Neru box office collection Day 1 - Mohanlal starrer makes a strong opening; mints ₹3 crore

Mohanlal’s new courtroom drama film Neru, which was released in the theatres on December 21, has been garnering a lot of attention from the audience and critics alike. The Jeethu Joseph directorial is particularly praised for its screenplay and the superstar’s incredible performance. 

Also starring Anaswara Rajan, Priyamani and Jagadish, Neru has minted approximately ₹2.8 crore in Kerala, making it a total of ₹3 crore across India. The courtroom drama film had an impressive 54.37% Malayalam occupancy on the opening day. The numbers are expected to increase further during the Christmas weekend, despite its clash with big budget movies like Dunki and Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire. 

Mohanlal starrer Neru’s plot, cast and crew

Neru is a gripping legal tale centred on Sara, a visually impaired sculptor, who seeks justice after being sexually abused. The accused is represented by a senior Supreme Court advocate, while the family of the victim faces difficulties in securing a prosecutor. Eventually, Vijayamohan, who has been inactive in legal practice since being suspended by the Bar Council, takes on the role. Will he succeed in delivering justice for Sara forms the crux of the story.

Neru movie review: A stirring final act redeems this procedure-heavy courtroom drama led by Mohanlal and Anaswara Rajan 

The cast also includes Siddique, Ganesh Kumar, Kalesh Ramanand, Santhi Mayadevi, Nandu, Dr Sree Dhanya, Harikrishnan and Aditi Ravi. Actress Santhi Mayadevi, who is also a real-life advocate, co-wrote the screenplay of Neru, along with Jeethu. 

Neru’s legal battle over plagiarism and other allegations

Prior to the release of Neru, the Jeethu-Mohanlal film was accused of plagiarism by screenwriter Deepu K Unni. But on Wednesday, the Kerala High Court refused to stay the release of the Mohanlal starrer. The petitioner alleged that the script of the courtroom drama was given to Santhi and Jeethu, who had promised to use this script for the director’s next film. Unni claimed that the movie’s trailer contained sequences that were identical to his work. The writer then sought the court’s intervention to prevent the release of the film. However, Kerala High Court Justice Devan Ramachandran refused to do that, and the movie eventually hit the cinemas on December 21.  

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