# Kireedam (കിരീടം) (1989 film)
Released in 1989, **Kireedam** (കിരീടം, "The Crown") is an Indian action drama in Malayalam, with [Sibi Malayil](https://www.edgepedia.org/sibi-malayil) directing and A. K. Lohithadas handling the screenplay; Mohanlal plays Sethumadhavan, a young man whose ambition to join the police force collapses when one brave act draws him into a violent life[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/) • [2](https://filmguide.iffigoa.org/detail/?id=6754). Released in Kerala on July 7, 1989, the film is regarded as a landmark of [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema) and one of the defining works of Mohanlal's career[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2026/Jul/02/mohanlals-kireedam-4k-rerelease-to-hit-theatres-on-this-date).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | July 7, 1989, in theaters across Kerala; 124 minutes, Malayalam[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/) • [4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/07/08/kireedam-re-release-mohanlal-sibi-malayil-theatre-visit.html) |
| Key credits | Director Sibi Malayil; screenplay A. K. Lohithadas; cinematography S. Kumar; music Johnson; produced by Dinesh Panicker and N. Krishnakumar for Kripa Films[2](https://filmguide.iffigoa.org/detail/?id=6754) • [5](https://erosnow.com/movie/watch/1060714/Kireedam---Malayalam) |
| Lead cast | Mohanlal (Sethumadhavan), Thilakan (Head Constable Achuthan Nair), Parvathy (Devi), Mohan Raj (Keerikkadan Jose)[2](https://filmguide.iffigoa.org/detail/?id=6754) |
| Production | Screenplay written in about three days; filming completed in 25 days in Thiruvananthapuram at a cost of 2.35 million rupees (23.5 lakh rupees)[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/kireedam-was-shot-in-25-days-at-a-cost-of-rs-23-5-lakh-mohanlal-charged-just-rs-4-lakh-10412894/) |
| Awards | National Film Award Special Mention for Mohanlal (1990); Kerala State award for M. G. Sreekumar as best playback singer for "Kanneer Poovinte"[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/awards/) • [8](https://malayalam.samayam.com/malayalam-cinema/movie-news/mohanlal-starrer-kireedam-malayalam-movie-celebrates-thirty-one-years/amp_articleshow/76828016.cms) |
| Remakes | Six remakes: Telugu (*Rowdyism Nasinchali*, 1990), Kannada (*Modada Mareyalli*, 1991), Hindi (*Gardish*, 1993), Bangladeshi Bengali (*Babar Adesh*, 1995), Bengali (*Nayak-The Real Hero*, 2005), and Tamil (*Kireedam*, 2007)[9](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html) |
| Restoration | Restored in 4K with Dolby Atmos by NFDC–NFAI from a preserved 35mm release print; re-released in theaters on July 10, 2026[10](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282742&lang=2®=48) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Sethumadhavan (Mohanlal) is the son of Achuthan Nair (Thilakan), a police constable who wants his son to join the police force[2](https://filmguide.iffigoa.org/detail/?id=6754). When Sethu intervenes to stop a local goon, his act of bravery drags him into the world of violence: he is branded a rowdy, forced into repeated confrontations, and his life spirals downward despite his innocence and hopes for a better future[2](https://filmguide.iffigoa.org/detail/?id=6754). In the climax, circumstances force him to kill the gangster Keerikkadan Jose, who had threatened his life and his family's, turning him into a killer[11](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/kireedam/story.html). [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) describes the ending as a tragedy with no reprieve, and Thilakan's line "Ninte achanaada parayunne, kathi thaazhe ideda" has become one of the most iconic lines in Malayalam cinema[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/kireedam-was-shot-in-25-days-at-a-cost-of-rs-23-5-lakh-mohanlal-charged-just-rs-4-lakh-10412894/).
## Production
**Origins of the story.** Lohithadas drew the plot from a story that circulated in his locality about an incident in Chalakudy in which a carpenter knocked down a notorious criminal named Keshavan with a single hit[9](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html). Unable to attend Sibi Malayil's wedding, Lohithadas wrote the screenplay as a compensation gift for the director. Accounts of how fast he wrote it differ: one source says he completed it in six days[9](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html), while the Indian Express, quoting Lohithadas himself on the Amrita TV show *Sangeetha Samagamam*, reports that he finished the entire script in about three days, writing in one sitting without bathing or eating[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/kireedam-was-shot-in-25-days-at-a-cost-of-rs-23-5-lakh-mohanlal-charged-just-rs-4-lakh-10412894/).
**The title.** "Kireedam" (crown) was originally the title Lohithadas gave to a screenplay for director [I. V. Sasi](https://www.edgepedia.org/i-v-sasi), a [Mammootty](https://www.edgepedia.org/mammootty) film. Sasi did not like the name and the project was released as *Mukthi* (1988); Sibi Malayil, hearing of the dispute, adopted the title for his own film[9](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html).
**Budget and schedule.** Filming was completed in 25 days in [Thiruvananthapuram](https://www.edgepedia.org/thiruvananthapuram) at a cost of 2.35 million rupees (23.5 lakh rupees)[6](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/kireedam-was-shot-in-25-days-at-a-cost-of-rs-23-5-lakh-mohanlal-charged-just-rs-4-lakh-10412894/). Mohanlal, whose usual remuneration at the time was 450,000 (4.5 lakh), took only 400,000 (4 lakh) for his friendship with producer Krishnakumar[9](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html).
## Reception and legacy
The film was a popular and critical success. Mohanlal received a Special Mention (Actor) at the 1990 [National Film Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-awards) for his 1989 work, his first National Award recognition[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/awards/) • [4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/07/08/kireedam-re-release-mohanlal-sibi-malayil-theatre-visit.html). In the same year, [M. G. Sreekumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-g-sreekumar) won the Kerala State government's best playback singer award for "Kanneer Poovinte Kavilil Thodiy" from the film[8](https://malayalam.samayam.com/malayalam-cinema/movie-news/mohanlal-starrer-kireedam-malayalam-movie-celebrates-thirty-one-years/amp_articleshow/76828016.cms).
The film's cultural footprint extended beyond the screen. Mohan Raj's character name Keerikkadan Jose became his stage name; producer N. Krishnakumar became known as Kireedam Unni; and the bridge near Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram, where key scenes were filmed, came to be called Kireedam Paalam (Kireedam bridge)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/). The bridge later became a centerpiece of Kerala's cinema tourism project, with viewing points, rest areas, and statues of Mohanlal and Parvathy installed nearby[12](https://kerala.gov.in/articledetail/OTgyMzU4MTk4Ljg%3D/0). The film was also a breakthrough for [Cochin Haneefa](https://www.edgepedia.org/cochin-haneefa), who began appearing in more comedic roles afterward[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/).
**Sequel and remakes.** Its success produced a direct sequel, *Chenkol* (1993), reuniting the same director, writer, and star[13](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/mohanlal-s-kireedam-completes-29-years-044726.html). The film was remade in six other languages, becoming Mohanlal's first movie to be remade that many times[9](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html). The News Minute notes that although some remakes did well commercially, none attained the original's status as a classic; the 2007 Tamil version by [A. L. Vijay](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-l-vijay) turned the story into what that outlet calls a regular masala flick[14](https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/kireedam-premam-six-malayalam-films-didnt-need-remakes-129809).
## 4K restoration and re-release
The original camera negative of the film had deteriorated and could not be used, but the National Film Archive of India had preserved a 35mm release print for more than 30 years, which became the basis for a 4K restoration[10](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282742&lang=2®=48). The restoration, carried out by the National Film Development Corporation–National Film Archive of India (NFDC–NFAI) under the National Film Heritage Mission, included high-resolution scanning, digital image restoration, and color grading supervised by cinematographer S. Kumar and director Sibi Malayil, with [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos) sound remastering[10](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282742&lang=2®=48). The restored film premiered at the 55th [International Film Festival of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/international-film-festival-of-india) and returned to theaters in India and overseas on July 10, 2026, presented by NFDC in association with Seven Arts International Ltd. and distributed by Hyzin Global Ventures[10](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282742&lang=2®=48). At the trailer launch for the re-release, Mohanlal described the film as the movie that won him his first National Award and called the occasion a rare moment in his career[4](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/07/08/kireedam-re-release-mohanlal-sibi-malayil-theatre-visit.html).
## References
1. [Kireedam (1989), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/)
2. [Kireedam, IFFI Film Guide](https://filmguide.iffigoa.org/detail/?id=6754)
3. [Mohanlal's Kireedam 4K rerelease to hit theatres on this date, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2026/Jul/02/mohanlals-kireedam-4k-rerelease-to-hit-theatres-on-this-date)
4. [Kireedam re-release: Mohanlal gets emotional watching Sethumadhavan again after 37 years, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2026/07/08/kireedam-re-release-mohanlal-sibi-malayil-theatre-visit.html)
5. [Kireedam, Eros Now](https://erosnow.com/movie/watch/1060714/Kireedam---Malayalam)
6. [Malayalam cinema's most iconic tragedy was written in 3 days, shot in 25 days at a cost of Rs 23.5 lakh, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/kireedam-was-shot-in-25-days-at-a-cost-of-rs-23-5-lakh-mohanlal-charged-just-rs-4-lakh-10412894/)
7. [Kireedam (1989) Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237376/awards/)
8. [Kireedam 31 Years, Samayam Malayalam](https://malayalam.samayam.com/malayalam-cinema/movie-news/mohanlal-starrer-kireedam-malayalam-movie-celebrates-thirty-one-years/amp_articleshow/76828016.cms)
9. [Kireedam (1989 film), Top Shelf Reviews](https://topshelfreviews.com/movies/1989/Kireedam1989film.html)
10. [NFDC–NFAI's Archival Preservation Brings Malayalam Classic "Kireedam" Back to the Big Screen in 4K, Press Information Bureau](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2282742&lang=2®=48)
11. [Kireedam Movie Story, FilmiBeat Malayalam](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/kireedam/story.html)
12. [Kireedam Paalam cinema tourism project, Government of Kerala](https://kerala.gov.in/articledetail/OTgyMzU4MTk4Ljg%3D/0)
13. [Mohanlal's Kireedam completes 29 years, FilmiBeat Malayalam](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/features/mohanlal-s-kireedam-completes-29-years-044726.html)
14. ['Kireedam' to 'Premam', six Malayalam films that didn't need remakes, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/kireedam-premam-six-malayalam-films-didnt-need-remakes-129809)
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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 before 2010*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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