Christopher: Mammootty says the true story of his character was what attracted him to the movie

After an acclaimed start to 2023 with Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam, all eyes are now on Mammootty’s Christopher, which could extend the megastar’s successful run that began with Bheeshmaparvam last year.

The movie, helmed by B Unnikrishnan and scripted by Udaykrishna, has him playing a police officer again. However, unlike the previous cops he has essayed, the actor says that he would be seen in the uniform for only a limited time.

Also read: Mammootty on turning cop again in Christopher: ‘Every police officer I played had a unique perspective’ 

In a recent interview, Mammootty revealed why he picked the role. “What attracted me to Christopher was the true story of this character. What if such a person existed? Some heroes don’t exist, there are figments of our imagination. Christopher is such a character,” he said.

The actor also explained that the character has an intensity throughout the film, which also stars Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sneha, Amala Paul, Aditi Ravi, Dileesh Pothan, Vinay Rai, Shine Tom Chacko and Jinu Joseph. “There’s something (burning) deep within Christopher. But you never know when it will come out,” said the actor.

Also read: Christopher star Mammootty on concept of pan-Indian movies: ‘I want Malayalam cinema to always retain its identity’

Christopher’s tagline is ‘The Biography of a Vigilante Cop’. On how it ties with the film and his character, Mammootty explained, “Vigilantism is when people take law into their own hands when they believe they won’t get justice any other way. But what if a police officer becomes a vigilante? When the existing law can’t control what’s happening, he takes matters into his hands.” The movie also has resemblance to some real-life incidents, Mammootty clarified.

The movie marks Mammootty’s second collaboration with B Unnikrishnan after Pramani. The director-scriptwriter duo, who had earlier teamed up for Mohanlal’s Aaraattu, will also be looking to redeem themselves with the movie, which is set to hit theatres worldwide on February 9.

Christopher’s OTT rights have reportedly already been sold to Amazon Prime Video, which is also set to release Vineeth Sreenivasan and Biju Menon’s Thankam later this month.