CBI (film series)

CBI film series
Creator K. Madhu, S. N. Swamy, Mammootty[1]
Original work Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988)
Films and television
Films Oru CBI Diary Kurippu
Jagratha
Sethurama Iyer CBI
Nerariyan CBI

The CBI film series is a series of four Malayalam films directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swami featuring Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer. The series started off in 1988 with the block buster Oru CBI Diary Kurippu.

The films depicts a team of three CBI officers led by Sethurama Iyer investigating into a murder case. All the films feature Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer. The other two members of the team vary in the series. All the four films so far released have Vikram, the character played by Jagathy Sreekumar as a CBI officer. But he is not part of the three-men team in the third film but appears in the film for a short length. Chacko played by Mukesh appears in the first film but is not part of the team. But Chacko becomes part of the team from the second film onwards.

The lead character, Sethurama Iyer is said to have been inspired by a police officer named Radhavinod Raju, who in 2009 was appointed as the first chief of India's National Investigation Agency.[2][3]

The production of the 5th movie of the series titled "Black Investigators" is under progress.[4][5]

The background score of the series became quite popular. Years after the release of the first two sequels, the background score became popular as mobile phone ringtone. This was one of the reasons that led the filmmakers to plan a third sequel after 15 years. All the sequels use the same background score, composed by music director Shyam.

Films

The films of the franchise are:

  1. Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (Malayalam: ഒരു സിബിഐ ഡയറി കുറിപ്പ്, 1988), featuring Mammootty, Suresh Gopi and Jagathy Sreekumar as CBI officers. Mukesh plays the role of police constable Chacko, a relative of the murdered woman.
  2. Jagratha (Malayalam: ജാഗ്രത, 1989), featuring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar as CBI officers.
  3. Sethurama Iyer CBI (Malayalam: സേതുരാമയ്യര്‍ സിബിഐ, 2004), featuring Mammootty, Mukesh and Vineeth Kumar in the CBI team and Jagathy Sreekumar in a special appearance.
  4. Nerariyan CBI (Malayalam: നേരറിയാന്‍‌ സിബിഐ, 2005), featuring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar as CBI officers.
  5. Black Investigators or Veendum CBI (2014 shelved)

Characters

Characters that appear throughout the franchise:

Sethurama Iyer

Main article: Sethurama Iyer

Sethurama Iyer (Malayalam: സേതുരാമയ്യര്‍, alternate spelling Sethuramayyar) is the main fictional character and the protagonist of the CBI film series. The character was played by Mammootty in the first four films. He is an investigative officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indian equivalent of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation. Iyer's popularity is attributed to the fact that he uses his brain rather than brawn to solve cases.

References

  1. Pillai, Sreedhar (22 July 2005). "`I want to play lead roles'". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  2. "NIA chief inspired hit film 20 yrs ago". Hindusthan Times.
  3. "A crack investigative team". hindu. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
  4. "Mammootty back again as Sethurama Iyer". CineQueen.com. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  5. "Black Investigators Malayalam Movie ( 2013 ) - MAMMOOTTY , MUKESH". 2filmfanscity. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.