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Movies based on real-life crimes often attract more attention than entirely fictional tales. Despite knowing that such stories may have been fictionalised — and regardless of the disclaimers at the start stating so clearly — audiences have a strong penchant for these films. Much like its counterparts, Malayalam cinema too has produced several movies inspired by actual crimes. Interestingly, Mohanlal, who would later become one of the biggest superstars the industry has ever seen and a recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, appeared in one such movie early in his career. In fact, the film played a key role in propelling him to fame, thanks to its massive success.
Titled Madrasile Mon, the crime drama was helmed by “Hitmaker” Sasikumar and scripted by PM Nair, based on a story by Kaviyoor Sivaraman Pillai. Intriguingly, the movie was named after the prime accused in the real-life case it was based on, a role played by actor Raveendran. Mohanlal, meanwhile, depicted another prominent character. Also starring Ravikumar, KP Ummer, Bahadoor, Alummoodan, and Sheela in key roles, Madrasile Mon turned out to be a huge hit and cemented the up-and-coming Mohanlal’s status as a promising talent in the industry. Besides the name of Sasikumar at the helm, what attracted audiences the most, prompting them to flock to theatres, was that the movie was inspired by the infamous Karikkan Villa double murder case, which became a sensation in Kerala in the early 1980s.
On the fateful night of October 6, 1980, a middle-aged couple, KC George (63) and Rachel (56), were brutally murdered at their home, Karikkan Villa, located in Tiruvalla of Pathanamthitta district. The childless, wealthy couple had worked in Kuwait for many years before settling down in Tiruvalla. Their bodies were reportedly discovered the next morning by Gowri, their maid. Both had been stabbed, and the knife was still lodged in Rachel’s body when she was found. Police launched an investigation and learned that Rachel’s jewellery, George’s Rolex watch, a tape recorder, and a significant amount of cash were missing. During the probe, Manorama Online reported, officers noticed faint imprints of new shoes on blood-stained papers scattered inside the house.
Gowri then made a startling revelation that became a turning point in the investigation and led police to the culprits. She said that on the previous evening, as she was leaving after work, four people had arrived in a car. Seeing them, Rachel asked her to make tea. Although the quinquagenarian herself served them the beverage, she told Gowri that it was “Madrasile Mon” (in Malayalam, mon literally means “son,” but it is also used by elders to affectionately address younger boys). This clue made it clear that George’s relative, Reni George, who was studying in Madras (Chennai), was behind the double homicide.
Police soon found that Reni had committed the crime with the help of his friends — Hasan Ghulam Mohammed from Mauritius, Gunasekharan from Malaysia, and Kibblo Daniel from Kenya. All four were aeronautical engineering students in Madras and were addicted to alcohol and drugs. Investigators discovered that they had previously been involved in petty thefts to fund their addictions. They drove from Chennai to Tiruvalla to commit the murder and steal money. The foreign-made shoes worn by the accused — the ones whose imprints were found at the scene — played a key role in confirming their involvement. Officers later recovered the shoes from Reni’s residence. He had kept them because they were expensive.
The four were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Kottayam Sessions Court in 1982. Although they appealed to the High Court, it upheld the lower court’s verdict in 1983. During his early years in prison, Reni showed no remorse and reportedly continued drug use and trafficking inside the jail. While out on parole, he even threatened the producer of Madrasile Mon and extorted Rs 60,000 from him.
However, Reni gradually underwent a change of heart. The accused’s imprisonment ended in June 1995. While Ghulam, Gunasekharan, and Kibblo returned to their respective native places, Reni turned to evangelism. He also got married during one of his paroles and went on to establish an NGO in Bengaluru for the children of prisoners incarcerated in Kerala and Karnataka. He reportedly lives in Bengaluru with his family now.
Although Gowri lived in fear that Reni might one day return to exact revenge for her testimony against him, when they eventually met, Reni instead asked her for forgiveness for killing her beloved mistress. He reportedly also requested her to pray for his sins to be forgiven. Gowri passed away in July 2020, at the age of 98.
In an interview with Truecopy THINK, actor Raveendran revealed that he had been friends with Reni in real life before the latter committed the murder. “We lived together. About three months before the incident, I had a fight with him. I always stand my ground, and that time was no different. I told him we couldn’t live together anymore. He was involved in drugs, chemicals, and robbery. I said, ‘No! You can’t stay here anymore.’ And I threw him out,” the actor shared.
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