Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph’s Hotstar release 12th Man inspired by this Italian film?
The whodunit mystery film, which is scripted by KR Krishnakumar, revolves around a group of friends playing a game that leads to them revealing dark secrets
May 21, 2022
Screen grabs from Perfect Strangers and Mohanlal's 12th Man
Drishyam duo Mohanlal and Jeethu Joseph’s latest release 12th Man dropped on Disney+ Hotstar on May 20 and while the film isn’t like their previous ventures, it is still unique entry in Malayalam cinema due to its novel format.
The whodunit mystery, which is extensively shot in a single location, has an ensemble cast featuring Unni Mukundan, Sshivada, Anu Sithara, Chandunath, Anusree, Rahul Madhav, Priyanka Nair, Saiju Kurup, Anu Mohan and Leona Lishoy. It revolves around a group of friends who attend a get-together at a resort. They begin playing a game – where each of them is privy to their messages and phone calls in an hour – to prove that they don’t keep secrets from each other. Soon, dark secrets come tumbling out that leads to arguments and also a death. How a mysterious 12th Man helps get to the bottom of it by further unraveling the secrets form the plot of the film.
Soon after the movie dropped on Disney+ Hotstar, many were quick to point out that the film was allegedly inspired by the Italian movie Perfetti Sconosciuti aka Perfect Strangers. The 2016 comedy-drama revolves around seven friends who gather for a dinner party and play a similar game, at the behest of a therapist who says that if the spouses or partners saw the messages on each other’s phones they would separate.
While the film doesn’t have the investigative thriller angle, it does have the tropes of extra-marital affairs and the web of lies and deceit that are also used in KR Krishnakumar’s script of 12th Man. Incidentally, Perfetti Sconosciuti is reportedly the most remade film in movie history, spawning as much as 18 remakes including Le Jeu (Nothing to Hide) in French. A Hollywood version, set to be helmed by Issa Rae is also in the pipeline.
In an earlier interview with OTTplay, Jeethu said the basic idea of 12thMan was shared to him and its scriptwriter by Badla and The Body producer Sunir Khetarpal. “We developed the screenplay from that and took almost two years to complete it,” said the director.
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