The prolificacy with which Shaji Kailas and Suresh Gopi churn out movies is amazing. What is more interesting is how they derive the plot of these Malayalam films, where the protagonist is more often than not a policeman. Sound of the Boot is no different.

So, how do we make the distinction? Apart from the title and the names of the characters, the director has found an 'innovative idea' of changing the mannerism of the hero. So, here he tightens the lace of boots (symbolic reference to the title) after getting down from the jeep at every crucial juncture.

What is the story about? Well, a retired police chief is killed while returning from the farewell function held in his honour. While the hero investigates, two other murders are committed (one more retired police officer and his young daughter). The screenplay pops up interesting scenarios as the plot thickens (though not intense as one would have liked) narrated by two suspicious characters played by Bala and Murali.

Rahul Krishna (Bala) an orphan claims that he was in love with the daughter of the police officer and had eloped with her with the intension to marry her. He had stayed in a home stay run by a cynical old man played by Murali.

Adding confusion to the whole thing, the old man says exactly the opposite when questioned. According to him, Rahul had a sinister plan of enjoying the night with her but ended killing her accidently. Rahul had then ordered him (the old man) to dispose off the body.

All of this leads to the Superintendent of Police, Siddharath (Suresh Gopi) to deduce that there is a third version, which is the real version of the story. So, the suspense thriller of the first half becomes a revenge saga in the second.

The effort scriptwriter Rajesh Jayaraman has put in, in building up the suspense in the first half is washed away in the second. The film becomes verbose with the hero explaining everything that transpired between the two suspects without giving us an inkling about how he tied those loose ends.

Suresh Gopi is surprisingly controlled in his display of histrionics. To see veteran Murali in a commercial setup is another surprise. Bala displays varied skills as the supposedly romantic lead-cum villain.

Sound of the Boot fairs a notch better than other recent outings of Suresh Gopi, because of the technical and scripting departments.

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