As the alleged serial murder case in Kerala’s Koodathayi unfolds, filmmakers are already looking to turn the case into an on-screen crime drama. Just as the cops have started unravelling the mystery behind the death of six people belonging to one family, the turn of events have already become fodder for Malayalam filmmakers with some announcing films based on the Koodathayi murder case and the life of the prime suspect Jolly Amma Joseph.
One of the first announcements regarding the adaptation of the murder case was made by producer Antony Perumbavoor with Mohanlal as the hero. Reports say that Mohanlal will be playing the role of an investigation officer in this crime thriller which is expected to begin shooting in February next year.
Soon after Antony made the announcement, actor Dini Daniel, through a Facebook post, said that the work for her film directed by Ronex Philip revolving around the same plot has already begun, with Dini herself playing the role of Jolly in the film, under the name Dolly. Along with the post, Dini also revealed a poster of the upcoming film.
Responding to a news item published in a prominent Malayalam daily about Antony Perumbavoor’s project, Dini said they started work for the project on October 8 and now, with another movie announced on the same lines, the actor said she is unsure of the future of the film.
Directed by Ronex Philip, Dini's film, titled Koodathayi is reportedly being produced by Alex Jacob with screenplay by Vijeesh Thundathil.
According to reports, director Jeethu Jospeh (maker of hit movie Drishyam) is mulling a possible rewrite on the script of a movie, another crime thriller, which already has Mohanlal playing the hero. With the Jolly murders coming to light, reports suggest that the director may rework the script to adapt the murder case as the plot for the film.
Yet another aspiring filmmaker Arun T Mohan, told Onmanorama that he too was keen on adapting the Koodathayi murder case on screen, but with films already been announced around the same plot, he has his own reservations.
There are also reports that the fifth part of Mammootty’s CBI crime series will be hitting the screens soon. The plot of the film is said to be similar to the Koodathayi murder case with Mammootty playing the role of a retired CBI official.
Less than a week after the Kerala cops re-opened the Koodathayi crime file, Malayalam filmmakers are clearly flocking to the alleged serial killer case, though it remains to see how many of the projects will kick-off after the frenzy around the case dies down.
This is not the first time that Malayalam filmmakers have adapted a case into a crime thriller. From Mammootty’s Rakshasarajavu in 2001 (an adaptation of the Aluva serial murder case) to Suresh Gopi’s Crime File (based on the murder of sister Abhaya), a number of films have been made revolving around real-life crime incidents. Two films were made in 1967 titled Mynatharuvi Kolacase and Madatharuvi, following the murder of a widow Marykutty where a priest was convicted of the crime.