In the 2-minute trailer of Kannur Squad, a police procedural based on real-life case incidents, what many took stock of was the little details Mammootty gave to his ASI George Martin. His arms that remained casually on his hip and the fine new touches to his voice modulation, for instance, didn’t go unnoticed by the netizens. Of course, all that has to come with the crutches of solid writing and execution. Just that the actor adds his extra, which rarely goes off the mark.
In a career spanning more than 400 films in four decades, the Malayalam superstar has worn khaki or played an investigative officer several times on screen. It has often come in various ranks and shades and the actor has always strained to keep each of them nuanced and different. With Kannur Squad, which hit the theatres this week, we take you on a guide to some of his most feted police or investigative officer roles in Malayalam cinema:
SI Jacob Irazhi in KG George's Yavanika (1983)
Where to watch: Hotstar
In one of the finest murder mysteries crafted by KG George (who passed away last week), Yavanika (1983) dotted with some of the finest talents in Malayalam cinema, Mammootty’s SI Jacob Irazhi is a calm, thinking officer who is assigned to investigate the murder of a tablist at a drama company. Despite being one of his breakthrough roles, the actor is unpolished, the dialogue delivery looks rehearsed, and yet he pulls it off, primarily because of his unmistakable screen presence.
Inspector Balram, in IV Sasi's Avanazhi (1986)
Where to watch: Jio Cinemas
And three years later, Mammootty played Inspector Balram, an angry, righteous cop with a lot of unresolved emotional issues in IV Sasi's Avanazhi (1986). The actor plays the cop with a heightened sense of drama, seeping it into his bombastic dialogue delivery as well as his mannerisms, therefore creating a new prototype for police officer characters in Malayalam cinema. Balram was angry with himself and the system for letting him down and he never misses an opportunity to vent it out.
CBI officer in K Madhu's Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988)
Where to watch: Hotstar
Exactly two years later, he did a complete flip as the gentle CBI officer in K Madhu's murder mystery Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), a sort of renewed version of Jacob Irazhi but with a lot of nuance. You can't help but marvel at Sethuramaiyyer for his unflappable calm, using his brains to outwit the dodgiest minds. He is unassuming, hates drawing attention to himself, and is a dream boss to work with. Iyer is gracious with his subordinates and gives them space to thrive. Even when he is pitted against an openly antagonistic cop, Iyer subtly puts him in his place, never losing his cool. Mammootty is impeccably restrained as Iyer, including his dialogue delivery and an intelligent demeanor that doesn’t look manufactured. That’s precisely the reason why his iconic CBI officer had four sequels running in his name over the next two decades.
DYSP Perumal in Sibi Malayil's August 1
Where to watch: Zee 5
In the same year, he aced DYSP Perumal in Sibi Malayil's August 1, the smoothly flamboyant, and plain-speaking cop who walks the talk. Despite the fact that his character is shorn of starry shenanigans, every time Perumal strolls onto the screen, it is difficult to take your eyes off him. Assigned to nab an assassin who has been rented to kill the Chief Minister, Perumal gets to the business with the least drama, keeping himself focused and calm even when pushed to the wall. Look out for that bit when Perumal bumps into his old classmate who is also the Chief Minister and how the actor switches his professional and personal equation adeptly. What the actor brings to the table isn’t very performative, instead, it’s very internalised, and you might be forgiven for thinking he has been in the force for decades.
Ramabadran in Sibi Malayil's Mudra (1989)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Mudra’s Ramabadran, who came a year later, is entirely different from every khaki role he has immortalised on screen. On deputation at a reform jail, Ramabadran is torn between compassion and his own sense of duty towards the teens who are inside for various crimes. It takes a while for the teens to trust this cop as he is unlike their previous officers. It is when he enters nearly 45 minutes after the film that the narrative starts to pick up, offering us some ray of light in that atmosphere of dreariness. Mammootty essays Ramabadran with restraint, his mannerisms reflecting kindness that seems so innate. Perhaps one can say that he is the only beacon of hope in this otherwise depressing film.
Haridas Damodaran's in Joshiy's Ee Thanutha Veluppan Kalathu (1990)
Where to watch: Hotstar
The Joshiy directed Ee Thanutha Veluppan Kalathu’s Haridas Damodaran is also a cop who uses his ingenuity and experience to ace his game. He is deputed to nab a serial killer and Haridas efficiently gets on with his job, not making a big deal out of it. Be it his interrogation skills, in keeping that proficiency that comes with such a position, or in holding his emotions in check, the actor makes the designation look so credible.
Karikkamuri Shanmugan in Ranjith's Black (2004)
Where to watch: YouTube
A loud, cocky thug who is also a cop on duty is how one can describe Karikkamuri Shanmugan in Black (2004). Everything about him spells larger-than-life, be it his attitude towards life, his dealings with the bad guys or his rarely displayed soft side, Shanmugan often comes across as a myth. There is an insolence in his body language that keeps the character’s larger-in-lifeness very saleable. Not a personal favourite but one is inclined to believe that the actor works on the character more than what’s written on paper.
SI Narendran in Renji Panicker's Roudram (2008)
Where to watch: YouTube
SI Narendran in Roudram (2008) marks the startling evolution of the actor in a role he has previously perfected. Narendran carries the same anger and scorn for the system as Balram, it’s just that the actor reins in, yet his fury is loud and clear. A political thriller, written and directed by Ranji Panicker, Narendran has gone through enough personal and career turmoil, never crosses the line, and is efficient and honest. There are various instances that require the actor to flex his bombast, but Mammootty is spectacularly in control, even when he has to give a lengthy and spirited monologue.
SI Manikandan in Khalid Rahman’s Unda (2019)
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Nearly a decade later the actor played SI Manikandan in Khalid Rahman’s Unda, an ordinary cop assigned for election duty in a remote area in North India. Manikandan was a subversion of all the police officers he had previously played on screen. Mani is ordinary, vulnerable, and clueless when he is put in a potentially dangerous situation. The actor totally puts himself out as this weary cop, broken in spirit, who is struggling to sustain himself in a profession that demands exactly the opposite. Ordinary scenes are turned into little gems in the actor's hands — that moment when he realises that he just survived a minor heart attack for instance. Or that apology towards his juniors for failing to act when they looked up to him for guidance.
One will have to wait to see if George Martin and Mammootty's future cop avatars will join this list.
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