Thu Jan 02 15:43:30 UTC 2025: ## Malayalam Thriller ‘Identity’ Impresses Visually, but Falters in Plot
**CHENNAI, January 2, 2025** – The new Malayalam film *Identity*, directed by Akhil Paul and Anas Khan, boasts impressive production design and action sequences, but a convoluted plot undermines its potential. While the first half features a compelling storyline focusing on Alisha (Trisha Krishnan), a key witness under police protection (Vinay Rai), and Haran Shankar (Tovino Thomas), a sketch artist aiding her investigation, the second half devolves into a tangled web of subplots and convenient plot devices.
The film’s attempt to keep the audience guessing through elaborate reveals regarding the villains’ motives and the hero’s identity ultimately proves tedious. Several plot points lack explanation, including a character surviving a gunshot wound and a chartered flight miraculously avoiding a crash. While Tovino Thomas delivers a strong performance, Trisha Krishnan’s character feels underdeveloped, and other roles, like Mandira Bedi’s, are largely pointless.
Despite its visual strengths, *Identity*’s overly complicated narrative weakens the overall impact. Reviewers suggest that a tighter script focusing on the initial, more engaging storyline would have resulted in a far more effective action thriller. The film is currently playing in theaters.
First Piper 