‘Oii Police’ First Look Review: Stylish, Loud… And Strangely Hollow

The first look/teaser of the upcoming Assamese film Oii Police, starring Ravi Sarma, dropped on YouTube on April 13, 2026, garnering over 23,000 views as of this article’s publication.

Like any other Assamese movie fan, I watched the first look of Oii Police, hoping to feel something- excitement, curiosity, even surprise.

Instead, what I felt most strongly was familiarity. Not the comforting kind. The exhausting kind.

From the very first frame, the teaser leans heavily on a visual and tonal grammar we have seen countless times before, particularly in mainstream Tamil and Telugu cop dramas.

The slow-motion walk, shadow-heavy lighting, the brooding cop framed as a near-mythic figure, the pounding background score that tries to manufacture intensity-it’s all here. And none of it feels new.

At the centre of it all is Ravi Sarma, who does what he can to ground the spectacle. There is a natural authority in his presence, a restraint in his expressions that hints at depth. He looks the part, carrying himself like a man who has seen things, done things, perhaps regrets things.

But even he cannot fully break free from the familiarity that surrounds him. Because this is not a character being introduced—it is a template being filled.

And that’s where Oii Police begins to falter.

The first look doesn’t tell me a story. It doesn’t even tease one. I don’t know what this cop is up against, who he is fighting, or why his journey matters. There is no sense of stakes, no hint of conflict- only attitude. And attitude, no matter how well presented, cannot replace narrative intrigue.

Instead, it portrays Ravi Sarma‘s character as an alcoholic, a foodie, and a laid-back, almost careless cop—an archetype we have seen countless times in Indian cinema and cop dramas.

What’s more disappointing is the absence of identity.

After the disaster of Khakee, Oii Police has an opportunity to root a cop story deeply within Assam—its streets, its politics, its people. The teaser, however, feels generic, far from the opportunity it had.

If you muted the audio and removed the language, this teaser could pass for something from any industry. That lack of specificity drains it of authenticity.

It feels constructed rather than lived-in.

There’s also an overdependence on cinematic clichés. Every frame seems designed to look “cool,” but very few feel meaningful.

The slow motion stretches moments that don’t deserve it. The background score tries too hard to elevate scenes that haven’t earned it. The editing moves predictably, never surprising you or breaking its own rhythm.

And that’s perhaps the biggest issue: the teaser plays it safe while pretending to be bold.

What I kept searching for—and never quite found—was that one moment. That one image, line, or shift that makes you sit up and think, okay, this is different. That moment never arrives.

Instead, the first look ends the same way it begins: stylish, controlled, and emotionally distant.

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To be clear, this doesn’t mean Oii Police is doomed. There is still potential here.

Director SUV and Ravi Sarma can carry a layered film if the writing allows it. The technical ambition is visible. The intent to create something more cinematic than the usual is definitely there.

But intent is not execution.

Right now, this first look feels like a film trying to imitate a larger cinematic language without fully understanding what makes it work.

What’s missing is not just originality. It’s honesty, texture, a sense of place and purpose.

Until that shows up, Oii Police remains what this teaser ultimately is—a well-packaged echo of films we have already seen, rather than a voice of its own.

And that, more than anything else, is what holds it back.

What the film holds, and whether it follows a template or offers something new, will be unveiled on July 3, 2026, when it releases in theatres across Assam.

Watch the teaser here