A typical police film in Malayalam is always about an honest cop taking on the corrupt -- the 'powers-that-be', the mafia, the lecherous capitalists and the indifferent commoners. It has also been necessary that these movies should star Mammooty or Suresh Gopi.

So, when you venture into the theatre to watch Vargam -- written and directed by M Padmakumar and starring Prithviraj in the main role -- the fear of a formulaic repeat is on your mind. But kudos to the director for tweaking the formula to create a feeling of freshness.

Meet Solomon Joseph (Prithviraj), the corrupt cop. Prithviraj is convincing as an actor, and the locations are fresh. While police films tend to be city centric, this is set in the hinterland, from Iddukki to Kasargod, and deals with marijuana-growers and smugglers.

The plot is simple. It follows a police officer who is no better than a small-time crook, corrupt to the core. Solomon makes money, leads a lonely but merry life, taking on bigwigs who are not in his good books. This is the pivot on which the story moves. One such big shot is Ummachan (Devan) with big political ambitions, and Vavachan (Vijaya Raghavan) who is Solomon's benefactor. The tussle between them is prolonged and becomes a fight for one-upmanship. Thankfully, the pace never slackens. You are riveted to the screen as Prithviraj's performance becomes a revelation. The proceedings take a break when Solomon gets a transfer for mistakenly killing Ummachan's younger sibling Dennis in the lockup.

The next part of the story occurs in the dry surroundings of Kasargod. From here on, the film becomes a bit of a drag. Solomon refuses to leave his old ways and befriends a local bigwig and smuggler called Arrakkal Aboobakar Haji (Captain Raju). He then faces a life-threatening situation that leads to redemption.

Technically, Vargam is notches above the recent flicks. The camerawork by youngster Shamdat is engrossing. M Padmakumar who has been director Ranjith's associate for eons, doesn't totally break free from his mentor's school of filmmaking. The influence is evident in the dialogues and non-judgemental approach in characterisation. But considering this is just his second independent venture, he shows a lot of promise.

It has been a long time since Prithviraj was considered a newcomer. With this film, that tag should be dropped as he virtually carries the film on his shoulders with aplomb.

Vargam is a character driven film, hugely depending on the protagonist, so the rest of the cast appears sidelined. Some of the actors still get noticed though, the most prominent being Rajan P Dev in the role of the priest. Renuka Menon, the heroine who has long been ignored by the industry after her stunning debut in Nammal, makes a comeback, as a stoic lady who becomes the reason for our hero's turnaround. One feels she deserved more though.