Sethurama Iyer
Encyclopedia
Sethurama Iyer is a fictional character, and the protagonist of the CBI investigative thriller series of films
in Malayalam directed by K. Madhu
. The character was played by Mammootty
in four films so far.
Sethurama Iyer is an investigative officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
, the Indian equivalent of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation
. Iyer's popularity is attributed to the fact that he uses his brain rather than brawn to solve cases. The suspense-filled narration of the movies and the novely of the investigative thriller genre also contributed to its success and becoming a household name among the moviegoers of Kerala
. The character is said to have been inspired by a police officer named Radhavinod Raju, who in 2009 was appointed as the first chief of India's National Investigation Agency
.
The four time portrayal of the same character (Sethurama Iyer) by the same actor (Mammootty) under the same director-writer team (K. Madhu and S. N. Swamy) is a first in Indian cinema.
, but this was dropped in the later films. His entries and exits in most scenes of the movies are punctuated by the signature background score of the series, composed by Shyam
, which is probably inspired by a bit from "The Ghost Song
", by The Doors
. He is always shown as wearing a kumkum
stripe on his forehead. He usually wears plain light coloured half sleeve shirt and dark plain trousers, without tucking in. He is mostly cool even under intense provocation and displays his subtle sense of humour and extreme foresight from time to time.
Originally K. Madhu
, the director of the film series had visualised the pratagonist of the first film in the series as a tough cop named Ali Imran. It was Mammootty who convinced him that a pious intelligent Tamil brahmin would be better. Mammootty in an interview with The Indian Express in July 2005 said that "He (Sethurama Iyer) is brilliant. He is brave. He is bold. He is wise. He is intelligent. He is strong. He is good. He is...". The interviewer reportedly had to cut him short. However in the same interview, he expressed his slight displeasure in playing the same character again and again: "Personally, I prefer to get rid of a particular character after the movie is over. But this bloody thing is following me again and again. It is a lot limiting too. I cannot give a new dimension or nuance to the fellow. He is static."
, the CBI do not usually get first-hand cases. Cases are handed over to the CBI when the local police is found ineffective in investigation or if the case is of national importance. In all his four appearances, Sethurama Iyer is allotted murder cases which were previously under investigation by the Kerala Police
, so he and his team are not able to perform comprehensive crime scene investigation. He mostly has to refer to the reports made by the local police for information and they form the base of his investigation, though he doesn't trust them. He always conducts crime scene inspection for missing points in the reports and tries to collect further information from the scene as well as from witnesses by himself or using his associates. He usually asks his associates to mingle with the local people under cover, to collect various viewpoints including rumours surrounding the case. For cases in which the victim is suspected to have killed by falling from a height, he usually makes use of life-size dummies with the same weight as the victim to assess the position of the corpse under different circumstances. He almost always does extensive research on various details of the witnesses he is going to interview and overwhelms them with his information in case they tend to lie. He declares the results of his investigation in a meeting of all people related to the case, vis-à-vis Hercule Poirot
.
from Kerala
. He is married, and has at least one child. His son made an appearance in Jagratha (1989) but did not reappear in later films, though mentioned sometimes.
CBI film series
The CBI film series is a series of four Malayalam films directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swami featuring Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation officer. The series started off in 1988 with the block buster Oru CBI Diary Kurippu.The films depicts a team of three CBI...
in Malayalam directed by K. Madhu
K. Madhu
K. Madhu is a Malayalam film director.Popular for his suspense and investigation thrillers, K.Madhu has a long list of hits in his kitty.-Career:...
. The character was played by Mammootty
Mammootty
Mammootty is an Indian film actor and producer who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He has also acted in a few Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada films. During a career spanning more than three decades, he has acted in more than 360 films, and is only next to Prem Nazir in the number of lead roles...
in four films so far.
Sethurama Iyer is an investigative officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Central Bureau of Investigation
The Central Bureau of Investigation is a government agency of India that serves as a criminal investigation body, national security agency and intelligence agency. It was established on 1 April 1963 and evolved from the Special Police Establishment founded in 1941...
, the Indian equivalent of the American Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
. Iyer's popularity is attributed to the fact that he uses his brain rather than brawn to solve cases. The suspense-filled narration of the movies and the novely of the investigative thriller genre also contributed to its success and becoming a household name among the moviegoers of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The character is said to have been inspired by a police officer named Radhavinod Raju, who in 2009 was appointed as the first chief of India's National Investigation Agency
National Investigation Agency (India)
National Investigation Agency is a federal agency approved by the Indian Government to combat terror in India. The agency is empowered to deal with terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states. The National Investigation Agency Bill 2008 to create the agency was...
.
The four time portrayal of the same character (Sethurama Iyer) by the same actor (Mammootty) under the same director-writer team (K. Madhu and S. N. Swamy) is a first in Indian cinema.
Characterisation
Sethurama Iyer is depicted with a distinctive style in the films. The most charactertistic mannerism associated with him is his peculiar gait, as he folds both his arms behind his back while walking. In the first movie Oru CBI Diarykkurippu, he was shown as chewing betelBetel
The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties...
, but this was dropped in the later films. His entries and exits in most scenes of the movies are punctuated by the signature background score of the series, composed by Shyam
Shyam (composer)
Samuel Joseph alias Shyam is a popular Malayalam music director from Tamil Nadu, India. He has scored music for over 300 films including Telugu, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi languages. He also composed many Christian devotional songs...
, which is probably inspired by a bit from "The Ghost Song
The Ghost Song
"Ghost Song" is a song by The Doors, and was released on An American Prayer in 1978, 7 years after Jim Morrison's death in Paris, France. The song is Morrison's poetry recording with the rest of the band's music....
", by The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
. He is always shown as wearing a kumkum
Kumkum
Kumkum , is a powder used for social and religious markings in Hinduism. It is either made from turmeric or saffron...
stripe on his forehead. He usually wears plain light coloured half sleeve shirt and dark plain trousers, without tucking in. He is mostly cool even under intense provocation and displays his subtle sense of humour and extreme foresight from time to time.
Originally K. Madhu
K. Madhu
K. Madhu is a Malayalam film director.Popular for his suspense and investigation thrillers, K.Madhu has a long list of hits in his kitty.-Career:...
, the director of the film series had visualised the pratagonist of the first film in the series as a tough cop named Ali Imran. It was Mammootty who convinced him that a pious intelligent Tamil brahmin would be better. Mammootty in an interview with The Indian Express in July 2005 said that "He (Sethurama Iyer) is brilliant. He is brave. He is bold. He is wise. He is intelligent. He is strong. He is good. He is...". The interviewer reportedly had to cut him short. However in the same interview, he expressed his slight displeasure in playing the same character again and again: "Personally, I prefer to get rid of a particular character after the movie is over. But this bloody thing is following me again and again. It is a lot limiting too. I cannot give a new dimension or nuance to the fellow. He is static."
Investigation method
Sethurama Iyer is an expert detective and mostly follows conventional methods of investigation. This can be attributed to the fact that unlike the FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, the CBI do not usually get first-hand cases. Cases are handed over to the CBI when the local police is found ineffective in investigation or if the case is of national importance. In all his four appearances, Sethurama Iyer is allotted murder cases which were previously under investigation by the Kerala Police
Kerala Police
The Kerala State Police is the law enforcement agency for the state of Kerala, India. Kerala Police has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. The Police training college was set up by Travancore Maharaja in Thiruvananthapuram in mid 20th centuary. In 2004,a larger Kerala...
, so he and his team are not able to perform comprehensive crime scene investigation. He mostly has to refer to the reports made by the local police for information and they form the base of his investigation, though he doesn't trust them. He always conducts crime scene inspection for missing points in the reports and tries to collect further information from the scene as well as from witnesses by himself or using his associates. He usually asks his associates to mingle with the local people under cover, to collect various viewpoints including rumours surrounding the case. For cases in which the victim is suspected to have killed by falling from a height, he usually makes use of life-size dummies with the same weight as the victim to assess the position of the corpse under different circumstances. He almost always does extensive research on various details of the witnesses he is going to interview and overwhelms them with his information in case they tend to lie. He declares the results of his investigation in a meeting of all people related to the case, vis-à-vis Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
.
Family
Sethurama Iyer is an IyerIyer
Iyer is the title given to the caste of Hindu Brahmin communities of Tamil origin. Most Iyers are followers of the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara...
from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. He is married, and has at least one child. His son made an appearance in Jagratha (1989) but did not reappear in later films, though mentioned sometimes.
Appearances
- CBI film seriesCBI film seriesThe CBI film series is a series of four Malayalam films directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swami featuring Mammootty as Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation officer. The series started off in 1988 with the block buster Oru CBI Diary Kurippu.The films depicts a team of three CBI...
- Nerariyan CBINerariyan CBINerariyan CBI is a 2005 Malayalam film directed by K Madhu, written by S. N. Swami, and starring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar....
, 2005 - Sethurama Iyer CBISethurama Iyer CBISethurama Iyer CBI is a 2004 Malayalam film directed by K Madhu, written by S. N. Swami, and starring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar....
, 2004 - JagrathaJagrathaJagratha is a 1989 Malayalam film directed by K. Madhu, starring Mammootty, Mukesh and Jagathy Sreekumar.This film is the second in the series of the CBI investigative thrillers featuring Mammootty as CBI officer Sethurama Iyer. Oru CBI Diary Kurippu is the prequel to this film and sequels are...
, 1989 - Oru CBI DiarykkurippuOru CBI Diary KurippuOru CBI Diary Kurippu is a 1988 Malayalam film directed by K. Madhu, scripted by S. N. Swamy, and starring Mammootty, Suresh Gopi and Jagathy Sreekumar....
, 1988
- Nerariyan CBI