The filming started on 3 May 2024. Filming was concluded on 15 July 2024.[7] Its title was officially announced on 13 August 2024. The soundtrack and score were composed by Mujeeb Majeed. Shameer Muhammed was the editor and Appu Prabhakar shot the film.
It was released theatrically on 9 January 2025.[8] Upon release, it received positive response from critics and emerged as the top grossing Malayalam film of the year 2025 so far earning more than ₹75 crore worldwide.
A young boy tells his friend he saw his father act in a film with the next moment being 4 men carrying a body away.
In the secluded hills of Malakkappara, Vivek is reinstated as the SHO after being suspended from the police force due to his gambling habits. On taking charge, he is pulled into the suicide case of Rajendran, who had revealed - live on Facebook - some details about a crime he committed with his associates, including Vakkachan (Vincent), Francis Thadathil, 40 years ago.
The police begin their investigation with Vivek being pulled in and finds a skull and an anklet at the spot. He begins the investigation and gets a lead from a man named Chandrappan who reveals that a young girl who was part of a film shoot named Kathodu Kathoram and gets a name, Rekha, whilst Chandrappan reveals that she ran away which eventually led to an altercation at the film location and so he had to pin a case on her for fraud.
Vivek is then assigned to traffic duty, whilst Vincent remains calm and composed aided by his lawyer. Meanwhile, Chandrappan gets killed by Vincent's men and the case is handed over to the CBI, leading to Vivek getting infuriated but determined to continue the search, eventually finding a lead via a nun named Stephy who reveals about Rekha and how she gave the latter a place to stay in their convent whilst the shooting of Kathodu Kathoram was happening and eventually revealing that Rekha went missing after she presumably ran off with the donated money which they kept confidential.
Vivek manages to find details about Binu & Sajeevan as they were the last people whom contacted Rajendran before his death and so the duo reveals that when they were young, Binu saw his father act in a film named Kathodu Kathoram but later found out that that it was fake. They agree to testify. Later, Vivek finds the duo has been killed and begins to lose confidence until he visits Francis Thadathil who reveals the incident that occurred in 1985, revealing that Vincent and Pushpam were stealing money from the convent and that Pushpam killed Rekha in an attempt to frame her as the thief who stole the cash thereby diverting the issue while they continue their work.
Vivek reports back to his superiors who tells him they need to find evidence of who Rekha is, prompting Vivek to travel to Kanyakumari after finding out that Rekha's sister Asha lived there and learns that Rekha was someone who was passionate about cinema & was an ardent fan of Mammootty. Upon learning this, Vivek proceeds to go and arrest Vincent whilst it is revealed that Vincent's wife Alice is none other than Pushpam. Vivek sets off to serve justice for Rekha, but meets with an accident orchestrated by Vincent but he survives, leading to Vincent killing Pushpam, on the latter's advice. Vincent finally gets arrested, thereby solving the case. Rekha's remains are buried with the help of Vivek, Stephy and Asha. Vivek hands over a letter to Asha, revealed to be a signed autograph from Mammootty.
In the post-credits scene, back in Kanyakumari, Rekha, noticing a poster about Kathodu Kathoram and their request for a heroine for the film, sets off to make her dreams come true.
Mammootty's The Priest (2021) director Jofin T Chacko's next film was launched in May 3 2024, featuring Asif Ali, Anaswara Rajan, Zarin Shihab and Manoj K Jayan. It is scripted by John Manthrikal, based on a story by Jofin and Ramu Sunil. The film is jointly produced by Kunnappilly’s Kavya Film Company and Anto Joseph’s Ann Mega Media.[9] Official title was announced on August 13, 2024 titled Rekhachithram with a tagline "An Alternate History". The cast also includes Siddique, Indrans, Bhama Arun, Megha Thomas, Nishanth Sagar, Harisree Ashokan, Shrikant Murali, Sudhi Koppa, Priyanka, Jagadish, Saikumar, Nandu, Vijay Menon, TG Ravi, Sreejith Ravi, and Pauly Wilson.[10][11] On the technical front, it had cinematographer Appu Prabhakar, music composer Rahul Raj and editor Shameer Muhammed of the team. Rahul Raj who was part of the announcement opted out eventually, for reasons unknown. Mujeeb Majeed was then selected to compose for the film.[12][13]
Filming
The film went on floors on May 3, 2024, at Fort Kochi.[14] Filming was wrapped in 15 July 2024.[15]
Release
Rekhachithram was released theatrically on 9 January 2025.[16][17][18]
Reception
Critical response
Rekhachithram received positive reviews from critics.
Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave a positive review for the film and gave a rating of 3 out of 5 mentioning "Unlike typical althist films, which reimagine an important, highly influential moment from the past to explore speculative outcomes, Rekhachithram takes an intriguing approach by choosing the production period of a movie, a seemingly less impactful event, as its historical touchpoint and John Manthrickal and Ramu Sunil, who penned the screenplay, handle it well. While this could be seen as playing it safe within the genre, it proves to be a boon for the film, adding a layer of fascination. At the same time, considering the audience’s unfamiliarity with althist as a genre and the risk of viewers mistaking fiction for fact, the writers maintain restraint and push the boundaries only just enough to stay authentic to the movie’s backdrop."[19] Writing for The Hindu, Shilpa Nair Anand praised the direction mentioning,"Jofin T Chacko’s film stirs nostalgia like no other in recent times. It is a cinephile’s love note to Malayalam cinema, perhaps to the movies and technicians who might have kindled his love for cinema. The writing is intelligent, the past and the future organically weave in and out of the narrative. Where it is not and lags a wee bit, it is forgivable for the sheer inventiveness of the movie to tell a story where the past and the present crisscross effortlessly."[20]
Princy Alexander of Onmanorama gave a positive review mentioning," 'Rekhachithram' featuring Asif Ali and Anaswara Rajan is an overall experiment, treading on a path that many filmmakers, including veterans, have not dared to do in the past. Many of the ingredients in the film makes do with the same elements used in investigation thrillers like 'Paapan' and 'Ozler', but what it truly differs in is its premise and the film's unique treatment."[21] Cris of The News Minute gave a positive review mentioning,"Director Jofin T Chacko does not try to force nostalgia into the mood, but manages to weave in backstories of known films and artists, creating an alternate reality that rouses the film lover in you."[22] Writing for Cinema Express, Vivek Santhosh praised the direction: "The real masterstroke of Rekhachithram lies in its unique backdrop, just like the filmmaker kept on promising during promotional interviews. The film isn’t just set in the present—it also revisits the making of the 1985 film Kathodu Kathoram, directed by Bharathan and starring Mammootty. By weaving its story around the production of a real film, Rekhachithram does something few Indian films have attempted: it crafts an alternate history, one that feels entirely plausible."[23]
Box office
The film earned ₹1.90 crore on its opening day at the Kerala box office and ₹2.10 crore the next day to a total of ₹4 crore in Kerala.[24] It grossed ₹10.50 crore from Kerala in its first 4 day weekend.[25] The total global opening weekend collection (4 days) was ₹26.50 crore.[26]
In 12 days, it grossed ₹48.75 crore globally with Kerala gross reaching ₹21.65 crore.[27] The film grossed ₹50 crore globally on its 14th day.[28] In 18 days it grossed ₹25 crore from Kerala, Rest of India contributed around ₹4.75 crore, taking the total India gross to ₹29.75 crore while overseas grossed over ₹24.25 crore to a worldwide gross of ₹54 crore.[29]
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