Sethurama Iyer CBI
Encyclopedia
Sethurama Iyer CBI is a 2004 Malayalam film directed by K Madhu, written by S. N. Swami, and starring Mammootty
, Mukesh
and Jagathy Sreekumar
.
This film is the third in the series of the CBI investigative thrillers featuring Mammootty
as CBI
officer Sethurama Iyer
. Prequels to this film are Oru CBI Diary Kurippu
(1988) and Jagratha
(1989). There was one sequel Nerariyan CBI
(2005). A fifth sequel in the franchise has been announced and is now in the pre-production stage.
The film was a box-office blockbuster.
visiting Isow Alex (Kalabhavan Mani
), a convicted serial killer who is awaiting his execution. Alex was arrested and convicted for the cold-blooded murder of seven people in two different families. Alex, who had been living a wild life then, had committed the crime high on narcotic drugs. The murder case was left to the CBI for investigation and an able officer, played by Siddique, nabbed Alex in no time. Alex is now a new man, mainly due to the influence of a priest (Gopi), who requests Iyer to visit Alex.
What Alex tells Iyer is startling; he didn't commit one of the seven murders he was convicted for. The murder was that of Manikkunju, a businessman. Manikkunju, along with his daughter-in-law Mosi, was murdered at his house. Alex tells this all the same confessing that he murdered Mosi. The possibility of another killer involved is very remote and Alex is a serial killer who thoroughly denied any hand in the murders when he was arrested, but yet Iyer decides to reopen the case and investigate. He faces many odds; to prove Alex right would be proving his own bureau wrong and to prove Alex wrong would be wasting time and money.
The CBI team which consists of Iyer, Chacko (Mukesh
) and Ganesh (Vineeth Kumar), an officer trainee retraces the path of the previous team which investigated the crime. The clue which pointed to Alex was the word ISOW (Alex's first name) which was found written in blood on the wall near which Mankkunju's body was found. The earlier team had concluded that the word was written by Manikkunju with his own blood, while he was dying of the head injury inflicted by Alex's strike with a pipe wrench
, the weapon used by him to commit all the murders.
The twist in the tale arrives when Iyer finds that the name written by the dying Manikkunju to point to his killer is not ISOW, but MOSI. The position in which Manikkunju was lying on the floor resulted in his writing to appear flipped horizontally and vertically. This points to Mosi, Manikkunju's daughter-in-law, who was murdered by Alex. Iyer feels that Mosi alone could not have done the crime on her own. His search for an accomplice leads him to Manikkunju's family tailor (Jagadish), who incidentally was on the forefront of the public demand for a CBI investigation on the case. The tailor had an illicit relationship with the widowed Mosi, and he had struck Manikkunju to death with his metallic flashlight following a struggle when Manikkunju caught him red-handed. As with all the movies of the series, Iyer concludes the case at the scene of crime with the public gathered to find out the culprit. He casually picks out the tailor from the crowd and charges him with the murder, much to the surprise of the viewers as the clues are unraveled only after Iyer makes his arrest. Jagathy Sreekumar
, who was part of the original CBI team in Oru CBI Diarykkurippu, makes a cameo appearance near the end of the film, with his trademark in-disguise modus operandi, helping Iyer to connect some links in the case.
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
, Mukesh
Mukesh (actor)
Mukesh , born Mukesh Babu, is an Indian film actor and producer known for his work in Malayalam cinema.- Personal Life :...
and Jagathy Sreekumar
Jagathy Sreekumar
Sreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar, is an Indian film actor who has performed in more than 1,000 Malayalam films. He has also directed two films and has written screenplays for two films...
.
This film is the third in the series of the CBI investigative thrillers featuring Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
as CBI
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
officer Sethurama Iyer
Sethurama Iyer
Sethurama Iyer is a fictional character, and the protagonist of the CBI investigative thriller series of films in Malayalam directed by K. Madhu...
. Prequels to this film are Oru CBI Diary Kurippu
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu is a 1988 Malayalam film directed by K. Madhu, scripted by S. N. Swamy, and starring Mammootty, Suresh Gopi and Jagathy Sreekumar....
(1988) and Jagratha
Jagratha
Jagratha is a 1989 Malayalam film directed by K. Madhu, starring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar.This film is the second in the series of the CBI investigative thrillers featuring Mammootty as CBI officer Sethurama Iyer. Oru CBI Diary Kurippu is the prequel to this film and sequels are...
(1989). There was one sequel Nerariyan CBI
Nerariyan CBI
Nerariyan CBI is a 2005 Malayalam film directed by K Madhu, written by S. N. Swami, and starring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar....
(2005). A fifth sequel in the franchise has been announced and is now in the pre-production stage.
The film was a box-office blockbuster.
Plot
The movie begins with Sethurama IyerSethurama Iyer
Sethurama Iyer is a fictional character, and the protagonist of the CBI investigative thriller series of films in Malayalam directed by K. Madhu...
visiting Isow Alex (Kalabhavan Mani
Kalabhavan Mani
Kalabhavan Mani is a South Indian actor and singer. He began his career in Malayalam film industry, later he became a busy artist in tamil and telungu industry, especially in villain roles. Although he began his carrier as a comedian , he proved his versatility in various roles such as serious...
), a convicted serial killer who is awaiting his execution. Alex was arrested and convicted for the cold-blooded murder of seven people in two different families. Alex, who had been living a wild life then, had committed the crime high on narcotic drugs. The murder case was left to the CBI for investigation and an able officer, played by Siddique, nabbed Alex in no time. Alex is now a new man, mainly due to the influence of a priest (Gopi), who requests Iyer to visit Alex.
What Alex tells Iyer is startling; he didn't commit one of the seven murders he was convicted for. The murder was that of Manikkunju, a businessman. Manikkunju, along with his daughter-in-law Mosi, was murdered at his house. Alex tells this all the same confessing that he murdered Mosi. The possibility of another killer involved is very remote and Alex is a serial killer who thoroughly denied any hand in the murders when he was arrested, but yet Iyer decides to reopen the case and investigate. He faces many odds; to prove Alex right would be proving his own bureau wrong and to prove Alex wrong would be wasting time and money.
The CBI team which consists of Iyer, Chacko (Mukesh
Mukesh (actor)
Mukesh , born Mukesh Babu, is an Indian film actor and producer known for his work in Malayalam cinema.- Personal Life :...
) and Ganesh (Vineeth Kumar), an officer trainee retraces the path of the previous team which investigated the crime. The clue which pointed to Alex was the word ISOW (Alex's first name) which was found written in blood on the wall near which Mankkunju's body was found. The earlier team had concluded that the word was written by Manikkunju with his own blood, while he was dying of the head injury inflicted by Alex's strike with a pipe wrench
Pipe wrench
The pipe wrench is an adjustable wrench used for turning soft iron pipes and fittings with a rounded surface. The design of the adjustable jaw allows it to rock in the frame, such that any forward pressure on the handle tends to pull the jaws tighter together. Teeth angled in the direction of turn...
, the weapon used by him to commit all the murders.
The twist in the tale arrives when Iyer finds that the name written by the dying Manikkunju to point to his killer is not ISOW, but MOSI. The position in which Manikkunju was lying on the floor resulted in his writing to appear flipped horizontally and vertically. This points to Mosi, Manikkunju's daughter-in-law, who was murdered by Alex. Iyer feels that Mosi alone could not have done the crime on her own. His search for an accomplice leads him to Manikkunju's family tailor (Jagadish), who incidentally was on the forefront of the public demand for a CBI investigation on the case. The tailor had an illicit relationship with the widowed Mosi, and he had struck Manikkunju to death with his metallic flashlight following a struggle when Manikkunju caught him red-handed. As with all the movies of the series, Iyer concludes the case at the scene of crime with the public gathered to find out the culprit. He casually picks out the tailor from the crowd and charges him with the murder, much to the surprise of the viewers as the clues are unraveled only after Iyer makes his arrest. Jagathy Sreekumar
Jagathy Sreekumar
Sreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar, is an Indian film actor who has performed in more than 1,000 Malayalam films. He has also directed two films and has written screenplays for two films...
, who was part of the original CBI team in Oru CBI Diarykkurippu, makes a cameo appearance near the end of the film, with his trademark in-disguise modus operandi, helping Iyer to connect some links in the case.
Cast
- MammoottyMammoottyMammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
- Sethurama IyerSethurama IyerSethurama Iyer is a fictional character, and the protagonist of the CBI investigative thriller series of films in Malayalam directed by K. Madhu... - MukeshMukesh (actor)Mukesh , born Mukesh Babu, is an Indian film actor and producer known for his work in Malayalam cinema.- Personal Life :...
- Chacko - Jagathy SreekumarJagathy SreekumarSreekumar Achary, better known by his stage name Jagathy Sreekumar, is an Indian film actor who has performed in more than 1,000 Malayalam films. He has also directed two films and has written screenplays for two films...
- Vikram - Vineeth Kumar - Ganesh
- Kalabhavan ManiKalabhavan ManiKalabhavan Mani is a South Indian actor and singer. He began his career in Malayalam film industry, later he became a busy artist in tamil and telungu industry, especially in villain roles. Although he began his carrier as a comedian , he proved his versatility in various roles such as serious...
- Isow Alex - Sai Kumar - SP Satyadas
- JagadishJagadishP. V. Jagadish Kumar , popularly known as Jagadish, is a Malayalam film actor and script writer. He became popular through performances in films such as Mukhachitram, In Harihar Nagar, Godfather, Welcome to Kodaikanal, Thiruthalvaadi, Mantrikacheppu, and Hitler...
- Mani, a tailor - Mala AravindanMala AravindanMala Aravindan is a Malayalam film actor.- Biography :He was born in Kerala, India as the eldest son of Ayyappan, an Excise department employee and Ponnamma, a school teacher. Later, he relocated to Mala and started using the place name along with his name....
- Mathai - Bharat Gopi - Fr. Gomez
- Navya NairNavya NairDhanya Nair , better known by her stage name Navya Nair, is an Indian actress who works in Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada films. She has won the honour of Kalathilakam in the Alappuzha District Schools Youth Festival.- Personal life :...
- Rachana, Sethurama Iyer's niece - SiddiqueSiddique (actor)Siddique is a Malayalam film actor, producer, and television compere. He started his film career doing comedy roles and later performed in a variety of roles.-Early career:...
- Balagopal - Oduvil UnnikrishnanOduvil UnnikrishnanOduvil Unnikrishnan was an award winning Malayalam movie actor known for his versatile acting skills, known for his portrayal of classical ancient aristocratic personalities in Malayalam cinema with his unique provincial linguistic style, expressions and dialect. He was noted as a serious as well...
- Adiyodi - JanardhananJanardhanan (actor)Janardhanan is a Malayalam film actor. He is known for his peculiar style of handling humor and his quaint voice. He started his career playing brusque villains in the 1970s but later went on to establish himself as a highly sought-after comedian. The turning point of his career was the role of...
- Ouseppachan - SreenathSreenathSreenath was a popular Malayalam film and television actor. He acted in many hit films, including Shalini Ente Koottukari, Ithu Njangalude Katha, Oru CBI Diary Kurippu, and Kireedam....
- Sunny - Rajan P.Dev - Baahuleyan
- Geetha VijayanGeetha VijayanGeetha Vijayan is an Indian actress. Geetha made her debut in the Malayalam comedy In Harihar Nagar which turned out to be a blockbuster. She has since acted in more than 75 Malayalam movies and in some Tamil films and Hindi films. She is also a television actress...
- Mosi
Trivia
- Originally, the CBI officer in the film Oru CBI Diary Kurippu was supposed to be a rough-and-tough cop named Ali Imran. It was Mammootty who suggested that a simple-looking brahminBrahminBrahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
who uses his brains more than his brawn would be a better idea. - Blockbuster of 2004