in the middle of this 6-day case.

Kerala Crime Files is a crime drama that beautifully balances the ‘crime’ aspect with the real human ‘drama’ of the characters involved. Even the first witness, Sarath (Harishankar) feels like a real human with flaws and shortcomings. His inability to remember details correctly, coupled with his ego and attitude end up harming the case more than it supports it. The more we learn about this setting, the more it feels like this is the real world. While it’s not based on a true story, it very well might be given how honest and real everything feels.

Kerala Crime Files Season 1 is an enjoyable watch, albeit with a few flaws. Whether these flaws hamper your experience or not is something you have to decide for yourself.

Strange Direction & Lacklustre Ending

Here’s what I really hated about Kerala Crime Files Season 1: the slow-mo ‘hero shots’. The show overuses these slow-mo shots to the point that you question how much shorter the season would be without these. To make it worse, most of the places they’re used don’t feel justified. Almost as if the show didn’t have enough footage and had a duration-goal to fill in. The worst of it is in the last two episodes, where the majority of the episode feels like a montage of these slow-mo shots. They’re stylistic and cool, but serve little-to-no purpose, taking away from all the realism of the show.

Secondly, and this is my bigger complaint, the show fails to establish its killer appropriately. Everyone describes Shiju (Sreejith Mahadevan) as a psycho. Yet, his killing comes off as a random spurt of violence. The build-up and payoff don’t match. While we get enough of Shiju from others, we never get his perspective and backstory from him, putting into question the validity of his character portrayal. Likewise, there were way too many plot holes for the show to wrap up in two episodes. The biggest of these being Shiju’s squint eyes.

In one episode you establish that ‘squint eyes’ are such a distinguishing feature that you can’t miss it. And yet, the cops don’t even point out when a squint-eyed man enters their police station, gives his statement and walks away? A lot of the case solves itself with dumb luck and plot convenience, further diffusing the tension in a bad way.

Overall, the show had a lot of good to offer. But the reveals and resolution felt deeply lacking. Perhaps a little more story development, especially in the last two episodes, could’ve helped improve this show’s quality. That’s my opinion.

Kerala Crime Files Season 1 Ending Explained

The cops discover that Shiju was having an affair with an older Christian woman, Sisily. As they track her down, they realise it’s the same house they had visited earlier—the man who claimed to have called Shiju for marketing. Turns out Sisily is his wife. She reveals that they had met recently where he promised to marry her soon, which is when they ended up at the police station after the chain snatching incident in their bus.

Through her, they discover that Shiju currently works in a canteen, so the cops begin their search. At one point, they finally get Shiju’s workplace number, which turns out to be ‘Police Canteen’. So, the cops land up there ready to nab him. Shiju confesses to his crime. Swapna had been very rude to him, demanding beer and biryani before doing the deed. Shiju, being a novice in this, didn’t understand how the process worked. It’s when Swapna began making fun of Sisily and insulting her character when Shiju snapped. He strangled her with her own sari, but left her in the bathroom without knowing she was dead.

The cops later accept medals and awards for their hard work. In a piece-to-camera, they talk about this case in particular.

If you ask me, the promise and build-up of Shiju and the pay-off of the random act of violence felt incompatible. Neither was Shiju’s psychology examined, nor was the crime investigation well thought-out. A lot happened by chance, and the last two episodes dragged on for too long. The first four episodes had a lot of good content. But the last two highlight at the story not having been developed appropriately.

It’s a decent show, but the ending was very lacklustre and underdeveloped.

Is Kerala Crime Files Season 1 Worth Watching?

Honestly, it depends. At best, it’s a generic OTT crime drama. It had the potential to be much more, but the noticeable lack in writing and direction result in it being just average. That being said, it’s short and captivating enough to warrant at least one watch. If you don’t have the patience, I’d skip to season 2 directly, because that one is a significant upgrade on all fronts.

Will there be a Kerala Crime Files Season 3?

Yes. Season 3 is set to premiere in 2026. If you’re planning on catching up to Kerala Crime Files, now is the perfect time. The short episode lengths make it a perfect weekend binge, especially for fans of crime dramas.

In Conclusion:

Kerala Crime Files Season 1 is an interesting police crime drama that unfortunately derails in its last two episodes. However, it’s still a pretty captivating binge.

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What did you think of Kerala Crime Files Season 1? Let me know in the comments below! Any other manga, anime, series, book, or movie you’d like me to review? Let me know your recommendations, and I’ll be sure to check them out.

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Until next time!