Film

Anjaam Pathiraa

Name: Anjaam Pathiraa
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Released: 2020
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Unnimaya Prasad, Jinu Joseph, Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Sreenath Bhasi

Anjaam Pathiraa is a Malayalam crime thriller where a forensic psychologist finds himself drawn into a baffling serial killer investigation that has stalled the police. It's a methodical, moody procedural with real teeth—intelligent in how it unpicks motive and psychology, tense without relying on cheap tricks. Built for people who like their thrillers cerebral and Indian cinema at its most confident.

TMDb rating

3.8

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a procedural where the pleasure is in watching a clever outsider and tired detectives circle each other over methodical, cerebral interviews rather than in car chases or shouting.

Skip it if you want a fast, twisty puzzle that rewards guessing; this one moves at a deliberate, talky pace and spends long stretches inside interrogation rooms and case files.

What it asks of you: It runs nearly two and a half hours and asks for steady attention, since its rhythm builds through conversation and small observations rather than sudden jolts of action.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Andhadhun2018

A blind pianist becomes entangled in a murder mystery in this fiendishly clever Indian thriller. Smart, beautifully constructed, and it earns every one of its surprises without sacrificing character for plot.

But At 139 minutes it unfolds deliberately. If you need constant momentum rather than unfolding revelation, it can feel slow.

Badla2019

A man accused of his lover's murder hires a brilliant lawyer to defend him. Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu spar in a cat-and-mouse game that reveals layer after layer of manipulation and truth.

But The third-act pivot divides viewers sharply. Some find it ingenious; others feel cheated by what it asks you to accept.

Article 152019

Ayushmann Khurrana plays a police officer investigating a caste-based crime in rural India. It's urgent procedural filmmaking that doesn't flinch from ugliness, with real investigative momentum.

But The anger is deliberate and uncompromising. It's not designed to comfort you; it's designed to disturb.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Anjaam Pathiraa

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Memories in March2011

Both use investigation as a vehicle to understand human motivation and hidden lives. The crime matters less than what it reveals about who we really are and what we hide.

A mother investigates her son's death in Mumbai, uncovering layers of hidden identity and truth. It's quiet, unsettling, and psychologically complex—a mystery that turns inward rather than outward. The genius is in restraint.

But It's a small film that refuses melodrama. English and Hindi mix; pacing is contemplative; there are no revelations, only slow understanding.

Drishyam2015

A man accused of murder must outwit the police using his film knowledge and cunning. Mohanlal gives one of his best performances in a thriller that rewards close attention to detail.

But The plot hinges on contrivance at points. If you need airtight logic over surprise, those seams will show.

Kahaani2012

Vidya Balan plays a pregnant woman searching for her missing husband in Kolkata. It's a masterclass in tension and misdirection, and it fundamentally changed what Indian thrillers could be.

But Kolkata in summer heat is the real antagonist. The oppressive mood isn't escapist entertainment.

Pink2016

Amitabh Bachchan defends three women accused of a crime against a powerful man. It's a legal thriller with something to say, and its moral clarity never slides into sermon.

But At 146 minutes it's long, and it dwells in courtroom argument. Plot momentum is slower than psychological pressure.

Natrang2010

A man obsessed with classical theatre finds himself caught between art and reality, past and present. Marathi cinema at its most ambitious—layered, darkly comic, genuinely unsettling.

But It's in Marathi and demands patience with theatrical performance. The pleasure is cerebral, not visceral.

Mulk2018

Rishi Kapoor plays a Muslim father fighting to clear his family's name after they're wrongly accused of terror connections. It's a procedural with stakes—legal thriller meets family drama, both done well.

But It wears its message plainly. If you prefer thrillers to stay morally ambiguous, the clarity can feel heavy-handed.

The Invisible Guest2017

Both are intellectual puzzles where the psychologist/lawyer must reconstruct truth from lies and misdirection. The killer isn't the adversary—misunderstanding is.

A Spanish thriller about a man accused of murder who must convince his lawyer of his innocence. It's a hall of mirrors—each reveal dismantles the last, and it ends by rewatching itself in your head for days.

But It's a Europudding that relies entirely on twists. If you see the mechanisms, the magic vanishes. Also, 124 minutes of dialogue in a room.

Maniac2018

Both excavate psychology from the inside—obsession, trauma, the stories we tell ourselves. Anjaam Pathiraa builds outward from criminal psychology; Maniac spirals inward from human delusion. Same engine, different direction.

A miniseries where a woman and man sign up for a drug trial that promises to fix their lives. It's surreal, blackly comic, heartbreaking—and wildly unlike anything else. Jonah Hill and Emma Stone are extraordinary.

But It's deliberately unstable in tone and reality. Ten hours of narrative fragmentation. For every person it haunts, another finds it self-indulgent.