CBI (film series)

CBI is an Indian Malayalam-language film series of mystery films directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy featuring Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officer in the title role. The series started off in 1988 with Oru CBI Diary Kurippu. The character Sethurama Iyer is said to have been inspired by a police officer named Radha Vinod Raju, who in 2009 was appointed as the first chief of India's National Investigation Agency.

Films
The films depicts a team of three CBI officers led by Sethurama Iyer investigating into a murder case. All the films feature Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer. The other two members of the team vary in the series. All the five films that were released have Vikram, the character played by Jagathy Sreekumar as a CBI officer. But he is not part of the three-men team in the third film and fifth film but appears in the films for a short length. Chacko played by Mukesh appears in the first film but is not part of the team. But Chacko becomes part of the team from the second film onwards. Harry played by Suresh Gopi is present in the first movie as part of the team, but later transferred to Madras in the second sequel.

The films of the franchise are:

Sethurama Iyer (Malayalam: സേതുരാമയ്യര്‍) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the CBI film series. The character was played by Mammootty in all the films. He is an investigative officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Iyer's popularity is attributed to the fact that he uses his brain rather than brawn to solve cases.

Cast and characters
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:99%;" ! style="width:15%;"| Character ! style="width:10.5%;" | Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988) ! style="width:10.5%;" | Jagratha (1989) ! style="width:10.5%;" | Sethurama Iyer CBI (2004) ! style="width:10.5%;" | Nerariyan CBI (2005) ! style="width:10.5%;" | CBI 5 (2022) ! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ddf;" |

Introduced in Oru CBI Diary Kurippu
! scope="row" | Sethurama Iyer ! scope="row" | Vikram ! scope="row" | Chacko ! scope="row" | CI Harry ! scope="row" | DySP Devadas ! scope="row" | K. A. Ouseppachan ! scope="row" | Narayanan ! scope="row" | Omana Lissy ! scope="row" | Annie Urvashi ! scope="row" | John Thomas ! scope="row" | Joy Mathew ! scope="row" | SP Prabhakara Varma ! scope="row" | SP of CBI ! scope="row" | C.I Alex ! scope="row" | Sunny ! scope="row" | Home Minister Bhargavan ! scope="row" | Police Surgeon ! scope="row" | Padathalam Mathai ! scope="row" | Mary ! scope="row" | Sreedharan ! scope="row" | Driver Vasu ! scope="row" | Nun ! scope="row" | Mohammed ! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ddf;" |
 * colspan="5" | Mammootty
 * colspan="5" | Jagathy Sreekumar
 * colspan="5" | Mukesh
 * colspan="1" | Suresh Gopi
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="2" | Sukumaran
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="3" | Janardhanan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2" | Prathapachandran
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" |
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" |
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Bahadoor
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Vijayaraghavan
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Captain Raju
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="2" | Jagannatha Varma
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="2" | K. P. A. C. Sunny
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Sreenath
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Sreenath
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2" | C. I. Paul
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="2" | Kollam Thulasi
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Poojappura Ravi
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Adoor Bhavani
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Adoor Bhavani
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | T. P. Madhavan
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Kundara Johny
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Sukumari
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" |Kothuku Nanappan
 * colspan="4"

Introduced in Jagratha
! scope="row" | Ashwathy ! scope="row" | Babu ! scope="row" | Adv. Janardanan Nair ! scope="row" | I.G ! scope="row" | Vishwam ! scope="row" | Kumar ! scope="row" | Mohan ! scope="row" | Anchor ! scope="row" | Kurupu ! scope="row" | Thomas ! scope="row" | Vandana ! scope="row" | Rukmini ! scope="row" | Fake policeman ! scope="row" | Suryan ! scope="row" | Rajendrababu ! scope="row" | Hotel boy ! scope="row" | Union leader ! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ddf;" |
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Parvathy Jayaram
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Babu Antony
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Babu Namboothiri
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | K. P. A. C. Azeez
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Devan
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | K. B. Ganesh Kumar
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Jose
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | M. S. Thripunithura
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Paravoor Bharathan
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Sreeja
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Kanakalatha
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | James
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Tony
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Vishnuprakash
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Poojappura Radhakrishnan
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Adinad Sasi
 * colspan="3"

Introduced in Sethurama Iyer CBI
! scope="row" | Balagopal ! scope="row" | Isow Alex ! scope="row" | Ganesh ! scope="row" | DySP Sathyadas ! scope="row" | Mani ! scope="row" | Rachana ! scope="row" | Reshmi ! scope="row" | Adiyodi ! scope="row" | CBI Director ! scope="row" | Bahuleyan ! scope="row" | Manikunju / Zakariah ! scope="row" | Mosi ! scope="row" | Krishan Iyer ! scope="row" | Meenakshi Iyer ! scope="row" | Dr. Vijayalakshmi ! scope="row" | Vijayamma ! scope="row" | Kuzhivetty Mathai ! scope="row" | Fr. Gomez ! scope="row" | Crime branch C.I ! scope="row" | Sharngadaran ! scope="row" | Varkey ! scope="row" | Broker ! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ddf;" |
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Siddique
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Kalabhavan Mani
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Vineeth Kumar
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Sai Kumar
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="1" | Sai Kumar
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Jagadish
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Navya Nair
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Nandana
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Oduvil Unnikrishnan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Kalasala Babu
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Rajan P. Dev
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Paravoor Ramachandran
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Geetha Vijayan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Kunchan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Urmila Unni
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Poornima Anand
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Kalpana
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Mala Aravindan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Bharath Gopi
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Shammi Thilakan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Subair
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Punnapra Appachan
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="2"
 * colspan="1" | Suraj Venjaramoodu
 * colspan="2"

Introduced in Nerariyan CBI
! scope="row" | Kapra Valiya Narayanan ! scope="row" | Mythili ! scope="row" | Anitha ! scope="row" | Devaswam ! scope="row" | George C. Nair ! scope="row" | DYSP Dhanapalan ! scope="row" | ASP Saikumar IPS ! scope="row" | Velu ! scope="row" | Dr. Krishnan Nair ! scope="row" | Mythili's Father ! scope="row" | Dr. Krishnan Nair ! scope="row" | Dr. Babu ! scope="row" | Banjamin C. Nair ! scope="row" | Poopparathy Vasu ! scope="row" | Reshmi ! scope="row" | Lakshmiyamma ! scope="row" | Elizabeth C. Nair ! scope="row" | Mythili's mother ! scope="row" | Anitha's Kin ! scope="row" | Maya ! colspan="9" style="background-color:#ddf;" |
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Thilakan
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Samvrutha Sunil
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Gopika
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Indrans
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Cochin Haneefa
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Augustine
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Jishnu
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Mohan Jose
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | P. Sreekumar
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | M. R. Gopakumar
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | P. Sreekumar
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Rizabawa
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Madhu Warrier
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Baburaj
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Suja Karthika
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Bindu Ramakrishnan
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Bindu Panicker
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Shobha Mohan
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Ambika Mohan
 * colspan="1"
 * colspan="3"
 * colspan="1" | Suvarna Mathew
 * colspan="1"

Introduced in CBI 5
! scope="row" | Balagopal, C.B.I. Officer ! scope="row" | I.G. Unnithan I.P.S ! scope="row" | Adv. Prathibha Sathyadas ! scope="row" | Paul Meijo / Mansoor / Sandeep ! scope="row" | Vinay, C.B.I. Officer ! scope="row" | Chief Minister ! scope="row" | SI Iqbal ! scope="row" | Mamman Varghese, C.B.I. Officer ! scope="row" | Sudhi, C.B.I. Officer ! scope="row" | Anwar ! scope="row" | CI Josemon ! scope="row" | Dr. George Abraham ! scope="row" | Home Minister Abdul Samad ! scope="row" | Journalist Bhasuran ! scope="row" | D.Y.S.P. Babu Raj ! scope="row" | Susan George / Ambika Unnithan ! scope="row" | Anitha, C.B.I. Officer ! scope="row" | Aparna ! scope="row" | Merlin ! scope="row" | Anuja
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Renji Panicker
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Anoop Menon
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Asha Sarath
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Soubin Shahir
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Ramesh Pisharody
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Dileesh Pothan
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Sudev Nair
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Edavela Babu
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Alexander Prasanth
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Ramesh Kottayam
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Jayakrishnan
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Prathap Pothen
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | G. Suresh Kumar
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Chandhu Karamana
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Santhosh Keezhattoor
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Kaniha
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Ansiba Hassan
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Malavika Menon
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Swasika
 * colspan="4"
 * colspan="1" | Malvika Nair
 * }