Commissioner (film)
A 1994 Malayalam action thriller that launched Suresh Gopi to stardom.
Commissioner is a 1994 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller. Shaji Kailas directed it, Renji Panicker wrote the script, and M. Mani produced it under Sunitha Productions. The cast includes Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Shobana, Vijayaraghavan, M. G. Soman, Rajan P. Dev, K. B. Ganesh Kumar, N. F. Varghese, Karamana Janardanan Nair, and Maniyanpilla Raju. Rajamani composed the musical score, Dinesh Baboo handled cinematography, and L. Bhoominathan was the editor.
The film was a major box office hit. Gopi’s dialogues became catchphrases among Malayali audiences, and the movie helped establish him as a major star in Malayalam cinema. A Telugu dubbed version, *Police Commissioner*, also performed very well commercially.
A sequel, *Bharath Chandran I.P.S.*, came out in 2005, with Renji Panicker directing instead of Shaji Kailas. In 2012, a crossover film titled *The King & the Commissioner* was released, bringing together characters from *Commissioner* and the 1995 film *The King*.
**Plot**
Bharathchandran is an honest, abrasive police commissioner in Kozhikode. He shuts down a gold smuggling operation at the Calicut docks and frequently clashes with political fixers like Kunju Moideen Sahib, whose gang was involved. His mentor, IG Balachandran, protects him from political fallout. The gold belonged to Mohan Thomas, a Delhi-based business tycoon with political connections and sociopathic tendencies. Beyond smuggling, Mohan Thomas leads a network of politicians, assassins, and corrupt officials—including IG Rajan Felix and AIG Menon—who are involved in communal riots, money laundering, drug trafficking, and counterfeit currency. The conflict escalates when Mohan and his associates murder Justice Mahendran, chairman of the Poovanthura commission, who had evidence linking Rajan Felix and Menon to communal riots.
Bharathchandran is assigned to investigate the murder and is also posted as police commissioner of Thiruvananthapuram. With help from two assertive ASPs, Prasad Menon and Mohammed Iqbal, he investigates but hits dead ends. His fiancée Indu, a lawyer, points him to a news report about a drunk constable, Gopinathan, who was Justice Mahendran’s security. An attempt to arrest Sunny, Mohan’s younger brother, for assaulting the constable on a college campus leads to a riot and a standoff with Rajan Felix, who tries to take Sunny into custody on prior charges. A
- Release year
- 1994
- Language
- Malayalam
- Director
- Shaji Kailas
- Writer
- Renji Panicker
- Producer
- M. Mani
- Music composer
- Rajamani
- Cinematography
- Dinesh Baboo
Lore & Background
The film follows Bharathchandran, an honest and brash police commissioner of Kozhikode, who busts a gold smuggling racket at the Calicut docks, angering political figure Kunju Moideen Sahib. His mentor IG Balachandran shields him from political backlash. The plot thickens when Delhi-based business tycoon Mohan Thomas, a sociopathic kingpin involved in gold smuggling, communal riots, money laundering, drug trade, and counterfeit currency, has Justice Mahendran murdered for possessing evidence against corrupt cops IG Rajan Felix and AIG Menon. Bharathchandran is assigned to investigate the homicide and posted as police commissioner of Thiruvananthapuram, assisted by ASPs Prasad Menon and Mohammed Iqbal.
Reader's Guide
Commissioner is significant for its impact on Malayalam cinema, particularly in establishing Suresh Gopi as a major star. The film's dialogues became catchphrases, and its commercial success led to a Telugu dubbed version, Police Commissioner, which also succeeded, running over 100 days in Andhra Pradesh. The film's legacy includes iconic characters Bharathchandran IPS and Mohan Thomas, and it spawned a sequel, Bharathchandran I.P.S. (2005), and a crossover film, The King & the Commissioner (2012). Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in the Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema noted that Gopi's performance embodied 'the fascist machismo of the honest and committed police officer,' which contributed to his superstardom.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot extensively in Kozhikode and its outskirts, using the same locations as Ekalavyan (1993).
- The Telugu dubbed version Police Commissioner ran for more than 100 days in Andhra Pradesh.
- A sequel titled Bharathchandran I.P.S. was released in 2005, with Renji Panicker replacing Shaji Kailas as director.
- The crossover film The King & the Commissioner, featuring characters from The King (1995) and Commissioner, was released in 2012 but was a box office failure.
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