There’s nothing that connects Gruham and Khakee , apart from the fact that both films are based on true stories. The first is a horror thriller that explores the conflict between science and paranormal activity and the second is a dramatised account of ‘Operation Bawaria’ mooted by Tamil Nadu police to hunt down a dreaded ‘Bawaria gang’ that had unleashed a spate a violent crimes on the highways of the State from 1995 to 2005. Both these films are helmed by Tamil filmmakers. While Gruham is a trilingual directed by Milind Rau, Khakee directed by Vinoth is dubbed from Theeran Adhigaaram Ondru .
Siddharth and Andrea in Gruham
Gruham is shot in the hills and mostly within the confines of two homes and a narrow corridor, lit in a hues of green, yellow, red and brown. A world away from this space is Khakee , taking viewers on a journey from Tamil Nadu to Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and the vast deserts of Rajasthan. Gruham is a psychological thriller that induces fear through its spooky moments, Girishh Balakrishnan’s minimalistic music score and Shreyas Krishna’s cinematography. The team spent nearly four months for colour gradation to make the film appear unconventionally eerie, away from the blue-black Goth mode.
Khakhee , meanwhile, is an unrelenting chase for culprits whose acts are bone-chilling. If the apparitions in Gruham are fear-inducing, in Khakee , the ominous knocks on the doors by the gang is chilling enough. The narrative also packs in a brief account of thug history in the country. Unlike regular cop films, Khakee takes a realistic approach by making the cops look vulnerable. The segment that shows a group of cops having to save their skin and escape from a village in Rajasthan is proof of that. We also see cops struggling to keep their spirits up and continue the chase on vehicles and on foot for miles. The music score here, by Ghibran, is on the louder side yet effective in conveying the gang’s menace and the plight of the cops.
In both the films, the heroes are not above the story. Karthi’s role in Khakee is modelled after IPS officer S.R. Jangid who spearheaded ‘Operation Bawaria’ and according to reports and statements by the IPS officer, the film has stayed close to reality in re-constructing the crimes and the closing in on the 13-member gang.
If you’ve already seen the film, here’s a trivia — the fingerprint analyst who’s part of the team that travels across several states and finally finds the clue in Agra prison is the real fingerprint analyst who worked with the Tamil Nadu police. Stunt choreography by Dhilip Subbarayan and group, and cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan all add to the riveting cop drama.
