Vettah
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRajesh Pillai
Written byArunlal Ramachandran
Produced byHaneef Mohammed
Rajesh Pillai
StarringKunchacko Boban
Indrajith Sukumaran
Manju Warrier
Sandhya
Deepak Parambol
CinematographyAnishlal R S
Edited byAbhilash Balachandran
Music byShaan Rahman[1][2]
Production
company
Distributed byRed Rose Creations
Release date
  • 26 February 2016 (2016-02-26)[3]
Running time
120 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam

Vettah (English: Hunt) is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-Language Psychological crime mystery thriller film directed and co-produced by Rajesh Pillai.[4][5][6] The film stars Kunchacko Boban, Indrajith Sukumaran, Manju Warrier and Sandhya.[7][8][9] The script was written by Arunlal Ramachandran. Anishlal R. S. handles the cinematography.[10] The director, Rajesh Pillai, died on 27 February 2016, the day after the film was released.[11]

Plot

Commissioner Sreebala and Assistant Commissioner Zylex Abraham are tasked with investigating the disappearance of actress Uma Sathyamoorthi. The investigation leads to them arresting Melvin, who was a classmate of Uma. During the interrogation, Melvin confesses to murdering his wife Sherin and covering it up as a drug-induced suicide to take revenge on her for cheating on him. The man she had been having an affair with was Uma's boyfriend, and Melvin had planned their kidnapping and subsequent murder. However, he refuses to reveal where he had dumped their bodies.

Since they cannot make much progress in the case, Sreebala and Zylex are pulled off the investigation, but not before Melvin plants seeds of doubt in both of them. Sreebala comes across signs of foul play in her father's accident, which left him in a vegetative state. She suspects Zylex had some part in the accident, and becomes wary of him. Meanwhile, Zylex grows increasingly suspicious of his wife. He secretly follows her around, and seeing her frequently with the same man confirms his suspicion. Subsequently, he kills the man and makes it look like an accident, echoing Melvin's own crime.

Melvin agrees to give up the location of his victims' corpses but insists that only Sreebala and Zylex accompany him to the spot. But when they get there, Uma and her boyfriend are well and alive. The investigation team concludes that Melvin had become deranged and paranoid following his wife's suicide. The case is wrapped up and Melvin is turned over to psychiatric care. Zylex learns that the man he had murdered - Ronnie and his wife had been helping Zylex's wife arrange for adoption, keeping it a surprise for him. Zylex's involvement in the murder becomes known to Sreebala when she receives a videotape of the accident.

The true facts of Melvin's case come to light. Sherin had not been having an affair, and her death had not been a suicide either. Melvin reveals the circumstances of her death to Sreebala and Zylex. Melvin had a daughter, who her school's headmistress abused because she had failed to score good marks. She had died due to a panic-induced asthma attack when the headmistress had left her locked in a cage and forgot about her when the school closed. Melvin's attempts to seek justice for his daughter were cut short by the owner of the school - revealed to be the now-deceased Ronnie - who had used his influence to cover up the incident, and had murdered Sherin in the process. The case's investigating officer had been Sreebala's father, who had met with an accident when he got close to discovering the truth. Melvin had orchestrated the kidnapping, counting on Sreebala and Zylex joining the investigation; the former because of her father's history, and the latter because of his wife's association with Ronnie. Melvin had influenced Zylex to murder Ronnie, and in a final twist, as they drive through the forest, Sreebala accidentally runs over the headmistress who had killed Melvin's daughter. Melvin is satisfied, having avenged his family while being innocent of any actual crime.

Cast

Production

Vettah was announced by director Rajesh Pillai on 20 October. The announcement stated that Kunchacko Boban, Indrajith Sukumaran, and Manju Warrier would be the lead actors and that Bhama, Vijayaraghavan, Prem Prakash and Deepak Parambol were considered for other roles.[5] Bhama was later replaced by Sandhya.[9] Initially, Jayasurya was considered for the role of ACP Zylex Abraham IPS, but it was later confirmed that this character would be portrayed by Indrajith Sukumaran.

Principal photography started on 7 October at Ernakulam.[10] The first schedule was finished by the first week of November. The second schedule started on 11 December at Punalur, Kollam.[12]

Critical response

The Times Of India gave the film 3 out of 5 and stated "Vettah can be a moderately engaging one-time watch if you walk in with reasonable expectations". Indiagiltz rated the film 3 out of 5 stars saying that "Vettah' is an engaging watch in the thriller mode and can be enjoyed for its novelty in treatment and narration Kunchako Boban's performance and characterization stand out and his rugged look and rustic performance overshadows the other actors". Manorama Online gave the film 3 out of 5 and stated "Vettah is a one time watch for those who are looking for something fresh on screen". Filmi Beat rated the film 3 out of 5 stars saying that" Vettah is a well-crafted, unique psychological thriller, with some exceptional performances".

Box office

By 6 April 2016, the film had grossed approximately ₹6.54 crore (US$820,000).[13]

Awards and nominations

Asiavision Awards – 2017
Asianet Film Awards
  • Best Cinematography – Anishlal R S
Vayalar Awards
Vanitha Film Awards
NAFA 2017
Janmabhumi Awards
2nd IIFA Utsavam
Filmfare Awards South
  • Nominated – Best Lyrics – Manu Manjith
  • Nominated – Best Playback Singer (Female) – Rinu Razak
SIIMA 2017
Anand TV Awards

References

  1. ↑ Sidhardhan, Sanjith (25 September 2015). "Vettah will be mindblowing: Shaan Rahman". The Times Of India. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  2. ↑ George, Anjana (24 October 2015). "Shaan Rahman to compose for 'Vettah'". The Times Of India. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Manju Warrier's Vettah: Release Date is Out!". 18 February 2016.
  4. ↑ Sudhish, Navamy (24 September 2015). "A Mind-boggling Hunt". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 Sidhardhan, Sanjith (20 September 2015). "Rajesh Pillai's next titled Vettah". The Times Of India. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  6. ↑ James, Anu (25 September 2015). "Kunchacko Boban-Manju Warrier starrer psychological thriller 'Vettah' to go on floors". International Business Times. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Jayaram, Deepika (23 October 2015). "Manju in high voltage cop look in Vettah". The Times Of India. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Prakash, Asha (28 September 2015). "Bhamaa and Indrajith join Vettah". The Times Of India. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  9. 1 2 Prakash, Asha (10 October 2015). "Kadhal Sandhya replaces Bhamaa in Vettah". The Times Of India. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  10. 1 2 Jayaram, Deepika (8 October 2015). "Manju's Vettah kicks off!". The Times Of India. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Vettah". www.sify.com. Archived from the original on 27 February 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  12. ↑ Sidhardhan, Sanjith (11 December 2015). "Vettah begins filming in Thenmala". The Times Of India. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  13. ↑ Anu James (6 April 2016). "Kerala box office: Here is the collection report of 'King Liar,' 'Kali,' 'Vettah,' 'Paavada,' 'Puthiya Niyamam'". International Business Times. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
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