Sethurama Iyer
CBI series character
Mammootty as Senior Superintendent Sethurama Iyer of CBI
First appearanceOru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988)
Last appearanceCBI 5: The Brain (2022)
Created byS. N. Swamy
Portrayed byMammootty
In-universe information
GenderMale
OccupationDeputy Superintendent - starting rank (first 2 parts of the series) Senior Superintendent - current rank in The Central Bureau of Investigation
ReligionHindu (Iyer)
NationalityIndian

Senior Superintendent Sethurama Iyer CBI (alternate spelling Sethuramayyar) is a fictional character, and the main protagonist of the CBI series of investigative thriller films in Malayalam directed by K. Madhu. The character was played by Mammootty in five films so far.[1][2]

Sethurama Iyer is an investigative officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indian equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Iyer's popularity is attributed to the fact that he uses his brain rather than brawn to solve cases.[3] The suspense-filled narration of the movies and the novelty of the investigative thriller genre also contributed to its success and becoming a household name among the moviegoers of Kerala. The character was inspired by a police officer named Radhavinod Raju, who in 2009 was appointed as the first chief of India's National Investigation Agency.[4][5]

Inspiration

The character is said to have been inspired by the police officer Radhavinod Raju, who in 2009 was appointed as the first chief of India's National Investigation Agency.[4][3] Raju's excellence while probing the Polakulam Peethambaran murder case[6] and SI Soman murder case, when he was acting as SP of CBI Kochi, attracted the attention of many.[7] His "Dummy-to-Dummy" experiment in Polakulam Peethambaran murder case was used in Oru CBI Diary Kurippu.[8] When Oru CBI Diary Kurippu became a hit, Mammootty became more famous in films and Raju in his services. Incidentally, Raju was Mammootty's senior in Maharajas College.[9][7]

Radhavinod Raju was also associated with the probes into Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and hijacking of Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar. The films Mission 90 Days and Kandahar were respectively inspired by the operations of Raju in these cases.[9][10]

Characterisation

Mammootty
Mammootty, who portrayed Sethurama Iyer in the five films so far

Sethurama Iyer is depicted with a distinctive style in the films. The character is heavily based on Kerala Iyers.[11][12] Mammootty thus in the series speaks Malayalam with traces of Tamil to represent the fact that the native language of this community is Tamil.[12] The most characteristic mannerism associated with him is his peculiar gait, as he folds both his arms behind his back while walking.[13][12] He used to scratch his head using forefinger as a gesture while he is in intense conceptualization. In the second movie, Jagratha, he was shown chewing betel, but this was dropped in the later films.[14] He is deceptively calm, rarely raises his voice and walks briskly.[14] His entries and exits in most scenes of the movies are punctuated by the signature background score of the series, composed by Shyam.[12][14] He is always shown wearing a kumkum stripe on his forehead.[11][12] He usually wears plain light-coloured half-sleeve shirts and dark plain trousers, without tucking in.[11] He is married, and has a son, who appears in the film Jagratha, though not reappearing later.[6][12] He is a teetotaler, vegetarian and a God-fearing, devout family man.[14][15]

Originally K. Madhu, the director of the film series had visualised the protagonist of the first film in the series as a tough cop named Ali Imran. It was Mammootty who convinced him that a pious intelligent Tamil Brahmin would be better.[1][13]

Appearances

CBI film series

Year Film Director Lead Actor Screenwriter Producer Composer
1988 Oru CBI Diary Kurippu K. Madhu Mammootty S. N. Swamy M. Mani Shyam
1989 Jagratha
2004 Sethurama Iyer CBI K. Madhu
2005 Nerariyan CBI
2022 CBI 5: The Brain Swargachitra Appachan Jakes Bejoy

References

    1. 1 2 Pillai, Sreedhar. "'I want to play lead roles'". Archived from the original on 5 October 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    2. ↑ "Mammootty's much-awaited 'CBI 5' starts rolling". Times Of India. Archived from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
    3. 1 2 "Unforgettable Dectective roles in Mollywood". Times of India. 13 July 2016. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    4. 1 2 "NIA chief inspired hit film 20 yrs ago". Hindusthan Times. 18 January 2009. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012.
    5. ↑ "A crack investigative team". hindu. Archived from the original on 18 April 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
    6. 1 2 "10 facts about the 'CBI Diarykkurippu' series". Sify. 28 November 2015. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    7. 1 2 "Mammootty to do this character for the fifth time!". Behindwoods. 30 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    8. ↑ "Not just Sukumara Kurup: 6 spine-chilling real-life murders that have inspired Malayalam films". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    9. 1 2 "Mamooty pays obeisance to 'Sethurama Iyer'". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
    10. ↑ "NIA founder RV Raju passes away". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
    11. 1 2 3 "Happy Birthday Mammootty: 4 films that will make fans WISH for the return of the superstar's most beloved characters - Sethurama Iyer". Bollywood Hungama. 7 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "'Oru CBI Diary Kurippu': Why Mammootty's detective film is unsurpassed". The News Minute. 8 May 2020. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    13. 1 2 "Ali Imran CBI became Sethurama Iyer CBI because of Mammootty!". Mathrubhumi. 13 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    14. 1 2 3 4 "30 years of 'Oru CBI Diary Kurippu', the Mammootty film that redefined crime thrillers". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
    15. ↑ "Brains and brawn, style and substance". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
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