# Officer on Duty

Officer on Duty is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film directed by Jithu Ashraf (in his directorial debut) and written by Shahi Kabir. It stars Kunchacko Boban, Priyamani, Jagadish, and Vishak Nair. The film was positively received by critics and audiences, with its performances (particularly by Kunchacko Boban, Jagadish and Vishak Nair), story, and music garnering praise and turned out to be commercial success.

## Plot

Harishankar alias Hari is a very strict and hot-headed police officer (DYSP), who was recently demoted to the post of CI, he receives a complaint about a man named Chandrababu trying to mortgage an imitation gold chain. This leads him to investigate a series of gruesome crimes that are even connected to his own past personal tragedy. It is revealed that Christy is the mastermind behind this events and warns Harishankar to drop this case. Rest of story forms part as to how he overcomes his anger issues and investigation on the crime and how he brings Christy and his gang to justice.

## Cast

* Kunchacko Boban as DYSP/CI Harishankar
* Priyamani as Geetha, Harishankar's wife
* Jagadish as Chandrababu, A KSRTC Conductor
* Vishak Nair as Christy Savio, the main antagonist
* Aadukalam Naren as Commissioner Marthandam
* Vaisakh Shankar as DYSP Shahul Raj
* Vishnu G. Warrier as Sathya Mithiran
* Ramzan Muhammed as Shyam Babu
* Leya Mammen as Celine Joan
* Aishwarya Raj as Anna Louis
* Amit Eapen as Lance
* Meenakshi Anoop as Nila, Harishankar's elder daughter
* Eithal Evana Sherin as Minnu, Harishankar's younger daughter
* Shivajith as Soori
* Unni Lalu as Praveen
* Srikant Murali as SI Venu
* Ajmal Ameer as Sultan
* Raghunath Paleri as Harishankar's Father
* C. J. Antony as Antony
* Henna Bella
* Manoj K. U. as ASI Thomas
* Jaya Kurup
* Nileen Sandra as Doctor
* Anju Abraham as Chithra

## Production

The film marks the directorial debut of Jithu Ashraf, who previously served as an assistant director on films including Action Hero Biju, Udaharanam Sujatha, and Ela Veezha Poonchira. The film was announced on 27 April 2024, with a puja ceremony held at Lions Community Hall, Ernakulam, Kerala. On 7 August 2024, it was reported that Vishak Nair was selected to play the villain role in this film.

## Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Jakes Bejoy.

## Release

Officer on Duty was released theatrically on 20 February 2025. The post theatrical digital streaming rights of the film was acquired by Netflix.

## Reception
### Critical reception

Sajin Shrijith of The Week rated the film four out of five stars and noted that "After Joseph and Nayattu, writer Shahi Kabir delivers another haunting investigative thriller, but this time with the slight trappings of a mass entertainer — a good one at that!" Rohit Panikker of Times Now gave the film three-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "Officer On Duty is a well-crafted investigative thriller that tries to be different but still relies on quite a lot of the genre's established templates. The film is worth a watch for its technical superiority, gripping performances, and a tight screenplay that offers an interesting experience even though it may not be something entirely new."
Anjana George of The Times of India gave it three out of five stars and wrote, "While Officer on Duty is a gripping, well-crafted thriller that keeps viewers on edge, it also serves as a stark reminder of how crime films continue to exploit the suffering of women for shock value." Vignesh Madhu of The New Indian Express gave it three out of five stars and wrote, "Officer on Duty could have been among the riveting cop thrillers in recent times, if not for the 'commercial compromises' it settles for."
Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave it two out of five stars and stated that "One of the film's biggest shortcomings is its inability to fully explore its emotional and dramatic moments. While the subject matter is undeniably serious and holds immense potential, Shahi Kabir's writing only scratches the surface, leaving many key moments feeling half-cooked". Cris of The News Minute wrote, "Where the script lacks is in expanding it into a package and writing the 'bad' characters. As soon as the 'villain' gang appears on screen, you realise the film has gone back decades, bringing alive forgotten stereotypes of wrongful youngsters, by the way they look, behave and indulge in vices."
S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote, "With Officer On Duty, Shahi Kabir conjures up yet another gripping police tale which works despite faltering at some points." Swathi P. Ajith of Onmanorama wrote, "The movie doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it delivers a solid, well-packaged thriller. It doesn't go overboard and keeps things as grounded as possible. For those who enjoy a good investigative drama, 'Officer on Duty' is definitely worth a watch on the big screen."

### Box office

As of 5 March 2025, the film grossed ₹ 21 crore. On 25 February 2025, the film's worldwide gross reached ₹50 crores.