Detective Ujjwalan Review: Dhyan Sreenivasan starrer is a wannabe mystery that couldn't solve itself

Pink Villa

12-07-2025

Detective Ujjwalan, starring Dhyan Sreenivasan in the lead role, released in theaters on May 23, 2025. Following its theatrical run, the film is now available for streaming on Netflix.
If you haven't watched the Malayalam-language mystery comedy yet, here's the Pinkvilla review for you to check out.
The Plot
Detective Ujjwalan features the story of Ujjwalan, a library owner who lives off his family's generational wealth. Apart from managing the library, he is an avid reader of mystery novels and crime movies. His interest in solving crimes leaves the locals of his village, Plaachikkaavu, to rely on him for figuring out petty thefts.
However, his life faces a drastic change when a murder takes place in the village. Will Ujjwalan capture the culprit and who is responsible for the crime forms the rest of the story.
The Good
Detective Ujjwalan first works on the charm of the lead actors, not just Dhyan, but performers like Siju Wilson and Rony David Raj who hold the film together with their skills.
The film, despite its poor screenplay and lack of execution in directing, features some colorful characters, sadly, they are severely underutilized. The interesting characterization leaves a mark with its quirkiness, making it watchable.
From the technical aspects, Detective Ujjwalan is visually sound, with a special mention to Premkrishna Akkattu and Sraiyanti Harichandran.
The Bad
Detective Ujjwalan suffers severely from writing and direction. For most murder mysteries, the important factor is to have a sound screenplay with attention to detail, but the film is nowhere near being considered 'good writing'.
Starting the story with a good concept, the movie remains inconsistent and fails to tie in the elements. The lack of conviction in making this murder mystery plausible is annoying at various points.
What truly turns this film into a cinematic debacle is its forced attempt to establish a shared universe with Tovino Thomas' Minnal Murali, a move that feels completely out of place.
In the contemporary situation of cinema, shared cinematic universes have reached a saturation point, and honestly, everyone is feeling fatigued.
Coming to the technicalities, the musical aspects by Rzee and Sibi Mathew Alex are passable in the film. However, the lazy writing, coupled with Chaman Chakko's editing, makes the audience yawn.
The Performances
Detective Ujjwalan is surely a good concept on paper. But the directing is not up to par. The actors, however, made it a watchable venture. While Dhyan Sreenivasan and Siju Wilson were good, others like Kottayam Nazeer and Rony David Raj stood out with their comic timing.
Furthermore, social media content creators like Ameen, Nihal Nizam, Nibraz Noushad, and Shahubas offer some great moments, but are nerfed by cutting their characters short, leaving out the possibility for more humor.
Watch the trailer of Detective Ujjwalan here:
The Verdict
Detective Ujjwalan isn't exactly a murder mystery that makes you question the truth, but it feels more like a comical venture with shallow humor. Some elements and characters make the movie watchable and it could be checked out at least once.