Five Mollywood investigative thrillers the world should watch

Mollywood may be a very small industry, but over the course of time, filmmakers in Kerala have delivered some impeccable movies, and many of them were shot with International production standards. International Business Times, India, presents you the list of five Mollywood investigative thrillers the world should watch to understand the potential of Malayalam film industry.

Mumbai Police (IMBD rating: 8)

Mumbai Police is a real gem of a film crafted by versatile filmmaker Rosshan Andrews. The film, which released in 2013, had Prithviraj Sukumaran, Rahman, and Jayasurya in the lead roles.

This investigative thriller portrayed the story of a police officer named Antony Moses who loses his memory following a car crash. With the help of his senior officer Farhan, Antony Moses starts investigating a case he was probing before the accident. Even after struggling a lot with memory issues, Antony Moses finds an unexpected culprit.

It should be noted that Mumbai Police can be considered the first of its kind in Mollywood film which had gay relationships as a theme. The film upon its release garnered positive reviews from all corners, and audiences lauded Prithviraj Sukumaran for doing such a challenging role.

The film is top-notch in its technical department. Director Rosshan Andrews crafted this film with sheer elegance. t is a treat to watch each and every frame of this movie.

The script penned by Bobby-Sanjay is highly engaging, and it will not pull the audiences to boredom even for a second during it's run time of 149 minutes. The background score composed by Gopi Sundar is elegant, and it plays a pivotal role in uplifting the overall mood of the proceedings.

Mumbai Police can be now watched on Hotstar.

Kariyilakkattu Pole (IMDB rating: 7.6)

Kariyilakkattu Pole is a film released in 1986 directed by legendary filmmaker P Padmarajan. The story of Kariyilakkattu Pole was based on the radio drama Sisirathil Oru Prabhatham by Sudhakar Mangalodayam. The film is based on the mysterious death of a filmmaker, and the investigation carried out by an intelligent police officer.

The film is widely considered as one of the classic investigative thrillers ever made in Malayalam, and audiences still praise Mammootty and Mohanlal for their mindblowing performance in the flick.

Drishyam (IMDB rating: 8.8)

Jeethu Joseph's Drishyam that featured Mohanlal and Meena in the lead roles handled a murder coverup story. The film upon its release in 2013 emerged as the biggest blockbuster of the year, and it racked up more than Rs 65 crores at the box-office.

The major highlight of the movie is its intriguing way of storytelling and Mohanlal's amazing performance, especially in the climax sequences. The film was later remade into Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi, but none of these versions matched the quality of the original.

Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (IMDB rating: 8.2)

Mammootty's Oru CBI Diary Kurippu that hit the screens in 1988 reshaped the cliche surrounding Mollywood investigative thrillers. The movie, directed by K Madhu, featured Mammootty playing the role of Sethuramayyar, an intelligent CBI officer.

The film was loosely based on the notorious Polakkulam murder case, where investigative officers made use of a dummy to solve the crime. Upon the release, the film emerged as a huge hit at the box-office, and audiences praised K Madhu and scriptwriter SN Swamy for their uncompromising cinematic language.

It should be also noted that this film primarily concentrated on the investigation, without the songs and dances that were necessarily associated with Indian commercial movies at the time.

Chinthamani Kolacase (IMDB rating: 6.7)

Chinthamani Kolacase is directed by Shaji Kailas. It featured Suresh Gopi playing the role of Lal Krishna Viradiyar (LK aka Licensed to Kill), a daring criminal lawyer who hunts down culprits to maintain cosmic law.

Bhavana also played a crucial role in the film. She received positive responses from the audiences for her impeccable performance. Suresh Gopi's portrayal as an advocate who has a haunting flashback also received critical acclaim.

Chinthamani Kolacase is a dark thriller and unlike other investigation stories where a police officer is a lead hero, this film featured an advocate doing the probe.