CBI
5:
The
Brain,
the
most-awaited
5th
installment
of
the
CBI
Series
is
finally
here.
Mammootty
is
playing
the
iconic
character
Sethurama
Iyer
once
again
in
CBI
5:
The
Brain,
which
is
written
by
SN
Swamy
and
helmed
by
K
Madhu.
The
investigation
thriller
also
marked
the
comeback
of
veteran
actor
Jagathy
Sreekumar
to
the
silver
screen,
after
a
very
long
gap.
CBI
officer
Balagopal
(Renji
Panicker)
narrates
the
story
of
one
of
the
most
difficult
murder
investigations
of
his
career,
in
an
interactive
session
with
a
batch
of
IPS
freshers.
The
series
of
murders,
which
was
named
'basket
killings'
was
investigated
by
the
CBI
team
headed
by
Sethurama
Iyer
(Mammootty).
How
Iyer
and
his
team
solved
the
case
and
unmasked
the
truth
forms
the
crux
of
CBI
5:
The
Brain.
Script
&
Direction
K
Madhu
and
SN
Swamy,
the
writer-director
duo
have
created
the
5th
installment
that
keeps
the
essence
of
the
first
four
parts
of
the
CBI
franchise
intact.
The
engaging
first
half
which
creates
an
effective
build-up
is
followed
by
an
equally
interesting
second
half,
that
keeps
the
audience
hooked
to
the
screen
for
most
of
its
parts.
Even
though
there
are
moments
where
the
writer-director
duo
loses
their
grip
over
the
storytelling,
the
narrative
is
back
to
form
the
next
minute.
The
director
and
writer
have
used
the
nostalgia
factors
to
the
fullest,
thus
making
the
film
a
memorable
experience
for
the
audience
who
are
familiar
with
the
franchise.
However,
the
lukewarm
climax
might
not
satisfy
the
viewers,
who
had
high
expectations
after
all
the
build-ups.
Even
though
the
climax
twist
is
good,
it
could've
been
staged
much
more
effectively.
Notably,
several
characters
who
are
introduced
in
the
first
half
of
the
film
are
eventually
forgotten,
thus
leaving
many
loose
ends.
Also,
the
casting
of
some
of
the
female
characters
doesn't
make
sense.
Mammootty,
as
always
looks
majestic
as
Sethurama
Iyer.
The
megastar
once
again
proves
how
consistent
he
is
as
an
actor,
by
recreating
the
mannerisms
and
body
language
of
Sethurama
Iyer
to
near
perfection.
With
the
signature
walking
style
and
Tamil
Brahmin
slang
in
dialogues,
Iyer
still
possesses
the
same
old
aura
when
he
appears
for
the
fifth
time
on
the
silver
screen.
Jagathy
Sreekumar
makes
a
special
appearance
and
gets
the
perfect
tribute
he
deserves.
His
character
Vikram
is
not
included
just
for
the
nostalgia
factor
but
plays
an
important
part
in
the
narrative.
Saikumar
once
again
shines
as
Sathyadas,
the
senior
police
officer
who
is
corrupted
to
the
core.
The
rest
of
the
star
cast,
including
Mukesh,
Renji
Panicker,
Anoop
Menon,
Soubin
Shahir,
Kottayam
Ramesh,
Sudev
Nair,
Ramesh
Pisharody,
Asha
Sarath,
Kaniha,
Ansiba
Hassan,
and
others
are
good
in
their
respective
roles.
Technical
Aspects
Akhil
George,
the
DOP,
scores
with
the
decent
visualisation
of
the
film.
A
Sreekar
Prasad's
editing
makes
CBI
5:
The
Brain
an
engaging
watch.
The
production
design
team
deserves
a
special
mention
for
their
great
effort.
However,
it
is
the
music
composed
by
Jakes
Bejoy
that
becomes
the
heart
and
soul
of
CBI
5:
The
Brain.
The
iconic
CBI
theme
music
is
recreated
in
the
best
way
possible,
along
with
the
impressive
original
score.
Verdict
CBI
5:
The
Brain
stays
true
to
the
essence
of
its
previous
installments
with
the
treatment
and
making.
This
Mammootty-starrer
might
not
have
the
wow
factor
of
a
modern
thriller,
but
its
old-world
charm
clearly
works
for
the
audience
who
love
the
CBI
films
and
Sethurama
Iyer.