‘Inspector Rishi’ review: A superbly crafted battle between fact and fable

Why didn’t they ask Irfan?

The forest officer has been working in the Thenkadu forest for three decades, while his boss Sathya has been here for just four years. A number of deaths in which victims are wrapped in cocoons and strung from trees is exactly the kind of occultish, nature-gone-mad occurrence that Irfan is well-placed to explain. He has the experience, the community contacts and most importantly, the memory of what had taken place in Thenkadu decades ago.

Although remembrance of things past is an important element in Inspector Rishi, Irfan (Kumaravel) isn’t one of the key players. Instead, Nandhini JS’s supernatural-themed Tamil series for Prime Video is led by Rishi (Naveen Chandra).

A diligent, rational-minded police officer, Rishi rejects rumours that the culprit is a malevolent horned forest sprit named Vanaratchi. Rishi and local cops Ayyanar (Kanna Ravi) and Chitra (Malini Jeevarathnam) team up with forest ranger Sathya (Srikrishna Dayal) and forest guard Kathryn (Sunainaa) to separate fact from fable.

Meanwhile, more mummified bodies turn up, raising tensions in an ecologically sensitive region. Rishi battles a thicket of leads, a troubled past and the effects of having only one eye. Rishi has limited depth of perception, but Nandhini’s show has it in spades.

Nandhini’s screenplay unfolds like a slow-burner,...

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