| Sethurama Iyer CBI | |
| Starring: | Mammootty Mukesh Jagathy Sreekumar |
| Director: | K. Madhu |
| Producer: | K. Madhu |
| Music: | Shyam |
| Cinematography: | Saloo George |
| Editing: | P. C. Mohanan |
| Studio: | Krishnakripa Release |
| Distributor: | Swargachitra films |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
Sethurama Iyer CBI is a 2004 Indian Malayalam-language mystery crime film directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy. It stars Mammootty in the title role, alongside Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar in supporting roles. Shyam composed the background score for the film.
The film is the third installment in the CBI film series, featuring Mammootty as CBI officer Sethurama Iyer. The film was a blockbuster and was the highest-grossing film of the year collecting around distributors share of ₹4 crore and a gross around ₹10 crore.[1] The success of the film made Mammootty "Man of the year". The base story and initial scenes are adopted from Arthur Hailey's novel Detective. Some of the scenes of the film are also loosely based on the 2001 Aluva massacre.[2]
The movie begins with Sethurama Iyer visiting Isow Alex, 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, Balagopal, nabbed Alex in no time. Alex is now a new man, mainly due to the influence of a priest, 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.
Originally, the CBI officer in the film Oru CBI Diary Kuruppu was supposed to be a rough-and-tough cop named Ali Imran. It was Mammootty who suggested that a simple-looking brahmin who uses his brains more than his brawn would be a better idea.[3] [4] [5]
The film was commercial success and became highest grossing Malayalam film of the year 2004 and also collected around ₹10 crore from the box office. The film ran around 200 days in theatres.[6]