# Anweshippin Kandethum
**Anweshippin Kandethum** (അന്വേഷിപ്പിൻ കണ്ടെത്തും; English title rendered as "Seek, And You Shall Find") is a 2024 Malayalam-language investigative thriller directed by Darwin Kuriakose in his debut, written by Jinu Abraham, and starring [Tovino Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/tovino-thomas) as a police sub-inspector who leads two murder investigations in late 1980s and early 1990s Kerala.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) • [2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/) It was released in theaters on 9 February 2024 and later streamed on Netflix in Malayalam, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) • [3](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-director-when-people-recall-february-2024-of-malayalam-cinema-they-will-also-talk-about-my-film/4534898c0c315)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 9 February 2024 (theatrical, limited); streaming on Netflix[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) |
| Director / writer | Darwin Kuriakose (directorial debut); screenplay Jinu Abraham[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) |
| Lead cast | Tovino Thomas as Anand Narayanan, with Siddique, Indrans, Arthana Binu, Baburaj, Shammi Thilakan, and Kottayam Nazeer[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) |
| Setting | Two murder cases in villages of Kottayam district, late 1980s and early 1990s, before widespread internet and mobile phones[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) |
| Runtime / language | 2 hours 22 minutes; Malayalam[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) |
| Box office | Approximately ₹170 million (₹17 crore) worldwide gross (₹102.5 million (₹10.25 crore) Kerala, ₹52 million (₹5.2 crore) overseas, ₹15.5 million (₹1.55 crore) rest of India); India net ₹89.9 million (₹8.99 crore)[5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/anweshippin-kandethum-final-box-office-collections-tovino-thomas-starrer-falls-short-despite-good-reviews/articleshow/108697487.cms) • [6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anweshippin_Kandethum_2024) |
| Reception | IMDb 7.4/10 from about 13,000 votes; Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 77% from 4 reviews[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13885428/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and structure
The film follows Anand Narayanan (Tovino Thomas), a newly posted sub-inspector at the Chingavanam police station, and his team as they investigate two unrelated murder cases.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) In the first, a missing young woman's body is found in a well, and the inquiry is obstructed by tensions within the local Christian community and by superior officers who redirect the investigation for their own motives; Anand's unofficial digging leads to his suspension along with three colleagues.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/) Months later the team is reinstated and assigned a "low-priority" case, the murder of a young woman six years earlier, which Anand pursues against resistance from within the force and from locals.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/)
The two cases occupy the film's two halves, with the investigation team as the only common link, a structure reviewers compared to an anthology series.[8](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25553/malayalam/anweshippin-kandethum/reviews/) The period setting is central to the drama: with no mobile phones, CCTV, or advanced forensics, the inquiries depend on assumptions and physical evidence, which the writer Jinu Abraham identified as both an advantage for mystery and a constraint on procedure.[9](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-writer-jinu-abraham-when-you-decide-to-do-a-mass-film-dont-look-for-class-in-it-exclusive/d2285628ae25) Both killings are framed as results of honor saving, and each investigation runs in a hostile environment, religious and political interference in the first case and local hostility toward the police in the second.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html)
## Production
Darwin Kuriakose, a Kottayam-based filmmaker, had assisted director Johny Antony and worked on Jinu V Abraham's *[Adam Joan](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-joan)* before this film; the project was announced in 2021 but went on floors about two years later, partly because Tovino Thomas had commitments including *Minnal Murali* and *Naradan* during the pandemic lockdown.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2024/Feb/07/anveshippin-kandethum-director-darwin-kuriakose-tovinos-increased-market-value-has-benefited-our-f-51843.html) Abraham had carried the underlying subject since 2011; after an earlier, more ambitious project proved impractical for a debutant, he completed this script during the lockdown and brought it to Thomas.[9](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-writer-jinu-abraham-when-you-decide-to-do-a-mass-film-dont-look-for-class-in-it-exclusive/d2285628ae25) The delay, Kuriakose said, allowed the team to raise the budget as Thomas's market value grew.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2024/Feb/07/anveshippin-kandethum-director-darwin-kuriakose-tovinos-increased-market-value-has-benefited-our-f-51843.html)
The film was produced by Theatre of Dreams and Yoodlee Films, with Jinu Abraham, Dolwin Kuriakose, Siddharth Anand Kumar, and Vikram Mehra among the producers.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) Girish Gangadharan was the original cinematographer but withdrew during the lockdown, and Gautham Sankar took over.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2024/Feb/07/anveshippin-kandethum-director-darwin-kuriakose-tovinos-increased-market-value-has-benefited-our-f-51843.html) The crew included composer [Santhosh Narayanan](https://www.edgepedia.org/santhosh-narayanan), editor Saiju Sreedharan, and production designer Dileep Nath; Kuriakose pursued Narayanan persistently before the composer, initially reluctant to work in [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema), agreed after seeing the footage.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) • [10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2024/Feb/07/anveshippin-kandethum-director-darwin-kuriakose-tovinos-increased-market-value-has-benefited-our-f-51843.html) For authenticity, the makers consulted serving police officers and had Shaji Maarad, a policeman and co-writer of *Ela Veezha Poonchira*, on set to guide procedure and body language.[10](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2024/Feb/07/anveshippin-kandethum-director-darwin-kuriakose-tovinos-increased-market-value-has-benefited-our-f-51843.html) The shoot lasted 75 days, and the second half was filmed first, beginning with the climax.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/anveshippin-kandethum-maker-speaks-about-the-shoot/articleshow/101360421.cms) • [3](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-director-when-people-recall-february-2024-of-malayalam-cinema-they-will-also-talk-about-my-film/4534898c0c315)
In a casting detail noted by reviewers, Tovino Thomas's real father, Ellikkal Thomas, played Anand's father, a retired constable, marking the elder Thomas's screen debut.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) • [12](https://malayalam.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tovino-thomas-father-adv-ellikkal-thomas-in-anweshippin-kandethum-movie-3685685) The Irish Film Classification Office certified the film 15A, citing strong violence, moderate language, and sexual threat.[13](https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/8E6EF33F00574EB3)
## Reception and box office
Critics received the film as a restrained police procedural. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) rated it 2.5 out of 5, calling it engaging but artificial at times and noting that the deliberate, dialogue-heavy pacing evoked 1980s and 1990s cinema.[2](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/) Cinema Express called it a "riveting police procedural" that made for a gripping experience despite thin character arcs for Anand's three subordinates.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) [The Hindu](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hindu)'s reviewer described a gripping investigative thriller that was slow in parts, and Film Companion credited the top-notch direction and technical work over inventiveness.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum) Onmanorama praised the sustained suspense and Thomas's performance.[14](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2024/02/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-thriller-malayalam.html)
The film opened amid a crowded February 2024 in Malayalam cinema, competing with *Premalu*, *Manjummel Boys*, and *Bramayugam*. Daily Kerala net collections peaked at ₹17 million (₹1.7 crore) on day 3 and declined thereafter, and the Times of India reported a final worldwide gross of approximately ₹170 million (₹17 crore) with an average verdict, noting that the film fell short commercially despite favorable reviews.[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anweshippin_Kandethum_2024) • [5](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/anweshippin-kandethum-final-box-office-collections-tovino-thomas-starrer-falls-short-despite-good-reviews/articleshow/108697487.cms) Sacnilk's compiled figures differ somewhat, listing ₹157.5 million (₹15.75 crore) worldwide, ₹105 million (₹10.50 crore) India gross, and ₹89.9 million (₹8.99 crore) India net.[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anweshippin_Kandethum_2024) Director Kuriakose said the producers were satisfied and that the film made money.[3](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-director-when-people-recall-february-2024-of-malayalam-cinema-they-will-also-talk-about-my-film/4534898c0c315)
## Context in Malayalam cinema
The film arrived during a wave of successful police-themed Malayalam films, following *[Kannur Squad](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannur-squad)* and *Garudan*, and it joined a broader shift in which cop stories portray officers as ordinary men rather than larger-than-life saviors, alongside films such as *Unda*, *Salute*, *Nayattu*, and *Kuttavum Shikshayum*.[14](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2024/02/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-thriller-malayalam.html) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html) Reviewers also noted its episodic two-case structure, with some suggesting the material would have suited a miniseries format.[8](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25553/malayalam/anweshippin-kandethum/reviews/) The film's ending hints at the team's return for a next case.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html)
## References
1. [Anweshippin Kandethum, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anweshippin_kandethum)
2. [Anweshippin Kandethum movie review: Tovino Thomas film is engaging, but artificial at times, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-film-is-engaging-but-artificial-at-times-9152267/)
3. [Anweshippin Kandethum director interview, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-director-when-people-recall-february-2024-of-malayalam-cinema-they-will-also-talk-about-my-film/4534898c0c315)
4. [Anweshippin Kandethum Movie Review: Riveting police procedural, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Feb/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-riveting-police-procedural-51916.html)
5. ['Anweshippin Kandethum' final box office collections, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/anweshippin-kandethum-final-box-office-collections-tovino-thomas-starrer-falls-short-despite-good-reviews/articleshow/108697487.cms)
6. [Anweshippin Kandethum (2024) box office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Anweshippin_Kandethum_2024)
7. [Anweshippin Kandethum (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13885428/)
8. [Anweshippin Kandethum Reviews, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25553/malayalam/anweshippin-kandethum/reviews/)
9. [Anweshippin Kandethum writer Jinu Abraham interview, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/anweshippin-kandethum-writer-jinu-abraham-when-you-decide-to-do-a-mass-film-dont-look-for-class-in-it-exclusive/d2285628ae25)
10. [Anveshippin Kandethum director Darwin Kuriakose interview, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/interviews/2024/Feb/07/anveshippin-kandethum-director-darwin-kuriakose-tovinos-increased-market-value-has-benefited-our-f-51843.html)
11. ['Anveshippin Kandethum' maker speaks about the shoot, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/anveshippin-kandethum-maker-speaks-about-the-shoot/articleshow/101360421.cms)
12. [Tovino Thomas's father Ellikkal Thomas in Anweshippin Kandethum, Indian Express Malayalam](https://malayalam.indianexpress.com/entertainment/tovino-thomas-father-adv-ellikkal-thomas-in-anweshippin-kandethum-movie-3685685)
13. [Anweshippin Kandethum (2024), Irish Film Classification Office](https://www.ifco.ie/en/ifco/pages/8E6EF33F00574EB3)
14. [Anweshippin Kandethum: Tovino Thomas excels in this riveting thriller, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2024/02/09/anweshippin-kandethum-movie-review-tovino-thomas-thriller-malayalam.html)
---
*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 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license