Manjummel Boys

In 2006, ten friends from an arts club in Kochi leave on a trip to Kodaikanal in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, during the Onam vacation. They explore Kodaikanal and before leaving, one of the friends, Sudhi mentions the Guna Caves, a place where the film Gunaa was shot. Inebriated and high, the friends explore the caves' restricted areas, despite a warning from tourist guide Dominic. Upon reaching a point, some friends etch their group name "Manjummel Boys" on a wall. After doing so, they decide to regroup to take a picture. Subhash, one of the friends, falls into a hole while moving towards the group. Initially, everyone assumes he is pulling a prank, but he does not respond after they repeatedly call out to him. Some friends leave to seek help and inform the locals, who in turn suggest going to the police station and forest guard. The locals also say that the specific area was off-limits for a reason and that so far thirteen people have fallen into the hole and none were ever recovered. They mention the hole is over 900 feet deep and the British called it The Devil's Kitchen. The friends reach the police station, where they are beaten; the police file an FIR against them for entering a restricted area. They are also accused of murdering Subhash and giving false complaints and no help is offered. Meanwhile, rain starts to flood the hole. After being convinced, and fearing backlash from the local people for failing to help, the police agree to help them and send an officer to accompany them to the cave. En route, he reveals that the last person who fell into the hole was the former Central Minister's nephew around ten years before and all the forces cooperated to rescue him, to no avail. The officer, after inspecting the hole, suggests that they leave Subhash as he is probably dead, but the friends insist on rescuing him. One of the boys, Sixon, hears Subhash's cries, convincing the police to try to save him. The fire department and more police officers are called into the scene. They estimate that Subhash fell to a depth of around 120 feet through his cries. They try lowering a rope for Subhash to hold, but are sceptical that this will work and are scared to go inside the hole to retrieve him. Seeing this, one of the friends, Siju David (Kuttan), decides to go down. The officers initially hesitate, but agree after being convinced by the friends and the locals. Kuttan is lowered into the hole, but his rope runs out, and police think that it is unsafe to go any lower as there might be low oxygen levels. However, Kuttan states that he can hear Subhash's voice and that he cannot leave him. The police arrange for more rope and reel Kuttan down further. At 120 feet, Kuttan sees Subhash lying on a ledge covered in blood and muddy water. Kuttan retrieves him and their friends pull them up together. After receiving first aid from the nearest clinic, they take Subhash to the hospital in their hometown. The police decide to let them go and warns them not to attempt anything like this again. They decide not to tell anyone about the incident and tell Subhash's family that he fell in a waterfall. Subhash initially suffers nightmares from the fall and cannot sleep, but recovers after receiving trauma therapy. Later, the news that Kuttan saved Subhash was revealed by someone who went to Tamil Nadu, and Kuttan is applauded for his bravery. Two years later, Kuttan is awarded the Jeevan Raksha Padak for his actions. == Cast ==

Development Inspiration for the film came to Chidambaram after hearing a real-life story told to him by his friend Shawn Antony where a group of boys from Kochi who went for a trip to Kodaikanal and while visiting Guna Caves, one of them fell down a hole to a depth of 120 feet. As rescue officials hesitated to descend, one of the boys climbed down a rope to save him. This prompted Chidambaram to consider for a potential film material. He visited the boys in Kochi. After listening to their accounts he decided to make a film on the incident. He did extensive research to recreate the original sequence of events. Following his visit to Guna Caves he visualised the danger that the boys had experienced and also believed that the location was completely unsuitable for shooting. It took Chidambaram a one and half years to write the script. The project was initially reported in January 2023 by The New Indian Express, which was the second of Chidambaram after Jan. E. Man (2021). Soubin Shahir and Sreenath Bhasi were roped to play the lead roles, in their fifth collaboration following Parava (2017), Kumbalangi Nights, Virus (2019), and Bheeshma Parvam (2022). Soubin also produced the film with his father Babu Shahir and producer-distributor Shawn Antony under their maiden production house Parava Films. Balu Varghese, Ganapathy, Lal Junior, Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman, Chandu Salimkumar, and Vishnu Raghu were also cast as the main characters in the film. The real-life Manjummel Boys make a cameo appearance as the opposing gang during a tug of war contest. The film was shot around 101 working days throughout multiple schedules. The film was also shot in Palani, Ernakulam and Kochi. The cave and its surrounding shown in the film was an actual set constructed in an abandoned godown in Perumbavoor by production designer Ajayan Chalissery. About 90 percent of the film was shot in a replica of the cave. Realising the dangerous prospect in shooting in Guna caves which was thought to be impractical, they took the measurements and built a similar cave at a warehouse in Perumbavoor. Metal and fibre were used for the frame and the rocks. The height was about 40 feet and additional VFX was done to create further height. It was validated by two senior technicians who commented that the recreation was authentic and looked like real Guna caves. The technicians were part of the crew of Kamal Haasan’s 1991 film Gunaa, which was shot inside the caves. == Music ==

The original score and soundtrack of Manjummel Boys is composed by Sushin Shyam. It features two tracks, which were sung by Pradeep Kumar and rapper Vedan. The lyrics were penned by Anwar Ali and Vedan. In the film, the 1991 Tamil film Gunaa is referenced several times, especially through the song "Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan". The film won the Best Music Award at the Kino Bravo International Film Festival in Sochi, Russia. The film was the only Indian film in the festival's competitive section. == Release ==

Theatrical Manjummel Boys was theatrically released on 22 February 2024. Prior to the film's theatrical release, the Film Exhibitors Union Organisation of Kerala (FEUOK) announced that they would halt the screening of Malayalam-language films in theatres owing to the Kerala Film Producers Association (KFPA) and Film Distributors Association's decision not to screen films that would be released in streaming platforms in less than 42 days. FEUOK went on with the theatre strike from 23 February 2024 and Malayalam films were stopped from releasing in theatres till 2 March 2024. Eventually, KFPA affirmed on the film's release in specific theatres which followed the contractual agreements. Prior to the film's release, it garnered from advance bookings across Kerala. The Telugu-language dubbed version was released on 6 April 2024. Distribution It was released by Sree Gokulam Movies through Dream Big Films in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The overseas rights acquired by Phars Film Co. It was distributed across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by Mythri Movie Makers, Sukumar Writings and Primeshow Entertainment. Home media The streaming rights and satellite rights were acquired by Disney+ Hotstar and Asianet, respectively. The film began streaming on Disney+ Hotstar from 5 May 2024 in Malayalam and dubbed versions of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi languages. == Reception ==

Box office Manjummel Boys grossed in Kerala and in Rest of India (with a majority in Tamil Nadu₹64.10 crore) and overseas territories (₹73.3 crore) for a worldwide total of . It remains as the highest grossing Malayalam film in Rest of India. On the opening day of its release, the film earned a gross collection of as per early estimates and as per revised reports by trade experts. On its second day the film garnered to a worldwide gross of . It grossed over worldwide by its third day. The film earned worldwide within the first four-day weekend of its release. The film grossed from overseas giving it a worldwide gross of in 5 days. In eight days, the film grossed at the worldwide box office, earning domestically and from the overseas. By 5 March 2024, the film crossed crore. By 14 March 2024, the film crossed ₹175 crore. As of 19 March 2024, Manjummel Boys has grossed a worldwide total of ₹200 crore (US$25 million). Within eleven days, the film earned , thereby becoming the highest-grossing Malayalam film in the state. Film analysts and exhibitors attributed the success of the film which was primarily attributed to 60% of the film being set in Tamil Nadu which connected with the local audiences, along with the nostalgia, themes and emotional connect with family audience and youngsters, and popular references to Tamil cinema, primilarily Gunaa, which was shot in the Gunaa caves. Exhibitors further described that the lack of notable Tamil films and the releases during February and March 2024 not performing well as expected were the contributing factors for the film's overperformance in the state. Critical response Manjummel Boys received critical acclaim from critics. S. Devasankar of Pinkvilla gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Manjummel Boys is one of the finest additions to Malayalam survival thriller films. The film demands a theater watch with the best sound quality for the best experience, and is sure to leave the audience shook". Gopika I. S. of The Times of India gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Manjummel Boys isn't your average friendship flick packed like a survival film. If you are looking for a crisp survival film, this is it. It's an absolute marvel of visuals, absolutely good writing, characterisation, editing, acting and all the thrills". Arjun Menon of Rediff gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Manjummel Boys gets so many things right that the small nitpicks don't amount to much in the larger picture". Sanjith Sridharan of OTTplay gave / 5 stars and wrote "Chidambaram hasn't tried to overdramatise Manjummel Boys for the sake of entertainment and has kept it mostly true to the events that had transpired in Kodaikanal in 2006". Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Despite its shortcomings, Chidambaram's film can indeed be seen as a powerful tribute to the real Manjummel Boys and their determined efforts to save their dear one". Janani K. of India Today gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Director Chidambaram's Manjummel Boys is a heartwarming thriller which is earnest in its attempt". S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "Though the survival thriller part brings back memories of Bharathan's Malootty, this one takes a different path by tying the events closely to their friendship of the characters". Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote "Overall, the movie is a neatly crafted tale of friendship that triumphs over the survival drama". == Accolades ==

Comments by Jeyamohan Jeyamohan's stated, Manjummel Boys is a disturbing film that depicts reality rather than fiction. He said the tourists from Kerala engage in excessive drinking, vomiting, stumbling, and lack of common sense or social awareness. Forgery and money-laundering accusations The producers of the film were arraigned by the Marad police to inquire about alleged cheating and forgery. FIR was filed against Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir and Shawn Antony. On 17 May 2024, the Kerala High Court stayed the proceedings for a month based on the petition filed by the Defendant seeking to quash the criminal case. Plagiarism allegation by Ilaiyaraaja On 22 May 2024, music composer Ilaiyaraaja issued a formal notice to the producers of Manjummel Boys for the unauthorised use of his song "Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan" from Gunaa. The notice, addressed to Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir, and Shawn Antony of Parava Films, asserts Ilaiyaraaja's legal and moral rights over the song and reserves the right to initiate legal action. Financial fraud The blockbuster Malayalam survival thriller Manjummel Boys, which became the highest-grossing film in the industry’s history, is now at the center of a major financial fraud controversy involving its producers. Despite the film's massive commercial success and critical acclaim, a UAE-based investor alleged he was deceived by the production team - led by Soubin Shahir and others at Parava Films - after investing ₹7 crore with the promise of a 40% profit share, but receiving little to no returns. Investigations led to charges of cheating, breach of trust, and criminal conspiracy. == References ==