Anjaam Pathiraa

''Anjaam Pathiraa'' () is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas. The film stars Kunchacko Boban, Sharaf U Dheen, Sreenath Bhasi, Jinu Joseph and Unnimaya Prasad. Sushin Shyam composed the music, while Shyju Khalid was the cinematographer. The plot follows a squad of police sleuths assisted by a consultant criminologist, Anwar Hussain, as they attempt to unveil the identity of a faceless killer who employs brutal tactics to slay his victims.

''Anjaam Pathiraa'' was dubbed in Telugu and Hindi as ''Midnight Murders'' and ''Police Story'' and was released on ''Aha'' and ''Goldmines Telefilms''. The film received positive reviews from critics and audience where it went on to emerge as the highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2020 and was remade in Bengali in 2021 as ''Psycho''. Following the film's success, Midhun Manuel Thomas has announced a sequel named ''Aaaram Pathiraa'' ().

Plot

Anwar Hussain is a psychologist who works as a consulting criminologist in Kochi City Police on the special recommendation of his friend ACP Anil Madhavan. One night, DYSP Abraham Koshi is abducted and his corpse is left in a gypsum field with eyes and heart eviscerated. The investigation is headed by DCP Catherine. The autopsy report shows zolpidem presence in the body, but no signs of coercion. In a few days, a second police officer goes missing, his body is found in the backyard of the police station, along with a Lady Justice figurine. Anwar finds a similar artefact in the previous crime scene from the forensic photos. Autopsy results are the same as previous. The station's CCTV footage has been tampered, indicating the killer is also a security hacker.

Anwar employs hacker Andrew for cyber investigation. Catherine implements a plan to lure the killer in which two officers should pair and patrol the night at 100-meter distance. During duty, Catherine's driver Paulson is kidnapped. His scooter's camera footage shows a wolf-masked man and another man's voice, indicating they work as a team. Paulson's body is delivered to Anwar's house in a refrigerator box. The fingerprint of a cocaine dealer, Shameer, is found. They track him to a cottage where they find his mummified corpse. It was a decoy. Anwar accidentally discovers a signature imprinted on the figurine, which turns out to be that of its sculptor, Sudhakar Devalokam. On questioning, Sudhakar explains that he made five such figurines for two men, who blinded him after he delivered it. From that, Anwar deduces there will be two more murders.

On another day, CI Sharathchandran is abducted after a struggle at his home, where in addition to the figurine, they also find a fidget spinner. His body is dropped in a Kochi Metro train by a woman. With that, Catherine is replaced with ACP Prakash Seetharam. Sharathchandran had regularly taken a prescription drug named Tenormin. Anwar theorises that the killers inject hypnotic drug Zolpidem in victim's body somehow before kidnapping and hypnotize them for taking away; Tenormin is a counter-drug against Zolpidem, so Sharathchandran's hypnosis was unsuccessful, hence the struggle. Anwar recalls seeing a photo of a similar spinner in the police file for a homicidal psychopath and hacker named Simon. While Simon is recorded dead during an explosion in prison, Anwar is not convinced. Andrew recognises Simon as the one who cross-dressed as the woman on the train.

Anwar reports his findings but is informed that Simon and his crime partner Aravindan's bodies were found that morning with a suicide note confessing to the murders left along with the last figurine. Anwar is unconvinced and believes it is a decoy to stop the investigation. Anwar is called by Sudhakar after a man comes to his workshop for a sixth figurine. He has made a facial composite. Anwar identifies him as psychologist Dr Benjamin Louis since he always recommends his psychology books for referring when he goes to be a guest lecturer to psychology colleges. From Benjamin's foster parent Sudhevan, Anwar learns that when Benjamin was a teenager, his sister Rebecca was impregnated by a priest named Bennet Franko. When their father Louis reported the crime, SI Anil and Constable Sharathchandran framed him for assaulting his daughter after taking a bribe from Father Bennet. Rebecca was placed in a distant convent, and their father committed suicide in prison.

Later, Benjamin went to the United States for higher studies and came back. Anwar deduces that the first three murders were random and the actual targets are Sharathchandran and Anil. He goes to warn Anil but finds only his deserted car. From a nearby quadcopter, Anwar finds footage of Benjamin's van, Andrew traces it to a pig farm. Anwar and two officers intercepts Benjamin before he can kill Anil. Benjamin knocks them down and chokes Anwar, but is saved by Catherine and Benjamin is arrested. On questioning, Benjamin does not disclosing his motive. Anwar deduces that the burned corpse misidentified in prison as Simon's was actually Bennet's. While in transit for presenting him in court, his escort officers kill Benjamin in a fake encounter. At the same time, a woman visits Anil at his apartment. Anwar enters when she leaves and finds Anil dead. Through the window, Anwar calls out the name Rebecca,to which she turns back and looks at him and credits began to roll.

Cast

* Kunchacko Boban as Dr. Anwar Hussain
* Sharaf U Dheen as Dr. Benjamin Louis
* Sreenath Bhasi as Andrew, a hacker
* Jinu Joseph as ACP Anil Madhavan
* Unnimaya Prasad as DCP Catherine Maria
*Abhiram Radhakrishnan as SI Pradeep Raman
* Harikrishnan

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