''Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil'' (also spelt ''Swathandriam Ardharathriyil'') () is a 2018 Indian

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

-language

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by Tinu Pappachan and written by Dileep Kurian. It was produced by B. C. Joshi, with

Lijo Jose Pellissery Lijo Jose Pellissery (born 18 September 1978) is an Indian filmmaker and actor who works in Malayalam cinema. Known for his unconventional approach in directing, his films are characterized by nonlinear storylines and very long takes. His best ...

and

Chemban Vinod Jose Chemban Vinod Jose is an Indian actor, film producer, and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Malayalam films. He is a physiotherapist by profession.Antony Varghese Antony Varghese, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2017 through the film ''Angamaly Diaries''. Personal life Antony Varghese was born in Angamaly, Kerala to Varghese and Alphonsa on 11 October 1989. He d ...

Vinayakan Vinayakan T. K. is an Indian actor, playback singer, and composer who predominantly works in the Malayalam film industry. He has also appeared in some Tamil language films. He started his career with a cameo appearance in the 1995 film ''Maanth ...

, and Chemban Vinod Jose. It was released in India on 31 March 2018.

Plot

The movie begins with Betty (''Aswathy Manoharan'') being arrested on murder charges, while Jacob Varghese (

Antony Varghese Antony Varghese, is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his debut in 2017 through the film ''Angamaly Diaries''. Personal life Antony Varghese was born in Angamaly, Kerala to Varghese and Alphonsa on 11 October 1989. He d ...

), her lover, is on the run. However, he tactfully misleads the police and flees with Betty. They somehow stayed hidden for days. Later, on the way to collect passports, Betty gets involved in a

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

and is beaten up, and gets admitted to the hospital. Meanwhile, Jacob gets arrested. In the police station, Jacob is ruthlessly handled by the police. They undress him and thoroughly checks him to see whether he has hidden anything. Jacob finds his inmates as arrogant and unsympathetic, and decides to escape. He shares his desire with Simon (

), another inmate. Initially, Simon disagrees, but he agrees after he wants to meet his family. The advocate (

) of Appachan, a rich businessman, questions Jacob about the location of a man called Charlie, but Jacob remains calm and says, he doesn't know. Simon asks Jacob about Appachan and Charlie, and Jacob reveals his story. Jacob was the manager of Appachan's company, and Charlie (''Kichu Tellus'') was the driver. Charlie was keen to take revenge on Appachan as he killed his father. During this time, Jacob met and fell in love with Betty. The SI of the area, S.I. James, kidnapped and killed a girl named Indu, with Betty being the sole witness. In court, Betty gives his name. The SI, on bail, tortures Betty, and Jacob, in anger, kills him... Jacob tells everything to Charlie, who in turn robs

Rs. Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

35 million from Appachan's company. Charlie goes to Australia and promises Jacob that he'll come back to take him and Betty along with him. Betty is in a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

from where she's arrested. Currently, Simon and Jacob plan to escape and somehow makes the other inmates leave their cell. Meanwhile, a thief named Devassy (

Chemban Vinod Jose Chemban Vinod Jose is an Indian actor, film producer, and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Malayalam films. He is a physiotherapist by profession.Cannabis (drug), marijuana in Simon's cell. Jacob digs a hole through the toilet of his cell, all the way down the drainage and into the compound. He starts building the tunnel a bit-by-bit with the help of Devassy, Ramu and two other thieves, who are basically twins who initially hated the escape plan but later agreed after learning that they've been charged falsely. A new inmate, who's arrested on the charge of

molestation Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...

, arrives. Jacob and his gang somehow evade him. Udayan (

Tito Wilson Tito Wilson is an Indian actor who appears in Malayalam films. He made his debut in the 2017 film ''Angamaly Diaries'' in which he played the role of U-Clamp Rajan. Personal life Tito Wilson was born in Thrissur District of Kerala, India to ...

), with whom Jacob had a fight earlier, comes to their cell to fail their plan. Appachan sends some criminals to the jail to brutally torture Jacob so that he'll confess where Charlie is and then kill him. The criminal gang involves Simon, who in turn helps Jacob and his gang. Jacob blackmails Udayan and asks him to remain silent so he can also escape. During the night, Jacob, Simon, Devassy, Udayan, Ramu and the twin brothers start their escape down the tunnel. In the tunnel, Jacob and Udayan get into a fight, but Jacob successfully beats Udayan and escapes. The police are alerted, and Udayan is caught and brutally beaten. They start chasing the other men who escaped. All of them escape by jumping into a river, except the twin brothers, one of whom were hit by a police jeep. At the end, Jacob is with Betty in a boat. It's revealed that he managed to take Betty out of the hospital, Devassy and Ramu will reach

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

in 2–3 days, Simon and his gang escape in another boat, and he's also made bail arrangements for the twin brothers. They're going to Australia, where Charlie is.

Cast

as Jacob Varghese *

as Simon *

Chemban Vinod Jose Chemban Vinod Jose is an Indian actor, film producer, and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Malayalam films. He is a physiotherapist by profession.Rajesh Sharma (Malayalam actor), Rajesh Sharma as Jail warden *

as Udayan * Aswathy Manoharan as Betty *

as Appachan's lawyer * Kichu Tellus as Charlie *

Anil Nedumangad Anil Nedumangad (also known as P. Anil; 30 May 1972 – 25 December 2020) was an Indian actor who appeared in Malayalam films. Acting career He made his debut in '' Thaskaraveeran'' with an uncredited appearance. His breakthrough was in the ...

as SI James *

Dinesh Prabhakar Dinesh Prabhakar, also known by his birth name Dinesh Nair, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films. Early life Dinesh was born as the second child of Prabhakaran Nair and Sarojini Amma at Pulluvazhi, Perumbavoor, Ernak ...

as Murugan * Arya Salim as Simon's Wife *Ramu

Production

''Swathanthryam Ardharathriyil'' (freedom at midnight) is the directorial debut of Tinu Pappachan, a former associate-director to

(who also co-produced the film with

Chemban Vinod Jose Chemban Vinod Jose is an Indian actor, film producer, and screenwriter, who predominantly works in Malayalam films. He is a physiotherapist by profession.Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, a jail set was used for the extensive night shoots; art director was Gokul Das.

Release

The film was released in India on 31 March 2018, distributed by

B. Unnikrishnan Unnikrishnan B (born 14 August 1970) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, distributor and exhibitor who works in the Malayalam film industry. Early life Unnikrishnan. B. was born on 14 August 1970 in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, I ...

's RD Illuminations.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, tt7548570 2010s Malayalam-language films 2018 action thriller films 2018 directorial debut films 2018 films Films scored by Deepak Alexander Films scored by Jakes Bejoy Films shot in Thiruvananthapuram Indian action thriller films