Ten Hours - Wheels on the bus

 

Ten Hours

Tamil, 2025

Genre: Action Thriller

Director: Ilayaraja Kaliyapeerumal

Stars: Sibiraj, Gajaraj, Aadakulam Murugadoss, Jeeva Ravi, Sharumiisha

Where to watch: SunNXT

Mohan's Measure ⭐⭐

A broken, old grandfather's clock leaning up against the police officer's office wall is really the only thing related to time in this investigative thriller.  A flashback to 10 hours before, however, reveals to us a plot that starts off as a very interesting premise.  Responding to a call about a woman being molested on a bus, a crack investigator and his team rush to the crime scene to find the body...of a young man.  The movie sets off from there, using far too many Rashoman flashbacks to weave a very complex tale of corruption, illegal smuggling, and, of course, murder, with the backdrop of a missing person adding the icing to the cake.

An interesting plot indeed, with some fairly decent acting, even on the part of Sibiraj, whose character struggles between his desire to kill bad guys and his Ayyappa Deeksha.  I am not quite sure how this deeksha element is really needed, because it does little to curtail the anger and disillusionment of this man.  But the director is trying to hint at something as the police officer goes from somewhat dressed in black, to fully dressed in deeksha garb and in bare feet.  Perhaps, it wishes to suggest a Higher Power is involved in his convictions, but this is never completely explained.

What does require explaining, and is in a very long closing sequence, is the many red herrings and seemingly disconnected stories that are always suspected to be tied together. How they are is perplexing and frankly, not at all convincing.  And even before all the explaining we get to be treated to Tollywood levels of needless violence, to prove to us that Sibiraj can be a hero, without letting one speck of vibhuti fall from his forehead.  

Swamy Saranam!