Christopher (film)

Christopher is an 2023 Indian Malayalam-language vigilante action thriller film directed and produced by B. Unnikrishnan from a story and script by Udaykrishna. It stars an ensemble cast including Mammootty, Vinay Rai, Amala Paul, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sneha and Aditi Ravi. The film marks the debut of Vinay Rai. The film revolves around the life journey of ADGP Christopher Antony, who uses vigilantism and police encounters to safeguard the civilians.

Principal photography began on 10 July 2022 and finished on 29 September 2022. The music was composed by Justin Varghese, while Faiz Siddik and Manoj handled the cinematography and editing respectively.

Christopher was released in theatres on 9 February 2023 to mixed to positive reviews from critics and became an average grosser at the box office.

Plot
During a communal riot in Kerala, a group of opportunistic young men use the situation to brutally rape and murder Christopher's sister. They also kill his parents and set his house on fire. A young Christopher seeks to avenge the death of his loved ones and chases the perpetrators with a butcher's knife, but is stopped by SP Vetrivel. After learning about the injustice that happened to Christopher's family, Vetrivel shoots the perpetrators to death. This incident inspires Christopher to become a police officer by using vigilantism and police encounters to safeguard the civilians. Vetrivel takes care of Christopher's education and Christopher clears the civil service exam to become an IPS officer.

After Christopher completes his police training, Vetrivel, who is on deputation in the Central Government, intervenes to get Christopher receive his first posting as ASP in Madhya Pradesh, where many women were killed by the feudal landlords. Christopher uses instrumental techniques in capturing and killing the real perpetrators behind the brutal happenings and becomes an encounter specialist. Christopher is assisted by SI Mohammed Ismail, who becomes his right-hand man. Later, Christopher shifts his base to Kerala and is promoted to the rank of SP. One day, Christopher meets Beena, who is the Pondicherry DC, regarding a series of robberies and murders, which constantly took place in a densely forested area.

Christopher and his team decides to take up the mission. The operation is completed successfully, but Ismail succumbs to his injuries. At Ismail's funeral, Christopher learns that Ismail's relatives were dead against accepting his daughter Amina after her parents died, which leads Christopher to adopt Amina as his own daughter. Christopher is posted as the SP of Crime Branch. After some days, Beena also shifts her base to Kerala. Upon Beena's request, Christopher marries Beena and they live a happy family life. At a hotel in Kochi, a group of girls are found heavily doped by young men. From the investigation, it is found out that the real culprit is Beena's younger brother Sebastian, a drug addict. Along with her father MP Chackochan and SP Abhilash Balakrishnan who is Christopher's batchmate and friend, Beena settles the issue by providing a huge sum of money to each of the girls. After that incident, Christopher breaks off his friendship with Abhilash, whereas the latter still continues to have deep respect for Christopher.

A maid, who works at Chackochan's house, tells Christopher that her daughter has been missing for a few days. Christopher decides to investigate and learn that Sebastian has brutally killed the girl under the influence of drugs and destroyed her body using a crusher and had also hidden the remaining body parts and hair in some statues in his father's ceramic factory. Sebastian is arrested by Christopher. The next day at the court, Sebastian tries to escape from the clutches of the police by behaving violently and snatches a rifle from a cop in order to kill the victim's mother, but Christopher shoots Sebastian to death. After this incident, Christopher and Beena got separated. With this, Christopher loses everything, but the only person who was with him was Amina.

Few months later, Christopher rejoined the force service, but is made to stay away from law and order and is posted in the DPCAW. After some years, Christopher gets promoted to ADGP. One day, Christopher kills 4 people in an encounter for brutally assaulting and murdering a woman. Under pressure from the human rights activists, CM Rajashekaran Menon is pressured by Beena, who is the present Home Secretary, to launch an investigation into the deaths of 4 youngsters. ACP Sulekha is appointed to lead the investigation, where she unearths Christopher's past and the previous encounter killings instead of probing by looking into the case files.

Meanwhile, Amina, who is now a lawyer and social activist, investigates the death of a woman Ashwini and her father, who are the wife and father-in-law of Sitaram Trimurthi, a rich business magnate and the owner of Saukya group of Herbal products. From the investigation, Amina deduces that Sitaram had killed Ashwini and father-in-law in order to usurp their properties and hide his involvement in drug trafficking. Amina shares her suspicions and doubts to Christopher. One day, Amina is found murdered and Christopher gets completely shattered. Sulekha decides to take up the investigation of Amina's murder, where a corrupt and sociopathic DYSP George Kottarakkan is also included in the team.

Christopher decides to investigate Amina's death unofficially. He suspects a Tamil labourer named Marimuthu in the case. Christopher manages to track down Marimuthu in Tamil Nadu where Sulekha and team arrive to provide backup for Christopher. Sulekha hands over Marimuthu to Kottarakkan, but Kottarakkan lets Marimuthu escape into a forest, on the way but he gets again nabbed by Christopher. Christopher and his assistant SP Vadivukkarasi calls Sulekha to a secret location where Christopher makes Marimuthu confess that he killed Amina. Christopher reveals that Sitaram hired Marimuthu, through his assistant Pathalam Suresh to kill Amina, as she knew his involvement in Ashwini's death. Sitaram also included Kottarakkan, who is his henchman and a companion to Suresh, in Sulekha's investigation team to topple her investigations. Christopher also reveals Kottarakkan's corruption and cruelty he did. Christopher finally reveals the truth about the failure about the present legal and policing system to Sulekha and also tells her that even if she arrests Marimuthu, he will definitely be freed by the judiciary where he also mentions about the Nirbhaya Case where the convicts were hanged to death after a prolonged legal battle of eight years.

Sulekha later understands Christopher and decides to support him completely and Marimuthu is hanged to death by Christopher in that hideout. Later, Sitaram assigns Kottarakkan to kill Suresh as Marimuthu was sent by him. He also shows a video clip of a conversation of Kottarakkan and Suresh which he will show Christopher, if he gets caught. But Christopher saves Suresh from Kottarakkan. After Kottarakkan reveals Sitaram's name, Christopher kills him and arranges Suresh to finish off Sitaram. However, Sitaram manages to overpower Suresh and kill him. At the same moment, Sitaram is confronted by a police team headed by north zone ADGP Gaurishankar, who is Christopher's batchmate and best friend. Sitaram is arrested and sent to prison. Sulekha meets Beena and tells about Christopher, where she also reveals that she was there in one of the girls at the hotel in Kochi. Beena realises about Christopher's character and decides to reconcile with him.

Despite being in prison, Sitaram kills Beena using carbon monoxide poisoning by releasing the gas through the air conditioner in her room. Enraged, Christopher becomes determined to finish Sitaram once and for all. Christopher is completely cleared of all charges and joins back on duty and assumes charge as the police headquarters ADGP. Christopher arrives at the prison, where Sitaram is kept and finally kills him for avenging Amina's, Beena's and Ashwini's death with the help of the warden SP Shaji, who is Amina's distant relative and Ismail's brother. Sitaram's death is written as an act of self-defence and Shaji promises Christopher that he will look after all the further proceedings. The Chief Minister and Abhilash also completely support them in the case. A few weeks later, Christopher adopts the younger sister of the assaulted woman named her as Amina and moves ahead with his life.

Production
Principal photography began on 10 July 2022 with a pooja function. On 18 July 2022, Mammootty joined the sets of the film. The film is shot in many places across Kerala including Ernakulam, Pooyamkutty and Vandiperiyar. Vinay Rai was cast in to play the antagonist in the film, marking his debut in Malayalam cinema. Filming took 79 days and was completed on 29 September 2022. Mammootty had finished shooting his portions, in a span of 65 days, a week before filming ended. In post-production stage, the film was sent to the Central Board of Film Certification and was censored with a U/A certificate on 31 January 2023.

Release
Christopher was released in theatres on 9 February 2023.

Reception
Christopher received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

Critical response
Gopika I. S. of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Mammootty starrer Christopher was expected to pack a punch, but falls flat. That said, it's a watchable movie with some redeeming elements. Justin Varghese's music adds to the moments Christopher shines on screen."

Arjun Ramachandran of The South First gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Christopher is a visual feast for the masses who get to watch Mammootty in a stylish avatar. Delivered with a socially-relevant theme, it serves as a good comeback for Udaykrishna and B Unnikrishnan."

Sanjith Sridharan of OTTplay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Mammootty's Christopher starts off as an edgy, stylish film with great visuals and music, but in the second half, it loses its momentum. That said, the film might just have enough going for it to continue Mammootty's streak at the box office."

Gayathri Gokul of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "The movie might work fine as an entertainer for fans, but the storyline could have been developed better."

Latha Srinivasan of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The story just unfolds itself pretty much in the first half an hour and becomes very predictable. Had the script been better and the movie's run time shorter, Christopher would have been far more entertaining."

Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Christopher gives the impression that in a 'flawed' system, extrajudicial executions are the only right thing. Even with its running time of close to two-and-a-half hours, the film's climax got over in the blink of an eye, leaving the viewers wondering what just happened."

Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote "Unnikrishnan and Udayakrishna's previous work Aaraattu, which featured Mohanlal in the lead, had not really gone down well with the audience, but this time, they have managed to pull off a pretty decent entertainer."

S.R. Praveen for The Hindu reviewing the film wrote "What the film lacks in substance, it seeks to make up for in Mammootty's swagger and a loud background score that numbs one with its repetitiveness. Christopher is one long, unfortunate celebration of encounter killings."