Jump to content

Abraham Ozler

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 2001:8f8:1c39:1a83:f149:449b:d373:fb4b (talk) at 18:03, 30 April 2024 (→Cast). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Abraham Ozler
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMidhun Manuel Thomas
Written byDr.Randheer Krishnan
Produced by
  • Irshad M. Hassan
  • Midhun Manuel Thomas
StarringJayaram
Mammootty
Anoop Menon
Anaswara Rajan
Arjun Ashokan
CinematographyTheni Eswar
Edited byShameer Muhammed
Music byMidhun Mukundan
Production
companies
Nerambokku
Manual Movie Makers
Distributed byAnn Mega Media
Release date
  • 11 January 2024 (2024-01-11)
Running time
144 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Box office₹40-48 crore

Abraham Ozler is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film co-produced and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas and written by Randheer Krishnan.[1][2][3] The film stars Jayaram in the titular role alongside Mammootty in Extended Cameo Appearence, Anaswara Rajan, Anoop Menon, Arjun Ashokan, Arya Salim, Senthil Krishna, Jagadish, Saiju Kurup and Dileesh Pothan in supporting roles.[4] The film revolves around ACP Abraham Ozler's efforts to investigate the death of an IT employee and capture a serial killer, only known as "Birthday Killer".

Director John Manthrikkal narrated a story to Midhun, which was written by Randheer Krishnan. Impressed with the story, Midhun decided to direct the project. The film was officially announced in May 2023. Principal photography commenced on 20 May 2023. It was shot extensively in Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore and Wayanad. It was wrapped up by mid-November. The music was composed by Midhun Mukundan while the cinematography was handled by Theni Eswar and editing by Shameer Muhammed.

Abraham Ozler was initially set to be released on 25 December 2023, but the release date was postponed to 11 January 2024. The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its acting, technical aspects, and musical score, but criticism for its script and direction. The film earned around ₹40.53 crore worldwide, becoming Jayaram's highest grossing film of his career.[5][6]

Plot

ACP Abraham Ozler finds his life shattered when a fake police call lures him away, leading to the brutal death of his wife Aneesha and daughter Jenny. The main culprit is Vineeth, who wanted to exact revenge on Ozler for arresting him in a narcotics case. Vineeth confesses to killing Aneesha and Jenny, cutting them into pieces and burying the parts somewhere in a forest but says he doesn't remember exactly where because he was on a narcotics high at that time. Ozler gets distraught about his family's death and struggles to find closure because their bodies are never found.

Three years later, Ozler, who is haunted by hallucinations and insomnia, investigates a series of murders with his subordinates SI Divya Sreedharan and Sijo T Venu. The two killers, one driving a pickup truck and the other posing as a surgeon, leave cryptic notes at the crime scenes. They name the killer as "Birthday killer". As the team unravels the connections, they discover Krishnandas, a man using an artificial larynx, as a key suspect. They also learn that Krishnadas, a child prodigy singer, had lost his voice in a failed surgery.

Delving into the past, Ozler discovers a shared history among the victim's parents: Shivakumar and Selvaraj were postgraduate medical students at Kozhikode Medical College in 1989. Shivakumar, Selvaraj, a retired police surgeon Xavi Punnoose and Alexander Joseph were all found to have been friends and PG batchmates. They were heard to have gotten into an accident, after which they parted ways. Krishnadas is captured while he kidnaps Alexander. But even as Krishnadas is in Ozler's custody, Xavi is kidnapped. As the truth surfaces, the real Alexander is revealed to be another person. Alexander is arrested as soon as he inflicts the first cut on Xavi's body in order to kill him. Once in custody, Alexander narrates the flashback to Ozler and his team.

Alexander was a dedicated PG student at surgery department of Kozhikode Medical College. Xavi, a fellow PG student of surgery, is not as good a surgeon as Alexander, and he is jealous of Alexander. Shivakumar, a PG student of General Medicine, despises Alexander for being in a relationship with a first year MBBS student Suja Jayadev whom Shivakumar had been pursuing. Selvaraj, a PG student of anaesthesia, and a junkie who used to be on drugs even while on duty, was found to use drugs from operation theatre stock by Alexander, and Alexander's reporting of the same led to Selvaraj's dismissal. Professional jealousy of Xavi, fuelled by Shivakumar, led to Xavi orchestrating a failed surgery resulting in Krishnadas losing his voice forever. Alexander reports Xavi's intentional act to seniors, and Xavi, as well as Alexander being the first assistant at the surgery, are suspended from college. Xavi is blacklisted by his professors and told he shall never be allowed to do a surgery on a living human being again. Selvaraj, Xavi and Shivakumar then go ahead to severely injure Alexander, leading to him falling into coma. They made up an accident scene, faked injuries on themselves, and told everyone that a drunk Alexander took them for a drive and crashed the car. Alexander lay in vegetative state for months and Suja went into deep depression seeing this. One day, doctors suggested that they remove Alexander's life support and allow him to die peacefully. A depressed Suja becomes heartbroken after overhearing this and in a fit of emotion, she commits suicide by jumping in front of a moving bus. In a fateful irony, Alexander survives life support removal and with years and years of nursing care, regains movement, although he had dissociative amnesia, causing him to forget most of the events of his PG time, including Suja and the cruelty done by Xavi and his friends. 3-4 years ago, Alexander sees a TV programme featuring Krishnadas, wherein some old videos of him singing are shown. This triggers his memories and Alexander slowly recollects all the past events. He meets up with Krishnadas who had become wayward after losing his voice, and together they plan the murders. The motive behind the murders were to seek revenge on those who ruined their lives.

Back to the present, Xavi meets Alexander and Krishnadas in Ozler's custody and has no remorse at all. Ozler feels very bad in saving Xavi and tells that he needs to die. A surprising turn occurs as Xavi dies on stage at the release ceremony of his autobiography, with forensic surgeon Dr Satheesh Madhavan revealing to Ozler that Alexander had poisoned him with a bacteria-infected surgical ink before making cuts on his body. Later, it is shown that Shivakumar is found dead, and that Selvaraj became an alcoholic and his wife leaves him realising that he caused their son's murder.

On his routine visit to Vineeth in prison, Ozler unexpectedly encounters Alexander and Krishnadas in the prison. Alexander cryptically utters "Bone Residue", hinting at an unresolved truth about Ozler's family. Ozler confronts Vineeth, realizing that there is no bone residue on the weapon he allegedly used in the murders. Vineeth challenges Ozler to dig deeper for the truth.

Cast

Production

Development

After the success of Anjaam Pathira (2020), Midhun Manuel Thomas wanted to direct a film featuring Kunchako Boban. However, the commencement of shooting didn't occur due to various reasons. It was during that time that director John Manthrikkal narrated a story to Midhun which was written by ortho surgeon Dr. Randheer Krishnan. He liked the story and decided to direct the film.[7]

In an interview with Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express, Midhun revealed that the film's titular protagonist was named after the Canadian physician William Osler, regarded as the 'Father of Modern Medicine'. He also revealed that he had initially included a backstory, explaining that Abraham Ozler’s father, a doctor, named his son after his favorite physician with the hope that Abraham would also become a physician like his father.[8] The film marked Midhun's return to direction after a four year hiatus. Meanwhile he had penned the screenplay for Garudan (2023) and Phoenix (2023).[9]

Casting

Midhun approached Jayaram to play the titular role.[10] Initially, Jayaram was hesitant to commit to the project as he believed that it was unlike any film he had done till now. He believed it was a heavy character and had to appear in two timelines with different looks.[11] However, he agreed to play the role as Midhun convinced him. In preparing for the role, Jayaram put in some weight and grew a long beard with a tired look to fit the character.[12] Abraham Ozler marks Jayaram's second Malayalam venture since 2019.

There were reports that Mammootty would have a 15 minute cameo appearance in the film which was denied.[13] Reports suggested that Mammootty would have a screen-time of over 45 minutes in the film, and it was also reported that he would be playing a negative role, which was unconfirmed.[14] Regarding Mammootty's cameo, Jayaram revealed that Mammootty was not the first choice to play the role of Alexander. The makers approached actors Sathyaraj, R. Sarathkumar, Prakash Raj, and others.[15] Midhun said that, when he narrated the story of Abraham Ozler to Mammootty, he liked the script and asked him if he could play the antagonist.[16] Midhun was apprehensive about casting Mammootty. However, Jayaram convinced him to give the role to Mammootty.[15] Midhun met Mammootty again, who consented to play the role of Alexander.[17]

Filming

The project was announced on 19 May 2023.[18] Principal photography began on 20 May 2023 in Mission Quarters in Thrissur.[19] Producer Irshad M. Hassan performed the switch-on ceremony.[20] The first scene was reportedly shot between Jayaram and Sai Kumar.[21] Apart from Thrissur, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Idukki and Wayanad were the other shooting locations.[20] The filming wrapped up on 14 November 2023.[22]

Music

The film's music was composed by Midhun Mukundan. It consists of one track, Poomaname, from the 1985 film Nirakkoottu. The track was originally composed by Shyam and the lyrics were written by Poovachal Khader. The song was sung by Nitin K. Siva, while the original song was by K. S. Chithra, G. Venugopal and K. G. Markose.

Release

Theatrical

The film was initially scheduled to release on 25 December 2023, on the occasion of Christmas.[23] The release date was postponed to 11 January 2024 to avoid a clash with other major Christmas releases, such as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Dunki, Neru and Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire.[24] The film was released in North America on 12 January 2024.

Home Media

Abraham Ozler is released in Disney+Hotstar on March 20, 2024 and it will also be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada languages.

Reception

Critical response

Hari P N of Koimoi gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "'Abraham Ozler' successfully merges medical thriller and emotional crime drama, with Jayaram delivering a commendable performance. While the film has flaws, standout performances make it a worthwhile watch for Mollywood enthusiasts."[25] Gopika IS of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Jayaram starrer Abraham Ozler turned out to be an interesting watch and can undoubtedly be seen as a new phase in the actor's career."[26] Sara Anna Eepan of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Abraham Ozler is worth a watch on the big screen for those interested in an investigation drama with medical thriller elements."[27]

Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Abraham Ozler doesn't lack the ability to hook us, but it made me wonder whether it would've worked better as an airport novel than a film."[28] Nikhil Sebastian of Pinkvilla gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Abraham Ozler falls into the category of another half-baked thriller, relying on the performances of the actors and a brilliant original score."[29] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Midhun Manuel Thomas' film can be dubbed as a crime thriller that meets the essential criteria for the genre. However, determining whether it has done a good job requires more than a simple yes/no answer."[30]

S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "The Jayaram-starrer is marred by generic treatment to the serial killer genre, with a cameo from superstar Mammootty offering only a temporary relief."[31] Vishal Menon of FIlm Companion wrote "By reinventing Jayaram as an actor and by infusing so much information into a stereotypical thriller, Abraham Ozler remains fairly engaging even if you've seen it all before."[32] Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote "The initial feeling of repetitiveness affects the thrills in the first half. However, true to the expression "to end with a bang," Midhun employs the right tactics in the second half to provide viewers with a more than satisfactory conclusion."[33]

Box office

Abraham Ozler grossed ₹2.88 crore from the Kerala and ₹6 crore worldwide, on its opening day.[34] The film grossed ₹2.34 crore on its second day, with worldwide gross exceeding ₹10 crore.[35] Abraham Ozler grossed ₹2.9 crore on its third day and ₹3.19 crore on its first Sunday. The film grossed around ₹11.31 crore in its first four days from Kerala.[36]

The film grossed a total of $61,616 from the North America in the first weekend.[37] The film grossed ₹1.4 crore on its fifth day from the Kerala.[38] The film grossed a total of ₹15 crore in its first 8 days from Kerala. The film grossed a total of ₹3.1 crore in its second weekend at Kerala. The film grossed a total of $1.36 million (approx Rs. 11.3 crores) from 11 days at the UAE and GCC box office, while it grossed ₹1.7 crore from ROI circuits in 11 days. In North America, the film grossed $130K in UK and Europe it grossed $150K and in Australia $17K in 11 days at the box office.[39][40] In 16 days, the film grossed more than ₹20 crore from Kerala and became the first commercially successful Malayalam film of 2024.[41]

References

  1. ^ "Is 'Anjaam Paathira' director Midhun Manuel teaming up with Jayaram for a medical thriller?". The Times of India.
  2. ^ "Fans excited to see Jayaram's stylish look in Midhun Manuel's 'Abraham Ozler'". Manorama Online.
  3. ^ "Jayaram says he deliberately took a break from Malayalam film industry: 'I have great hope for Abraham Ozler'". The Indian Express.
  4. ^ "Actor Jayaram's Salt-and-pepper Look For Malayalam Film Abraham Ozler Viral". News18 India.
  5. ^ "തിരിച്ചടികൾക്കൊടുവിൽ 'ജയറാംസ് ഒാൾട്ടർണേറ്റിവ്': ഓസ്‌ലർ റിവ്യു". www.manoramaonline.com (in Malayalam). Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  6. ^ nirmal. "അപൂര്‍വ്വ നേട്ടം! നാലാം വാരത്തിലെ സ്ക്രീന്‍ കൗണ്ട് പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ച് 'ഓസ്‍ലര്‍' നിര്‍മ്മാതാക്കള്‍". Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd (in Malayalam). Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  7. ^ "ട്രെയിലറിൽ കാണാത്ത താരങ്ങൾ ഓസ്‌ലറിലുണ്ട്, ആട്-3 ചെയ്യാൻ സമ്മർദം- മിഥുൻ മാനുവൽ തോമസ്". Mathrubhumi. 7 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  8. ^ "Who is Abraham Ozler? Director Midhun Manuel Thomas breaks down his new Jayaram film and other thrillers". The Indian Express. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Who is Abraham Ozler? Director Midhun Manuel Thomas breaks down his new Jayaram film and other thrillers". The Indian Express. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  10. ^ Menon, Vishal (7 January 2024). "I Told Jayaram Sir That If He Turns Down Abraham Ozler, I Would Shelve It: Midhun Manuel Thomas". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Jayaram reveals why he hesitated to take on the role of 'Abraham Ozler". The Times of India. 11 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  12. ^ Menon, Vishal (6 January 2024). "I Was Initially Hesitant To Play Abraham Ozler: Jayaram". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  13. ^ "Is Mammootty playing a 15-minute cameo role in Jayaram's 'Abraham Ozler'?". The Times of India. 22 May 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  14. ^ "Mammootty's role in Jayaram and Midhun Manuel Thomas's Abraham Ozler – All you need to know". OTTPlay. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b "'Mammootty was not the first choice': Jayaram opens up about the cameo role in Abraham Ozler". PINKVILLA. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Midhun Manuel Thomas Interview : ജയറാമിനെ റീലോഞ്ച് ചെയ്യുന്ന ചിത്രത്തില്‍ മമ്മൂട്ടി എങ്ങനെയെത്തി? മിഥുന്‍ മാനുവല്‍ തോമസ് അഭിമുഖം". www.asianetnews.com. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Jayaram reveals Mammootty was not the first choice for Alexander's role in 'Abraham Ozler'". The Times of India. 16 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  18. ^ "Jayaram teams up with Midhun Manuel Thomas for Abraham Ozler". Cinema Express. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  19. ^ "Jayaram-Midhun Manuel Thomas film Abraham Ozler begins". Cinema Express. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Malayalam Actor Jayaram-starrer Medical Crime-drama Abraham Ozler Goes On Floors". News18. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  21. ^ Web Desk (20 May 2023). "അഞ്ചാം പാതിരക്ക് ശേഷം വീണ്ടും ക്രൈം ത്രില്ലറുമായി മിഥുന്‍ മാനുവല്‍; ജയറാം നായകന്‍". MediaOne (in Malayalam). Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  22. ^ "It's a wrap for Jayaram's Abraham Ozler". Cinema Express. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  23. ^ "Jayaram's Abraham Ozler to arrive on Christmas". Cinema Express. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Jayaram's thriller 'Abraham Ozler's release date changed!". The Times of India. 6 November 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  25. ^ P N, Hari (12 January 2024). "Abraham Ozler Movie Review: A Medical Thriller That Might Resurrect Jayaram's Career In Mollywood". Koimoi.
  26. ^ "Abraham Ozler Movie Review : Jayaram's thriller begins well but falters in places". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  27. ^ "'Abraham Ozler' review: Jayaram delivers an engaging crime thriller - The Week". The Week. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  28. ^ "Abraham Ozler review: Intriguing details camouflage an unaffecting thriller". The New Indian Express.
  29. ^ "Abraham Ozler Movie Review: Midhun Manuel's latest thriller with Jayaram offers a decent watch for genre enthusiasts". PINKVILLA. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  30. ^ "Abraham Ozler movie review: Midhun Manuel Thomas film is mostly a letdown, saved only by a revived Jayaram and You-Know-Who". The Indian Express. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  31. ^ Praveen, S. R. (11 January 2024). "'Abraham Ozler' movie review: A serial killer pursuit that fizzles out soon". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  32. ^ Menon, Vishal (11 January 2024). "Abraham Ozler Review: An All-New Jayaram In A Same Old Revenge Drama Disguised As A Serial Killer Thriller". www.filmcompanion.in. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  33. ^ "Solid ending and a surprise cameo save the case for Midhun Manuel Thomas' 'Abraham Ozler' | Movie Review". Onmanorama. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  34. ^ "Abraham Ozler' box office collections day 7: Jayaram's thriller rakes in Rs 13.24 crores". The Times of India. 18 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  35. ^ Forum, Keralam (12 January 2024). "Very good hold for #AbrahamOzler on its Day-2 (FRI) as the early estimates suggests Kerala gross collection in the range of ₹2.1cr to ₹2.2cr". Twitter.
  36. ^ Forum, Keralam (15 January 2025). "#AbrahamOzler 4-day opening weekend Kerala Boxoffice update". Twitter.
  37. ^ Forum, Keralam (16 January 2024). "#AbrahamOzler 3-day opening weekend North America Boxoffice Reported". Twitter.
  38. ^ Forum, Keralam (16 January 2024). "Good Hold For #AbrahamOzler on its First working Day (MON) at Kerala Boxoffice with gross collection in the range of ₹1.4cr".
  39. ^ "Abraham Ozler's box office collections day 11: Jayaram's film continues strong; mints Rs 17.25 crore". The Times of India. 24 January 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
  40. ^ Forum, Keralam (23 January 2024). "#AbrahamOzler 11 Days UAE & GCC Boxoffice update". Twitter.
  41. ^ Forum, Keralam (26 January 2023). "#AbrahamOzler All set for another good weekend". Twitter.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abraham_Ozler&oldid=1221569803"