Neru

<p>Sara, a girl, is while she is alone at home. The police are unable to identify the offender due to Sara’s blindness. Sara sculpts a statue of her rapist and based on the similarities, they arrest Michael, the son of Christopher Joseph, a Mumbai-based rich businessman. Michael’s parents hire Advocate Rajashekhar, a renowned defense . Due to the unreliability, alongside Rajashekhar’s twisting questioning tactics, Michael is granted bail, an unforeseen situation in a case like this. While Sara’s family receive a settlement offer, they decide to fight the case. Paul Varghese, the investigating officer, recommend Vijayamohan as the special public prosecutor, since no other lawyers will take up the job owing to Rajashekhar’s influence. However, Vijayamohan no longer practices as a lawyer due to an incident that occurred few years earlier. Vijayamohan was a junior to Rajashekar along with his daughter Poornima, whom he got close to. Unhappy with their relationship, Rajashekar committed foul play that resulted in Vijayamohan getting from practising law for 5 years. Initially reluctant to take up the case, Vijayamohan meets Sara and changes his mind, after meeting her. As the trial begins, Rajashekar uses many tactics such as of Sara’s parents; her father, Muhammed, was in a previous marriage and left his first family for Sara’s mother Parveen. He tries to accuse Muhammed as the culprit, by deducing that his story was fabricated as a way of trapping Michael and family due to their wealth. Vijayamohan’s key , Sara’s neighbor and Michael’s friend Vinod, whom Michael had stayed with on the day of the incident, change their version of events, making the case hard to believe. Additionally, no was found, leaving no scientific evidence or eyewitness to link Michael to Sara’s assault, causing the case to be open-and-closed. Rajashekar argues that at the time of the incident, Michael was with his friends at a party in a different location. footage prove his alibi, shocking Vijayamohan. However, Vijayamohan discovers that the footage was edited by Rajashekar and that Michael had left his phone in the car of his driver to make it seem like he was there. Vijayamohan proves in the court that the footage was edited and Rajashekar won many cases by presenting fake evidences. The Rajashekar and Poornima takes the position as the defense lawyer. Media activists make the case go viral, leading to Michael’s to break off their . Enraged, Michael shows up at Sara’s house again and threatens her to withdraw the case. Sara’s family, however, continue to fight the case. Witnesses who claimed to be with Michael at the time of the crime are disproven by Vijayamohan due to errors in their story. Towards the end, Vijayamohan proves that Micheal’s alibi was fake. He also states that Michael had a history of committing rape once in but the case was and he was not punished for it. Vijayamohan is still not convinced that this case can be won, as Sara has to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty and the current eyewitnesses cannot do so. The sculpture, which was Sara’s way of ‘sight’, is discredited, due to her father also being a skilled sculptor and possibly its creator. Vijayamohan convinces the judge to allow Sara to create a sculpture based on a random person in the to prove her skills. But Poornima objects as it’s a waste of time and can’t be a proof. The judge allows Sara to create a sculpture in the court as the court is creating a history. Poornima takes the chance of selecting the person and Rajashekar is picked and tries distracting her so that the sculpture is messed up. But towards the end, Sara manages to create the sculpture perfectly, making an exact replica of Rajashekar, which shocks everyone in the court. Michael is found guilty and given and paying fine. Vijayamohan shocks everyone with his talent as a lawyer and he gets appreciated for his brilliance. After winning the case, Sara touches him, implying that she is going to make a sculpture and a replica of Vijayamohan, after which she walks out of the courtroom with no cover, refusing to be anonymous and gaining respect from the media around her (who refuse to film her) and the world. I asked Shanti to write down in order as to how the legal procedures would unfold for such a case. But once she wrote it, I realised that it would be ideal for a series but there are different sets of challenges when you package it for a film. Also, there is a risk of monotony that can creep into the narrative. So the challenge was to keep it engaging and play to the gallery a bit without taking away the authenticity. On 13 July 2023, producer officially announced an untitled film directed by and starring . This project, with a , signifies the 33rd production from , with filming set to commence in August that year. It was reported that Mohanlal would complete his work in a single short schedule before the commencement of the filming of -directed , which was postponed due to Prithviraj’s leg injury, allowing Mohanlal to engage in . The title was officially announced on 12 August with a featuring the tagline “seeking justice,” along with the title presented in inscription. marks the fifth collaboration between Mohanlal and Jeethu. The film was authored by Santhi Mayadevi and Jeethu, with the former having previously collaborated with Jeethu as an actress in . Jeethu conceived the story several years ago. Santhi, a professional lawyer, was initially hired by Jeethu to assist him in writing the court scenes in . Impressed by her contributions, he invited her to co-write . Jeethu shared the story with her on the set of . She characterized the genre of the film as a “courtroom drama”. Santhi explained that they approached the courtroom scenes in a more realistic manner, deviating from the dramatic courtrooms typically portrayed in films. According to Jeethu, his intention was to make an authentic courtroom drama that incorporates all technical procedures while maintaining a balance between dramatic elements and procedural tone. He said he was careful not to “stretch” the film with excessive realism. His objective was to offer a real courtroom experience to the majority of the audience who may not have encountered such a setting in real life. Mohanlal plays a lawyer in the film. was cast in an important female role. She joined the sets in September 2023. was cast as Sara, a , around whom the story unfolds. Santhi Mayadevi, who initially had no plans to act in her own screenplay, eventually took on a role in the film at the invitation of Jeethu. The cast also includes , , , , , , Sankar Induchoodan, Mathew Varghese, Kalesh Ramanand, Ramadevi, , Kalabhavan Jinto, Resmi Anil, and Prashant Nair. Principal photography commenced on 17 August 2023, coinciding with the commencement of the of , considered an auspicious day. It began with a customary function held at the Freemasons Club in , Kerala. Subsequent filming took place in and around . Mohanlal joined the sets in in early September. Filming was wrapped up on 4 October 2023. was the cinematographer. Art director was Boban, while costumes were designed by Jeethu’s wife Linta Jeethu. The film’s music was composed by Vishnu Shyam with lyrics for the songs written by . A pre-release single, “Roohe”, was released on 19 December 2023, sung by along with a chorus by Shyam and Cathy Jeethu. called it an “evocative composition” that showcases the “emotional ambiance of the narrative” which “further cemented the film’s genre as an emotional drama”. The soundtrack was released, two days later, which includes themes from the film and the trailer. was released in theatres worldwide on 21 December 2023. According to the media, the slot, initially reserved for Mohanlal’s directorial debut, , was reassigned to due to delays in post-production. The film competed with other major Christmas releases, such as , , and . The streaming rights of the film were acquired by . The film was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar from 23 January 2024. opened to positive reviews from critics praising the cast performances (particularly Mohanlal, Anaswara Rajan and Siddique), screenplay and direction. Anna Mathews of gave 4.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that Mohanlal’s and Siddique’s David-Goliath battle “keeps viewers on the edge of their seats and emotional for the full 152-minute duration of the film. You will barely take your eyes off the screen” and noted that the film merits from its realistic story, “nonetheless, it is no less massy, and will appeal to all audiences”. She also praised the cast, particularly Mohanlal’s “superb subdued performance”. Sajin Shrijith of rated 3.5 out of 5 stars, describing it a “sensitive, insightful legal drama with an unwavering focus”, acknowledging the makers for ensuring “Mohanlal’s presence doesn’t take the limelight away from Anaswara and the issues addressed”. He singled out the performances of Mohanlal, Anaswara and Siddique, and praised the makers for exploring “various intricacies of the legal system” and its call for increased sensitivity from the public. Sowmya Rajendran of stated that “the screenplay is so fast-paced and the performances so superlative that is almost always riveting even when it takes cinematic liberties”. K. Janani of gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, ” is a riveting courtroom drama that holds your attention throughout. And to have Mohanlal belting out dialogues on consent, women’s rights and victim-shaming makes this film a worthy addition to the long list of women empowerment films.” S. R. Praveen of said the film “almost delivers a cathartic high” and that “Mohanlal is back to form with an understated performance, while Jeethu Joseph has found his mojo in this mostly riveting legal drama”. Nirmal Narayanan of commented that ” is not a fully-fledged commercial entertainer. But it is an emotional courtroom drama which will make you thrill until the credit starts rolling”. He particularly praised the acting of Mohanlal and Anaswara, and the background score. Pavithra A. of called it an “engaging courtroom drama” and concluded that “Jeethu Joseph’s touch is evident throughout the film, reminding me of and its sequel”. She praised Mohanlal, Anaswara, and Siddique and rated 3 out of 5 stars. Rating 3 out of 5 stars, Cris from described it a “poignant court drama” and added that “despite its amateurish setting, becomes an important film with a few careful arguments, strongly worded and delivered by its key actors, from Mohanlal to Anaswara Rajan”. Swathi P. Ajith of wrote, ” is undeniably a satisfying and enjoyable watch, marking a successful return for Mohanlal in more serious roles. Witnessing Mohanlal portraying a lawyer and participating in thrilling courtroom debates for the case is truly refreshing.” Anandu Suresh of gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that Mohanlal’s performance makes the “150-minute runtime feel less prolonged. By fully immersing himself in the narrative and the filmmaker’s vision, Mohanlal avoids letting his star persona become a burden to the story. He adeptly portrays the role of Vijayamohan with precision, balancing the character’s vulnerability and abilities without overshadowing Vijayamohan’s ordinary nature”. Netizens pointed out that the film has similarities with the plot and climax scenes of and that this is an inspired remake of it. collected 30 crore worldwide in 5 days of its release. It reached the 50 crore mark within 8 days of its release. The film crossed 60 crore globally in 11 days. The film grossed 75.25 crore on its 15th day with an overseas collection of 29.50 crore and a domestic gross of 45.75 crore. The film reached the 80 crore mark in 18 days. The film has grossed 84.50 crore worldwide by collecting 51.50 crore from India and 33 crore from overseas. In its final theatrical run, grossed 86 crore worldwide. The allegations arose when Deepu K Unni filed a case with the that and Santhi Mayadevi had plagiarized the script that he had written. Deepu alleged that he had met Jeethu and Santhi and narrated the story. There were reports that is inspired by the film directed by and directed by . In a pre-release promotional discussion in December 2023, Mohanlal, Jeethu, Santhi, and Antony disclosed that potential sequels to might happen if the first film proves successful at the box office. These sequels would explore additional cases handled by advocate Vijayamohan. Mohanlal also mentioned the possibility of spin-offs centered around other characters.</p>