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''Theevram'' () is a
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
-language
crime thriller film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
written and directed by
Roopesh Peethambaran Roopesh Peethambaran is an Indian film director and actor working in Malayalam cinema. As an actor, he first appeared as a child artist in the 1995 film ''Spadikam'' (as Thomas Chacko). In 2012, he made his directorial debut through '' Theevra ...
in his directorial debut, and starring
Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
, Shikha Nair,
Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...
,
Vinay Forrt Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...
, Vishnu Raghav,
Riya Saira Riya Saira is an Indian actress and dubbing artist in the Malayalam film Industry. She made her debut in 2012 through the Malayalam film '' 22 Female Kottayam''. Saira was spotted by Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indi ...
and Anu Mohan. The film is produced by V.C Ismayil under the banner of VCI Movies and features music composed by Roby Abraham, while cinematography is handled by Hari Nair and the editing by Kapil Gopalakrishnan. Distribution of the film is done by
Lal Jose Lal Jose is an Indian director, actor, producer and distributor who works in the Malayalam film industry. He started his career as an Assistant director in the Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut was with the 1998 film ''Oru Maravathoor ...
under the banner of
LJ Films Lal Jose is an Indian director, actor, producer and distributor who works in the Malayalam film industry. He started his career as an Assistant director in the Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut was with the 1998 film '' Oru Maravathoor ...
. Audiography was done by M. R. Rajakrishnan. The film has two plots, one set in the present and the other about five years back. It is about the outburst of a young man towards the legal system. The film was released on 13 November 2012 as a Diwali release. The film was dubbed into Tamil as ''Aaththiram'' in August 2016 and under the same original title in Hindi in 2017.


Plot

The movie opens with a crime where a young man is beaten to death with a club in front of his fiancé. Then comes an investigation officer Alexander, and an assistant Ramachandran. Though Alexander is intelligent enough to prove crimes unlike he doesn't believe in torturing the accused people to prove crimes. Parallel to this, Harsha Vardhan, a man of mystery, lives lonely in a big house, and teaches music to a girl named Sophie. One day he kidnaps and brings an auto driver named Raghavan and tortures him in his house cellar. Alexander and Ramachandran take up the case, and upon investigation, Alexander suspects Harsha. He kills Raghavan, severs his body and then eradicates every single piece of evidence which proved him guilty. Once the severed parts are found, the case heats up further, and Alexander realizes that it's a well planned murder, only after he finds Harsha had left the city without any notice. The story then moves four years back. Harsha, as an aspiring young musician, struggles not only in his career, but also in his life to maintain his relationship with his lover Maya. After getting married, both of them, with their two more friends, Nimmy and Dr. Roy, start living together. One day, Maya joins a call center and gets miffed with Raghavan there on his careless driving. Harsha leaves for
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, and while he is away, Raghavan kidnaps Maya, kills her and buries her severed head to avoid suspicion. But Alexander and Ramachandran finds it out, and Raghavan is imprisoned. Harsha gets devastated by the loss of Maya and gets furious upon finding that first of all, Raghavan was given life imprisonment instead of the death penalty, and secondly, he got freed before time. He makes a plan along with his two friends to kills Raghavan. Nimmy starts using his auto and befriends him. One day, while going with him, Nimmy follows Harsha's plan, and as Raghavan takes her on a route through a forest, she suddenly jumps out. Raghavan is held by Harsha as he gets out of the auto. A fight takes place between them in which Harsha overpowers Raghavan and injects him into unconsciousness. Then in the present, Nimmy and Roy are shown watching the news, which proves the system's failure in finding out the dead body's identity and that the case would go on with further investigations. Upon being asked by Ramachandran about what was to be their next action, Alexander smiles and replies that, "It's not Jesus Christ who has died. It's Judas. He'll have to die", after which he is accompanied by Ramachandran through his laughter, indicating that they won't disclose anything about Harsha.


Cast

*
Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
as Harsha Vardhan *Shikha Nair as Maya *
Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...
as C.I. Alexander *Vishnu Raghav as Dr. Roy Philip, Harsha's friend *
Riya Saira Riya Saira is an Indian actress and dubbing artist in the Malayalam film Industry. She made her debut in 2012 through the Malayalam film '' 22 Female Kottayam''. Saira was spotted by Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indi ...
as Nimmy *
Vinay Forrt Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...
as S.I. Ramachandran *
Anu Mohan Anu Mohan (born 24 August 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Malayalam films. Career He made his debut in the 2011 film, ''Orkut oru Ormakut''. He also played the antagonist in Roopesh Peethambaran's '' Theevram''. Anu Mohan is the young ...
as Raghavan * Janardhanan as S.P Varma *Amala Rose Kurian as Maina, Raghavan's wife * Baby Anjela * Baby Andrea *
Sajid Yahiya Sajid Yahiya (born 20 December 1984) is an Indian film director, actor, producer and music composer who works in Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut was in 2016 with the film '' IDI - Inspector Dawood Ibrahim''. He is the founder of a film ...
as Immanuel *
P. Sreekumar P. Sreekumar is an Indian actor, scriptwriter, director and producer who appears in Malayalam movies. He has acted in more than 150 Malayalam films. Presently he is serving as the Chairman of Kerala Cultural Activists Welfare Fund Board. Backgro ...
as Maya's Father *
Unni Mukundan Unnikrishnan Mukundan (born 22 September 1987), commonly known as Unni Mukundan, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Telugu and Tamil films. Unni Mukundan made his acting debut with the ...
as Himself (Cameo) *
Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indian film director, producer, actor, and distributor, who works in Malayalam cinema. He is best known for his films such as '' Daddy Cool'' (2009), ''Salt N' Pepper'' (2011), '' 22 Female Kottayam'' (201 ...
as Himself (Cameo) * Martin Prakkat as Himself(Cameo)


Production


Development

Dulquer joined Theevram after rejecting yet another promising film in the name of 'June' due to a date clash. The director had announced the film in December 2011. It was previously titled 'Maya'. The film features a fresh music director, Roby Abraham. The film is produced by V C Ismail, under the banner of VCI Movies. The film's distributor is the director
Lal Jose Lal Jose is an Indian director, actor, producer and distributor who works in the Malayalam film industry. He started his career as an Assistant director in the Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut was with the 1998 film ''Oru Maravathoor ...
. This is his 2nd distribution venture after
Thattathin Marayathu ''Thattathin Marayathu'' () is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan, starring Nivin Pauly and Isha Talwar. The supporting cast includes Aju Varghese, Manoj K. Jayan, Sunny Wayne, Sreer ...
, under the banner of
LJ Films Lal Jose is an Indian director, actor, producer and distributor who works in the Malayalam film industry. He started his career as an Assistant director in the Malayalam cinema. His directorial debut was with the 1998 film '' Oru Maravathoor ...
. The costume designer of the film is
Sameera Saneesh Sameera Saneesh (born 27 June 1983) is an Indian costume-cum-fashion designer from Kerala, known for her extensive work in Malayalam-language films.Sathyendran, Nita. (11 October 2011). In vogue in Mollywood. ''The Hindu''. Retrieved from http: ...
.


Casting

During the planning of the film in late December,
Fahad Fazil Fahadh Fazil (8 August 1982) is an Indian actor and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema and has appeared in few Tamil and Telugu films. He has acted in more than 50 films and has received several awards, including a Na ...
was cast to play the lead, but he had to drop the film due to a date clash. The director also had a difficult time finding many actors to play the characters in the film. After a successful debut in
Second Show ''Second Show'' is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language action crime film directed by Srinath Rajendran and written by Vini Vishwa Lal. The film, set in the backdrop of criminal gangs of varied varieties in Kerala, tells the story of young Hari who ...
and after playing another highly appreciated role in
Ustad Hotel ''Ustad Hotel'' is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Anwar Rasheed, written by Anjali Menon and produced by Listin Stephen. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan,Thilakan and Nithya Menen with Siddique, Mamukkoya, and Lena in su ...
,
Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
was a perfect choice for the director, in which he was chosen to play the role of Harsha Vardhan, a music composer who has a conflict with the legal system. Harsha Vardhan has the brutal mental outlook of an angry young man making the character Dulquer Salmaan was chosen to play a tough role with Negative shades.
Sreenivasan Sreenivasan (born 6 April 1956) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, director, dubbing artist and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema. Sreenivasan has starred in over 225 films. Sreenivasan wrote the screenplays of films such as ...
was chosen to play a prominent role.
Riya Saira Riya Saira is an Indian actress and dubbing artist in the Malayalam film Industry. She made her debut in 2012 through the Malayalam film '' 22 Female Kottayam''. Saira was spotted by Aashiq Abu Aashiq Abu (born 12 April 1978) is an Indi ...
was chosen after her performance as Tissa in the 2012 film '
22 Female Kottayam ''22 Female Kottayam'', also known as ''22FK'', is a 2012 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film directed by Aashiq Abu. Written by Syam Pushkaran and Abhilash S. Kumar. The film stars Fahadh Faasil and Rima Kallingal. It was set and filmed i ...
', while the others chosen to play supporting roles were Janardhanan,
Vinay Forrt Vinay Kumar, professionally credited as Vinay Forrt is an Indian film and stage actor. He hails from Fort Kochi, Kerala and is a theatre activist with more than a decade's worth of experience in the theatrical field as well as a postgraduate in ...
, Anu Mohan, and Vishnu Raghav. This will be the second movie that both Anu Mohan and Vishnu Raghav are seen in after their debut film Orkut Oru Ormakoot. It gave Vishnu Raghav a role which provided more scope to perform. Debutant actress Shikha Nair was chosen as the female lead, as the director felt it would be a great opportunity for the film to showcase a new actress. Shikha was a
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
based model, who was being prepared for a Tamil debut started her career through this film.


Filming

The film started its shoot on 5 August 2012 at Kochi after the pooja ceremony which had directors Siddique, Anwar Rasheed and the lead actor
Dulquer Salmaan Dulquer Salmaan (born 28 July 1986) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business manageme ...
lit the ceremonial lamp. Hari Nair is the director of photography. It is shot at various locations in and around Ernakulam, Alappuzha and
Chalakudy Chalakudy is a municipal town situated on the banks of Chalakudy River in Thrissur district of the Kerala state in India. It is the headquarters of Chalakudy taluk. It is the base camp for travellers to Athirappilly Falls and Vazhachal Falls. ...
.


Soundtrack

The music for the film has been composed by Roby Abraham. The lyrics have been penned by Arun K. Narayanan and
Rafeeq Ahmed Rafeeq Ahmed (born 17 December 1961) is a Malayalam poet, lyricist and novelist. He has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry and is a five-time winner of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyrics. With more than 600 songs in his ...
. Music Aloud's review rated the soundtrack 7.5/10.


Critical reception

Rediff.com rated the film 2.5/5, writing "Theevram's interesting plot keeps its viewers gripped but leads to the lukewarm ending." Now Running rated the film 2.3/5, writing that "The cumulative chill that you expect to work wonders in Roopesh Peethambaran's 'Theevram' is not there." The Times of India rated the film 2/5, writing, "What is lost is a sense of identification and purpose. The characters bemoan their loss, battle for justice and plot reprisal. But everything appears too distant and shallow to be felt."Theevram Review - Times of India
/ref>


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, 2568760 2010s Malayalam-language films 2012 action thriller films 2012 crime thriller films Indian action thriller films Indian crime thriller films Films about organised crime in India Fictional portrayals of the Kerala Police Indian neo-noir films Indian vigilante films Indian films about revenge Films about murder 2012 films Films shot in Alappuzha Films shot in Chalakudy Films shot in Kochi 2012 directorial debut films Films shot in Thrissur