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Nerariyan CBI
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'Nerariyan CBI' A Whodunit!

By P. Sreekumaran
Film critic, ApunKaChoice.Com

The K. Madhu-SN Swamy-Mammootty team has done it for the fourth time. Nerariyan CBI, the fourth in the CBI sequel, is a unique film because nowhere else in the world of cinema has a film had a fourth sequel. That way, the Nerariyan CBI team is eminently qualified to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

Like its earlier versions, Nerariyan CBI is running to packed houses. The only difference is that, unlike the earlier versions which are straightforward murder mysteries, the scriptwriter has tried a new twist by giving a super natural angle to the fourth sequel.

If

the film is a hit, a lion’s share of the credit should go to megastar Mammootty, who once again plays the charming CBI officer who is adept at solving murder mysteries.

Mammootty essays the role of the cerebral Sethurama Iyer with great panache and charm. He can be said to have carried the film single-handedly on to the victory post. Here is the story. Animangalam Tharavad is witness to a host of strange happenings, including a number of murders. The movie unfolds with Anitha (Gopika), one of the members of the aristocratic family, coming home with her friends for a holiday. The same night her friend Mythili (Samvrutha) dies under mysterious circumstances. Unable to crack the case, police closes it as an accident.

But it is resurrected four years later when IPS Officer Sai (Jishnu), Anita’s lover, accidentally runs into CBI officer Sethurama Iyer (Mammootty) at the airport. Sai fills Iyer in on the unusual case, blaming the murder on some supernatural beings! His curiosity aroused, Iyer initiates the saga of investigation with the support of his usual team of Chacko (Mukesh) and Vikram (Jagathy), and resolves the mystery.

Full marks to Director Madhu who manages to keep the suspense till the very end. When the climax comes, the real killer turns out to be the least expected of the lot! That says a lot about the directorial skill of K Madhu.

The highlights of the earlier versions are there in this one too. For instance, there is the dummy act. There are the red herrings too in the form of a servant (Mohan Jose), his wife, Maya (Suvarna), Dr Krishnan Nair (Sreekumar) and Dr Baby (Riza Bava).

But Nerariyan CBI is a Sethurama Iyer show all the way. Mammootty looks the suave and intelligent Iyer to a T. A highlight of the movie is the war of words between Iyer and Kapra (Thilakan), a local sorcerer.

Like in the earlier sequels, here too the supporting cast has little to do. Shyam’s background score meshes well with the mood of the murder mystery. Salu George’s camera work is also commendable.

Nerariyan CBI marks the return of Sethurama Iyer after a gap of three years. Well, Iyer is back with a bang. A clear indication of the CBI officer’s immense popularity is the enthusiasm with which people are thronging the theatres day and night. That being the case, you might as well wait for the fifth version in the not too distant future!

Verdict: A good intellectual exercise.

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