The Thriller

The Thriller is a 2010 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Catherine Tresa, Siddique, Lalu Alex, Prajin, Mallika Kapoor, and Sampath Raj in pivotal roles. It was released on 17 November. Later on, it was dubbed in Hindi under the same title. The film is based on the murder case of renowned banker Paul Muthoot, who was murdered in 2009.

Plot
DCP Niranjan, a furious police officer, is assigned to investigate the murder case of prominent banker Simon Palathungal (based on Paul Muthoot), which formed the headlines in the Kerala media for more than three months. The case had attracted attention for its mysterious planning and execution. Niranjan meets a few suspects: Simon's fiancee, Meghna; Martin Dinakar, a Dubai-based gold smuggler who had a problem with Simon; Simon's brother, Jacob; ADGP Balagopal, Niranjan's high-rank officer and Balagopal's daughter, Meera, who is also Niranjan's girlfriend. Through this investigation, Niranjan finds out that a big crime racket is behind Simon's murder. Niranjan also has enmity with Martin Dinakar, who is a headache in Niranjan's investigation. The rest of the film shows how Niranjan tries to bring the real culprit of the murder case.

Cast

 * Prithviraj Sukumaran as DCP Niranjan IPS
 * Siddique as Ex-ADGP Balagopal IPS, the main antagonist
 * Lalu Alex as IG Thomas Mathew IPS
 * Catherine Tresa as Meera, Niranjan's girlfriend
 * Prajin as Simon Joseph Palathungal (charecter based on Paul Muthoot George)
 * Mallika Kapoor as Meghna Gupta, Simon's fiancee
 * Sampath Raj as Martin Dinakar, the secondary antagonist
 * Anand as DIG Manmohan IPS, City Police Commissioner
 * P. Sreekumar as ACP Shihabudeen
 * Subair as CI Alex
 * Vijayaraghavan as Ex-Sub Inspector Sadhasivan, Niranjan's Father
 * Riyaz Khan as Paramada Subhash
 * M. R. Gopakumar as Adv.Uthaman Pillai, Meera's uncle
 * Uma as Meera's mother
 * Kollam Thulasi as Narayanan, Chief Minister of Kerala
 * Shivaji Guruvayoor as DGP Eapen Mathew IPS
 * Tosh Christy as Joshua
 * Dinesh Panicker as Joseph Palathungal, Simon's father
 * Kishor Satya as Jacob Joseph Palathungal, Simon's Brother
 * Mamta Mohandas as the dancer (Special Appearance)
 * V. K. Baiju as Sub Inspector Philipose
 * Sasi Kalinga as ASI Shivarajan
 * Pawan as Udayabhanu

Production
The Thriller was the fifth consecutive superstar project of B. Unnikrishnan, the previous ones being Smart City, I G Inspector General, Madambi, and Pramaani starring Suresh Gopi, Mohanlal, and Mammootty. In The Thriller, he teams up with Prithviraj, constantly hailed by the media as an upcoming superstar. The director once again chose a contemporary investigative story that takes viewers on a breathless roller coaster ride of suspense and intrigue. Unnikrishnan said he spent several months studying similar cases and the investigative methods of the police, including the working of the cyber cell to come up with a logical narrative.

Prithviraj plays a tough and canny cop who is investigating the murder in the film. "This is the first time I am acting as a police officer who is tracking a killer. It is an out-and-out suspense thriller," says Prithviraj. Although he has donned the khaki in several films, this is the first time playing a role that has him investigating a specific case. The director has also cast several new faces in the film to play important characters. While Prajan plays the young entrepreneur (Simon Palathingal) who is mysteriously found dead on the highway, Miss South India runner-up, Katherine, plays the female lead in the film. Mallika Kapoor also plays an important character. Tamil actor Sampath Raj has been cast in a negative role.

The first schedule of The Thriller takes place in and around Thiruvananthapuram, Kovalam, and Vizhinjam. The second schedule is likely to take place in a foreign country.