Amid 'Dunki vs Salaar' clash, 'Drishyam' pair Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph quietly release their film 'Neru'

Mohanlal in a still from Neru

While netizens are busy between the 'Dunki' vs 'Salaar' clash at the box office, another film has quietly released in the theatres on the same day as Shah Rukh Khan's Dunki. The Malayalam film 'Neru' starring Mohanlal and directed by Jeethu Joseph is a courtroom drama that hit the theatres on Thursday. It is from the same director-actor duo who made the super successful films 'Drishyam' and 'Drishyam 2' in Malayalam, which was then re-made in multiple languages.

Apart from Mohanlal, 'Neru' also stars Priyamani and Answara in prominent roles. In the film, Mohanlal plays a public prosecutor named Vijaymohan while Anaswara essays the role of Sara, a blind sculptor. Priyamani plays the defending lawyer. The script of the film has been penned by Jeethu and Santh Mayadevi.

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With a minimalistic promotional strategy largely limited to Kerala, the film has been managing to get people to the theatres and a non-holiday opening. Several netizens took to social media to share their reaction to the film:

A netizen wrote, "Mohanlal is back to a grounded role & he really shines while delivering a lengthy line in first half. Jeethu Joseph once again gives you a high in climax. But one who walks away with this film is Anaswara. She is brilliant in that last act with Siddique"

"The finest actor of this country, the biggest star of this state, one among the most influential Malayalees ever, is back to save mid films again. Normalcy restored. The world goes back to its former self. Get back to work. We good here," wrote another netizen.

Apart from the 'Drishyam' franchise, Mohanlal and Jethu Joseph have previously collaborated on the film '12th Man', a murder mystery. They also have the film 'Ram' in the pipeline

Meanwhile, ahead of its release, the courtroom drama got embroiled in a real legal battle when it was accused of plagiarism. Writer Deepak Unni filed a petition to stall 'Neru's release at Kerala High Court, citing plagiarism issues, according to Live Law. After the court refused to stall the release of the film, Joseph took to his Facebook account to share a statement regarding the accusation. "The film Neru was made with utmost honesty, just like any other film I've made. A controversy was created right before the film's release. As you may know, someone has come forth claiming rights to the story and has even approached the court. I request the audience to watch the film and decide what's true or false for themselves," he wrote.

On the other hand, the 'Dunki vs Salaar' clash has also benefitted the theatres as people are visiting the cinema halls in large numbers to watch their favourite films this holiday season.