Neru (meaning “Truth”) is a 2023 Indian Malayalam-language courtroom drama film. It was directed by Jeetu Joseph, who also wrote the screenplay with Shanti Mayadevi. The film was produced by Antony Perumbavoor under Ashirwad Cinemas. The lead stars of the film are Mohanlal and Anaswara Rajan, while Priyamani, Shanti Mayadevi, Siddique, Shankar Induchoodan, Jagadish, and K.B. Ganesh Kumar played supporting roles.
Antony Perumbavoor announced this project on 13 July 2023. Jeetu Joseph and Mohanlal have worked together for the fifth time in this film. Initially called Production No. 33, it was officially titled Neru on 12 August 2023. Filming took place in Thiruvananthapuram from August to October 2023. Vishnu Shyam composed the music, Satish Kurup did the cinematography, and V.S. Vinayak was the editor.
Neru was released in theaters worldwide on 21 December 2023. Critics praised the performances of Mohanlal, Anaswara Rajan, and Siddiqui as well as the writing and direction of the film. The film was a major commercial success, grossing over ₹85 crore globally. It became the second-highest-grossing Malayalam film of 2023 and the seventh-highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time. Neru was seen as a major comeback for Mohanlal, making it his third highest-grossing film.
Neru Movie Details
| Directed by | Jeethu Joseph |
|---|---|
| Written by | Santhi Mayadevi, Jeethu Joseph |
| Produced by | Antony Perumbavoor |
| Starring | Mohanlal |
| Cinematography | Satheesh Kurup |
| Edited by | V. S. Vinayak |
| Music by | Vishnu Shyam |
| Production company | Aashirvad Cinemas |
| Distributed by | Aashirvad Release (India) |
| Phars Film Company (overseas) | |
| Aashirvad Cinemas Co. LLC (overseas) | |
| Release date | 21 December 2023 |
| Running time | 152 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Budget | ₹12 crore |
| Box office | ₹90 crore |
Neru Neru Movie Cast & Crew
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Mohanlal | Advocate Vijayamohan, Sara’s special public prosecutor |
| Anaswara Rajan | Sara Mohammed |
| Priyamani | Advocate Poornima, Rajasekharan’s daughter |
| Santhi Mayadevi | Ahana, Vijayamohan’s assistant |
| Siddique | Advocate Rajasekharan, Michael’s defense lawyer |
| Jagadish | Mohammed, Sara’s father and Parveen’s husband |
| K. B. Ganesh Kumar | CI Paul Varghese |
| Sreedhanya | Parveen Mohammed, Sara’s mother |
| Haritha G. Nair | Advocate Ashwathy, Vijayamohan’s junior |
| Sankar Induchoodan | Michael Joseph |
| Abraham Joseph | Christopher Joseph, Michael’s father |
| Sabbita George | Ancy, Christopher’s wife |
| Mathew Varghese | Judge |
| Dinesh Prabhakar | Robin, Michael’s driver |
| Krishna Prabha | Doctor |
| Reshmi Anil | Seema, Mohammed’s house servant |
| Nandhu | Public Prosecutor |
| Harikrishnan | Jayachandran, Michael’s friend |
| Aditi Ravi | Nikhila, Jayachandran’s wife |
| Prashant Nair | CI Martin Joseph |
| Antony Perumbavoor | Mohammed’s neighbor |
| Rajesh Hebbar | Resort Manager |
| Poojappura Radhakrishnan | Vijayamohan’s clerk |
| Kalesh Ramanand | Vinod, Michael’s friend |
| Kalabhavan Jinto | Junior Advocate |
Neru Movie Box Office Collection Worldwide
State Wise Gross Collection
| Day | Karnataka | APTG | Tamil Nadu | Kerala | Rest Of India | Day Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 [1st Thursday] | ₹ 0.12 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.09 Cr | ₹ 3.05 Cr | ₹ 0.07 Cr | ₹ 3.35 Cr |
| Day 2 [1st Friday] | ₹ 0.13 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.09 Cr | ₹ 2.15 Cr | ₹ 0.06 Cr | ₹ 2.45 Cr |
| Day 3 [1st Saturday] | ₹ 0.18 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.12 Cr | ₹ 3.1 Cr | ₹ 0.08 Cr | ₹ 3.5 Cr |
| Day 4 [1st Sunday] | ₹ 0.23 Cr | ₹ 0.04 Cr | ₹ 0.17 Cr | ₹ 3.65 Cr | ₹ 0.11 Cr | ₹ 4.2 Cr |
| Day 5 [1st Monday] | ₹ 0.25 Cr | ₹ 0.04 Cr | ₹ 0.16 Cr | ₹ 4 Cr | ₹ 0.15 Cr | ₹ 4.6 Cr |
| Day 6 [1st Tuesday] | ₹ 0.17 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 3.5 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 3.9 Cr |
| Day 7 [1st Wednesday] | ₹ 0.15 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.08 Cr | ₹ 2.87 Cr | ₹ 0.07 Cr | ₹ 3.2 Cr |
| Day 8 [2nd Thursday] | ₹ 0.12 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 2.75 Cr | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 3 Cr |
| Week 1 Gross | ₹ 1.35 Cr | ₹ 0.23 Cr | ₹ 0.86 Cr | ₹ 25.07 Cr | ₹ 0.69 Cr | ₹ 28.2 Cr |
| Day 9 [2nd Friday] | ₹ 0.15 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.07 Cr | ₹ 2.88 Cr | ₹ 0.07 Cr | ₹ 3.2 Cr |
| Day 10 [2nd Saturday] | ₹ 0.22 Cr | ₹ 0.04 Cr | ₹ 0.11 Cr | ₹ 3.03 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 3.5 Cr |
| Day 11 [2nd Sunday] | ₹ 0.22 Cr | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 0.12 Cr | ₹ 3.13 Cr | ₹ 0.13 Cr | ₹ 3.65 Cr |
| Day 12 [2nd Monday] | ₹ 0.2 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 2.55 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 2.98 Cr |
| Day 13 [2nd Tuesday] | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 2.12 Cr | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 2.27 Cr |
| Day 14 [2nd Wednesday] | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 1 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 1.1 Cr |
| Day 15 [3rd Thursday] | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.77 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.85 Cr |
| Week 2 Gross | ₹ 0.89 Cr | ₹ 0.19 Cr | ₹ 0.48 Cr | ₹ 15.48 Cr | ₹ 0.51 Cr | ₹ 17.55 Cr |
| Day 16 [3rd Friday] | ₹ 0.04 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.8 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.9 Cr |
| Day 17 [3rd Saturday] | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.04 Cr | ₹ 1.1 Cr | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 1.3 Cr |
| Day 18 [3rd Sunday] | ₹ 0.09 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.04 Cr | ₹ 1.6 Cr | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 1.8 Cr |
| Day 19 [3rd Monday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.45 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.51 Cr |
| Day 20 [3rd Tuesday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.4 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.46 Cr |
| Day 21 [3rd Wednesday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.35 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.41 Cr |
| Day 22 [4th Thursday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0.3 Cr | ₹ 0.03 Cr | ₹ 0.37 Cr |
| Week 3 Gross | ₹ 0.27 Cr | ₹ 0.08 Cr | ₹ 0.18 Cr | ₹ 5 Cr | ₹ 0.22 Cr | ₹ 5.75 Cr |
| Day 23 [4th Friday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.2 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.21 Cr |
| Day 24 [4th Saturday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.3 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.32 Cr |
| Day 25 [4th Sunday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.35 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.37 Cr |
| Day 26 [4th Monday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.13 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.14 Cr |
| Day 27 [4th Tuesday] | ₹ 0.01 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.11 Cr |
| Day 28 [4th Wednesday] | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr |
| Day 29 [5th Thursday] | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 0.1 Cr |
| Week 4 Gross | ₹ 0.05 Cr | ₹ 0.02 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 1.28 Cr | ₹ 0 Cr | ₹ 1.35 Cr |
| Total | ₹ 2.56 Cr | ₹ 0.52 Cr | ₹ 1.52 Cr | ₹ 46.83 Cr | ₹ 1.42 Cr | ₹ 52.85 Cr |
Day Wise India Net Collection
| Day | India Net Collection | Change(%) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 [1st Thursday] | ₹ 2.8 Cr | – |
| Day 2 [1st Friday] | ₹ 2.1 Cr | -25.00% |
| Day 3 [1st Saturday] | ₹ 3 Cr | 42.86% |
| Day 4 [1st Sunday] | ₹ 3.55 Cr | 18.33% |
| Day 5 [1st Monday] | ₹ 3.9 Cr | 9.86% |
| Day 6 [1st Tuesday] |
#Neru crosses 50 crores at the box office worldwide! Heartfelt thanks to audiences everywhere for the love, and kudos to the entire crew!#JeethuJoseph #AntonyPerumbavoor #AashirvadCinemas pic.twitter.com/bgvNjC51aD
— Mohanlal (@Mohanlal) December 29, 2023
#Neru : Good Court room emotional drama with better second half especially climax portions👌 Anaswara 👏 Good performances from @Mohanlal and Siddique. Has its share of predictability and slow areas but overall 👍 Good watch overall pic.twitter.com/UHnbJIrZ5L
— ForumKeralam (@Forumkeralam2) December 21, 2023
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Neru Storyline and Review
Jeetu Joseph’s film Neru is a straightforward courtroom drama that explores the complex corners of the Indian judicial system. The story revolves around a destitute lawyer, played by Mohanlal, who fights for justice for a young woman, Sara (Anaswara Rajan), who was violated by a rich man. While the theme is familiar, what sets Neru apart is Jeetu Joseph and Santhi’s fresh take on style, bringing a unique perspective on a woman’s right to consent.
From the beginning, Neru makes its focus clear. The film tells the story of Sara, a blind girl who is raped in her own home. However, it does not stop at the event itself. In the first five minutes, the criminal is caught. Sara, although she cannot see, she can sculpt. At one point, she is described using her hands to recite a beautiful poetic line. The film spends its time exploring the complications and frustrations of seeking justice in an Indian courtroom. In a poignant moment, Sara asks her lawyer Vijaymohan (Mohanlal), “Should I not confirm who abused me?” Vijay Mohan explains the shortcomings of the adversarial legal system governing his courtroom. Sara’s simple yet profound question highlights that each survivor of abuse reacts differently, a theme “Nehru” explores expertly.
In court, Sara’s testimony captures the anger and pain of a woman who is generally disbelieved for not reacting like a survivor. Mohanlal returns, allowing Anaswara to fully express Sara’s anger and frustration. This is a refreshing change from the usual trope of a brilliant male lawyer saving an innocent woman. Sara is portrayed as intelligent and courageous, without shaming the other survivors or downplaying her struggles. Her sculptures speak for her, giving insight into her character in addition to her passion for her sculpture. The film avoids sensationalizing the abuse, although given the agency given to the female characters to tell their stories it would have been better to remove these scenes altogether.
Despite pushing stardom aside, Neru retains some traditional elements, such as comedic public prosecutors and bumbling advocates. Vijaymohan’s portrayal of Mohanlal is marked by a cool demeanor that rises above the sometimes clunky dialogues. His character is responsible, yet never overshadows the case, including the clever “scene” reference. These qualities help to overlook some of the film’s cinematic flaws. While the movie may seem like wine in an old bottle, the new wine is definitely worth trying, even if the bottle isn’t perfect.
In summary, Neru is an engaging courtroom drama that addresses important topics with a fresh perspective. It highlights the struggles within the legal system and portrays a survivor’s journey with sensitivity and depth, making it a memorable film in its genre.
