By Kavita Mistry 
Set almost entirely over the course of a single graveyard shift, Ronth follows two policemen—an ageing, battle-worn civil police officer named Yohannan (Dileesh Pothan) and his newly posted partner Dinanath (Roshan Mathew). There’s no crime-of-the-century here. No ticking clock. Just men in uniform navigating urban shadows and human unpredictability—one call at a time.
Whether it’s a street-side scuffle with a troubled youth, a confused elderly man wandering without ID, or a domestic squabble that spirals just enough to shake both men—each encounter that the two policemen face isn’t just a case, it’s a test. For the system. For their own convictions. It’s in this refusal to dramatise that Ronth finds its power. The film suggests that heroism isn’t forged in shootouts or chase sequences, but in hesitation, doubt, and restraint.
Dileesh Pothan’s Yohannan feels like a man carved out of years of tired compromises. He’s not cynical so much as weary—every word he doesn’t say echoing louder than the ones he does. There’s a moment where he lingers too long outside a locked gate, the pause heavy with unspoken regret. It’s brilliant in its subtlety.
Roshan Mathew, on the other hand, walks the tightrope of youthful moral clarity. His Dinanath is observant, idealistic, but also uneasy in his skin. As the night wears on, Mathew allows tiny fractures to surface, suggesting a slow corrosion of belief. Their chemistry is beautifully understated; they never confront each other directly, yet are in constant quiet negotiation.
Anil Johnson’s music, used sparingly, threads the scenes with an anxious heartbeat, while the editing by Praveen Mangalath resists urgency. Instead, it embraces the slow bleed—allowing each moment to unfold and settle like fog over a windshield.
For all its merits, Ronth doesn’t end on a perfect note. The final act, while tense, leans a touch too convenient—like the film finally giving in to its genre’s demands. But even that feels forgivable when the larger experience is so immersive. This isn’t a film about solving crimes. It’s about what they leave behind.