Police stations, men in khaki, crime and the criminal, victims and the bereaved. The ultimate twist! Crime solved. The masters of who-dunnits Welcome to the world of Malayalam cinema and its police stories. Take a look at the list of investigative thrillers- Kerala files, Dridam, Kannur Squad, Anwesheppin Kandhetum, Memories, Irrata and the list goes on! Impressive, groundbreaking and highly acclaimed.
Flashback, cut to 1988. Crisp white cotton bushshirt, vermilion tika, betelnut chewing Dsp Sethurama Iyer arrives! Oru CBI Diary Kurippu- blockbuster, classic and cult! And a torch bearer to future police investigative thrillers. It laid the blueprint for police procedural plotlines.
- Cast: Mammootty, Urvashi, Jagathy, Suresh Gopi, Janardhanan, Sukumar, Bahadoor and others.
- Director: K. Madhu
- Writer: S. N. Swamy
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu Plot
Omana (Lissie), the daughter-in-law of a wealthy business man Ousepachhan (Janardhanan), is found dead under mysterious circumstances. Initially, it is passed off as a suicide. But dysp Varma and sub-inspector Chako (Mukesh) find discrepancies in the case- they figure that the forensics findings and people’s statements don’t match. Using political influence Ousepachhan gets the dysp and Chako transferred and secures the involvement of another dysp Devdas (corrupt and hand in glove with Ousepachhan and his family). Devdas (Sukumaran) dismisses the case by falsely proving it as a suside. But Omana’s father Thomachhan and sister Annie (Urvashi) are not convinced about the suicide angle and file a petition with the central government and supreme court for CBI’s involvement.
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Enter dysp Sethurama Iyer (Mammootty) who is entrusted with the case. He enlists the help of his trusted aides inspector Harry (Suresh Gopi) and Vikram (Jagathy Sreekumar). Using logic, physical recreations and forensic analysis the team meticulously investigates the case. Iyer exposes holes in the sucide theory. A clever and intelligent analysis of the victim’s saree uncovers the truth of Omana’s death and proves the murder angle.
Sethurama Iyer’s investigation exposes the deep-rooted corruption in the police department, political interference and uncovers the unhealthy police-businessman- politician nexus.
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu: Star Performances
Mammootty- the betelnut chewing Palakkad Brahmin- plays Sethurama Iyer, a dysp in CBI. He is top notch in the role of the investigating officer. His restrained acting and screen presence adds a lot of gravitas to the role. There is no over the top theatrics. Wearing a plain white shirt, trousers and a tika on his forehead Mammootty completely shunned the formula of a loud and action oriented supercop. He plays the role with a calm demeanor and sharp intellect.
His walk- hands locked behind and with a swagger- became a signature Sethurama Iyer walk! The rest of the cast ably assist Mammootty by playing their part with grace and restraint. The comic element comes from his two assistants- Jagathy and Suresh Gopi. But comedy is more situational and not gimmicky. You can say lighthearted situational jokes.
Why Is It A Classic?
For the first time a film redefined thriller and police investigative story by doing away with cliched loud and action oriented melodrama. Directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy the film was intelligent and gripping.
The film completely did away with unnecessary melodrama, sub plots and songs. It introduced realistic police procedurals, meticulous forensic analysis and scientific deduction of a crime. It showed how physical reconstruction of a crime is done (the dummy scene where Sethurama Iyer proves the murder angle).
The film did away with the regular commercial thriller film tropes. For the first time we witnessed a police officer so intelligent, calm and dignified- without the typical over the top muscle flexing supercop. The locations were real and had a liver in feel to them. There is not a moment in that film that feels dull, slow or dragging. The writing was taut and crisp, focussing mainly on the crime and the investigation. It kept one hooked till the end. And what a twist at the end! The revelation of the real culprit literally throws you off balance!
The iconic signature score (Sethurama Iyer’s intro piece) is still popular and deeply etched in people’s memory. The movie had such an impact that it spawned many sequels and is considered one of the most successful franchises in the police thriller genre. An interesting fact- at a time when the reach of Malayalam movies was not far- they rarely crossed the state- this film ran for over 300 days straight in Tamilnadu!
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu is considered a gold standard for police thriller and investigative plotlines.
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