# Anchakkallakokkan
**Anchakkallakokkan** (അഞ്ചക്കള്ളക്കോക്കാൻ) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language action crime thriller directed by Ullas Chemban in his directorial debut, starring Lukman Avaran, Chemban Vinod Jose, and Megha Thomas. Set in the late 1980s on the Kerala–[Karnataka](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnataka) border, it follows a timid police constable whose first posting collides with a convicted felon's quest for revenge, and it builds its narrative on the folk theater form Porattu Nadakam (a Kerala folk theater form of satirical skits).[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anchakkallakokkan-movie-review-chemban-brothers-lukmans-film-neatly-fuse-folk-art-pulp-fiction-albeit-with-flaws-9215671/lite/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 15 March 2024 (India, theatrical); Amazon Prime Video from 19 April 2024[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/) • [3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2024/Apr/19/anchakkallakokkan-gets-ott-premiere) |
| Director / writers | Ullas Chemban (directorial debut); screenplay by Ullas Chemban and Vikil Venu[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/) |
| Producer / studio | Chemban Vinod Jose, Chembosky Motion Pictures, in association with A & HS Productions[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2024/Apr/19/anchakkallakokkan-gets-ott-premiere) |
| Lead cast | Lukman Avaran (Vasudevan), Chemban Vinod Jose (Nadavaramban Peter), Megha Thomas (Pathmini), Manikandan R. Achari (Shankarabharanam/Shankaran)[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/anchakkallakokkan/umc.cmc.4tml3a123gt3i47vwkrjm96w0) |
| Runtime / certificate | 126 minutes; U/A (India)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/) |
| Technical crew | Cinematography Armo (Arun Mohan), music Manikandan Ayyappa, editing Rohit VS Variyath[5](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/anchakkallakkokkan.html) |
| Box office | Worldwide gross $75,528 (Box Office Mojo); India net ₹27.7 million (₹2.77 crore; Sacnilk)[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt29521808/) • [7](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anchakkallakokkan_2024) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and setting
The story is set in 1987 in a village on the Kerala–Karnataka border. A meek constable, Vasudevan, arrives for his first days of duty at a neglected police station when a blacksmith confesses to a landlord's murder; the motives run deeper than they appear, drawing him into a web of deceit, revenge, and corruption among locals and police.[4](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/anchakkallakokkan/umc.cmc.4tml3a123gt3i47vwkrjm96w0) The title refers to evil forces in local folklore, and the film introduces this myth into its narrative.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anchakkallakokkan-movie-review-chemban-brothers-lukmans-film-neatly-fuse-folk-art-pulp-fiction-albeit-with-flaws-9215671/lite/) • [8](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/anchakkallakokkkan-malayalam-review/)
In an interview, Ullas Chemban said the film presents three time periods in three locations, each with its own color tone, and that lighting and staging were deliberately handled in the manner of a Porattu Nadakam performance, mixing folklore, action, and music including rap and hip hop.[9](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/interview/2024/03/20/exclusive-chat-with-ullas-chemban.html)
## Production
The film is the directorial debut of Ullas Chemban, brother of actor-producer Chemban Vinod Jose, who produced it under Chembosky Motion Pictures.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Mar/05/trailer-of-chemban-vinod-jose-lukman-avarans-anchakkallakokkan-out) Chemban said the premise grew from a roughly 30-second story thread shared by his friend Suraj, an associate on the film *RDX*; Ullas Chemban and Vikil Venu then developed it into a screenplay.[9](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/interview/2024/03/20/exclusive-chat-with-ullas-chemban.html) The Central Board of Film Certification cleared the film with a U/A certificate on 21 November 2023, after six modifications including muted profanity, an inserted statutory warning on violence against children, an edited hammering sound effect, and shortened hanging visuals.[11](https://cbfc.watch/film/anchakkallakokkan-2023)
## Release and box office
The film released in Indian theaters on 15 March 2024 and began streaming on Amazon Prime Video on 19 April 2024, about a month after its theatrical debut, in an unannounced digital release.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/) • [3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2024/Apr/19/anchakkallakokkan-gets-ott-premiere) It also played overseas: [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records its earliest release as 21 March 2024 in the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates), followed by the United Kingdom (22 March), New Zealand (4 April), and Australia, with a worldwide gross of $75,528, of which $67,236 came from the UAE.[6](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt29521808/) Sacnilk reports an India net collection of ₹27.7 million (₹2.77 crore), with daily net collections peaking at ₹4.4 million (₹0.44 crore) on day three and declining steadily thereafter.[7](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anchakkallakokkan_2024) The two trackers differ on the worldwide total, and neither figure is presented here as reconciled.
## Reception
On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.6/10 from about 1,100 users.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/) Critical response was mixed. S. R. Praveen of *The Hindu* wrote that the film "fails to work despite its dash of style and its array of unconventional characters."[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anchakkallakokkan) *The Indian Express* judged that writer-director Ullas Chemban's infusion of Porattunadakam and the Anchakkallakokkan myth gave a simple, straightforward plot a refreshing twist, while noting flaws.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anchakkallakokkan-movie-review-chemban-brothers-lukmans-film-neatly-fuse-folk-art-pulp-fiction-albeit-with-flaws-9215671/lite/) *The South First* rated it 3 out of 5, calling it an experimental action thriller whose raw treatment makes it worth watching on the big screen.[8](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/anchakkallakokkkan-malayalam-review/) A Cinema Express review described the screenplay as aiming at a neo-noir exploration of human bestiality in the guise of a murder mystery, with well-choreographed passages appearing only sporadically.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2024/Apr/19/anchakkallakokkan-gets-ott-premiere)
## References
1. [Anchakkallakokkan (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29521808/)
2. [Anchakkallakokkan movie review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anchakkallakokkan-movie-review-chemban-brothers-lukmans-film-neatly-fuse-folk-art-pulp-fiction-albeit-with-flaws-9215671/lite/)
3. [Anchakkallakokkan gets OTT premiere, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2024/Apr/19/anchakkallakokkan-gets-ott-premiere)
4. [Anchakkallakokkan, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/anchakkallakokkan/umc.cmc.4tml3a123gt3i47vwkrjm96w0)
5. [Anchakkallakkokkan (2024), FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/anchakkallakkokkan.html)
6. [Anchakkallakokkan (2024), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt29521808/)
7. [Anchakkallakokkan (2024) box office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anchakkallakokkan_2024)
8. [Anchakkallakokkan review, The South First](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/anchakkallakokkkan-malayalam-review/)
9. [Ullas Chemban interview, Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/interview/2024/03/20/exclusive-chat-with-ullas-chemban.html)
10. [Trailer of Chemban Vinod Jose-Lukman Avaran's Anchakkallakokkan out, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Mar/05/trailer-of-chemban-vinod-jose-lukman-avarans-anchakkallakokkan-out)
11. [ANCHAKKALLAKOKKAN, CBFC Watch](https://cbfc.watch/film/anchakkallakokkan-2023)
12. [Anchakkallakokkan, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anchakkallakokkan)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Malayalam films of the 2020s › Malayalam films of 2024*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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