Manjummel Boys

Manjummel Boys is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language survival thriller film written and directed by Chidambaram. It is produced by Soubin Shahir, Babu Shahir and Shawn Antony under Parava Films. The film stars an ensemble cast, which includes Soubin Shahir, Sreenath Bhasi, Balu Varghese, Ganapathi S. Poduval, Lal Jr., Deepak Parambol, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Arun Kurian, Khalid Rahman and Shebin Benson. It is based on a true incident from 2006. The film follows a group of friends from a small town called Manjummel near Kochi, who decide to have a vacation in Kodaikanal, which is affected when one of them becomes trapped in the Guna Caves.

The film was theatrically released on 22 February 2024 in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and received critical acclaim. It became the first film in the Malayalam film industry to earn more than ₹200 crore, and set several box-office records, becoming the the highest grossing Malayalam film ever, surpassing the record set by 2018. It also emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of 2024.

Plot
In 2006, a group of 10 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 tells them about Guna Caves, a place where the film Gunaa was shot. Inebriated, high and happy, the friends reach Guna Caves and decide to explore the restricted areas of the caves by themselves despite a warning from Dominic, a tourist guide. Though there are signs of a lurking danger, the friends explore further. Upon reaching a point, a few friends decide to etch down their group name "Manjummel Boys" on the rocks within the cave.

After etching it on the wall, the friends call out to show the remaining guys who are exploring on the other sides to take a picture and they all regroup. Subhash, one of the friends, falls into a covered hole in the ground while moving towards them. Initially everyone assumes he is pulling a prank, but as he does not respond even after calling out to him multiple times, they all start to panic. After the initial shock, a few of them run back to get help and others stay and continue calling out to him in hopes that he would respond. They inform the locals of what happened and ask them for help, and they all suggest going to the police station and forest guard.

The locals also inform them that the specific area was off-limits to people for a reason and that so far 13 people have fallen into that hole and none were ever recovered, dead or alive. They mention that the British had called Guna Caves as The Devil's Kitchen due to this reason and that the particular hole is over 900 feet deep. Scared even more, the friends reach the local 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.

Finally after being convinced, and fearing backlash from the local people for failing to help, one of the police officers agrees to go with them to the cave. On the way, he informs them that the last person who fell into the hole was the former Central Minister's nephew around ten years ago and all the forces had gotten together to rescue him, but no one had been able to. The police officer, after inspecting the hole, suggests that they leave Subhash as he probably is no longer alive, but the friends are adamant about rescuing him. But soon one of the boys, Sixen hears Subhash's cries and informs others that he is alive and the police are also convinced to try and save him.

The fire department and more police officers are also called into the scene.They estimate that Subhash has fallen down into a depth of around 120 feet. They try lowering the rope, for Subhash to hold, but are sceptical that he may not be in a situation to hold on to the rope after a deep fall. They are scared to go inside the hole to retrieve him. Seeing this, one of the friends, Siju David, decides to go down. The police officers are initially reluctant, but finally agree after being convinced by the friends and the locals. Kuttan is lowered into the hole, but along the way, the rope with which Kuttan is lowered runs out, and police are worried that it is unsafe to go any lower as there might be low oxygen levels, and they are not willing to risk Kuttan’s life as well. However, Kuttan states that he can hear Subhash's voice clearly and that he cannot leave him down there. The police arrange for more rope and reel Kuttan down further. At 120 feet, Kuttan is able to see Subhash barely lying on a ledge covered in blood and muddy water due to the rain.

Kuttan is able to retrieve him and the rest of the friends pull them up together successfully. After receiving first aid from the nearest clinic, they take Subhash to the hospital in their hometown, where he is treated more thoroughly. They decide not to tell anyone about the incident and tells Subhash's family that he fell in a waterfall. Subhash suffers trauma from the fall and is not able to sleep initially, but slowly starts recovering after going to trauma therapy. Later, the news that Kuttan saved Subhash comes out from a person who went to Tamil Nadu and Kuttan is applauded for his bravery. 2 years later Kuttan is awarded the Jeevan Raksha Padak for his actions.

Development
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. Cinematographer Shyju Khalid, musician Sushin Shyam, editor Vivek Harshan and production designer Ajayan Chalissery were announced as a part of the technical crew.

Filming
Principal photography commenced at Kodaikanal on 26 January 2023 and concluded on 17 July. The film was shot around 101 working days throughout multiple schedules. A few scenes were also shot in Kochi and Perumbavoor. The cave and its surrounding shown in the film is actually set constructed by production designer Ajayan Chalissery.

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 this film, the 1991 Tamil film Gunaa is also mentioned many times, especially through the song "Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan".

Release
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 to not to screen films that would be released in streaming platforms in less than 42 days. Eventually, KFPA affirmed on the film's release in specific theatres which followed the contractual agreements. Prior to the film's release, it garnered inr 14700000 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.

Box office
On the opening day of its release, the film earned a net collection of inr 33000000 and gross collection of inr 39000000, while also earning inr 21000000 from overseas markets. At the second day, the film garnered inr 32500000, a marginal drop of 1.52% in comparison with the previous day's release, but saw an upward trend on the third and fourth day, garnering around inr 42500000 and inr 47500000. The film earned inr 155000000 within the first four days of its release in the domestic regions, while also earning inr 132500000. At the end of the first week, the film crossed ₹50 crore at the worldwide box office, earning inr 280000000 domestically and inr 220000000 from overseas. By March 2024, the film crossed ₹100 crore. As of 21 March 2024, Manjummel Boys has grossed a worldwide total of ₹200 crore (US$25 million).

In Tamil Nadu, the film garnered inr 10000000 at the box office in the first weekend. Within ten days, the film earned inr 150000000, 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 with praise for its technical aspects, acting, script and direction. 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 $3 1⁄2$ / 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". The real life Manjummel Boys make a cameo appearance as the opposing gang during a tug of war contest.

Controversies
 Comments by Jeyamohan 

Jeyamohan's critique goes further, stating, '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 displaying a 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 Allegations 

On 22 May 2024, music composer Ilaiyaraaja issued a formal notice to the producers of Manjummel Boys for the unauthorized use of his song "Kanmani Anbodu Kaadhalan" 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.