Abraham Ozler is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film co-produced and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas and written by Randheer Krishnan.
Present: Three years later, Ozler is chronically depressed insomniac who experiences hallucinations due to lack of sleep.
Shivakumar, Selvaraj, Xavi Punnoose (a retired police surgeon) and Alexander Joseph (now living in Dubai) were all found to have been friends and batchmates.
The real Alexander attempts to kill Xavi in the same manner as the previous victims, but is arrested by Ozler and his men at the last minute.
Selvaraj, a student of Anesthesia and a drug addict, was expelled after Alexander caught him getting high and reported the latter to the faculty.
During the surgery, Alexander was unexpectedly required to take the lead and he requested Xavi to cut the tie inside Krishnadas's neck.
Under the influence of drugs and alcohol, the enraged and bitter Selvaraj, Xavi and Shivakumar brutalized Alexander, putting him in a coma.
Once sober, they fabricated an accident, faked injuries on themselves and told everyone that a drunk Alexander took them for a drive and crashed the car.
A heartbroken Suja lost all hope after overhearing this and committed suicide by jumping in front of a moving bus.
After years of nursing care, he regained movement but loses most of his postgraduate memories due to dissociative amnesia, including Suja, Xavi, Shivakumar and Selvaraj.
Seconds before this happens, Ozler receives a call where the forensic surgeon Satheesh Madhavan reveals that Alexander had poisoned Xavi and all the victims with methylene blue and agar-agar, a lethal bacteria-infected surgical ink before making cuts on their bodies.
Later, it is shown that the truth gets revealed - Shivakumar is found dead in his car, while Selvaraj becomes drunk and his wife leaves him, realizing that he caused their son's murder.
After the success of Anjaam Pathira (2020), Midhun Manuel Thomas wanted to direct a film featuring Kunchako Boban.
It was during that time that director John Manthrikkal narrated a story to Midhun which was written by ortho surgeon Dr. Randheer Krishnan.
[8] In an interview with Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express, Midhun revealed that the film's titular protagonist was named after the Canadian physician William Osler, regarded as the 'Father of Modern Medicine'.
In preparing for the role, Jayaram put in some weight and grew a long beard with a tired look to fit the character.
Gopika IS of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Jayaram starrer Abraham Ozler turned out to be an interesting watch and can undoubtedly be seen as a new phase in the actor's career.
"[29] Sara Anna Eepan of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Abraham Ozler is worth a watch on the big screen for those interested in an investigation drama with medical thriller elements.
"[30] Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Abraham Ozler doesn't lack the ability to hook us, but it made me wonder whether it would've worked better as an airport novel than a film.
"[31] Nikhil Sebastian of Pinkvilla gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Abraham Ozler falls into the category of another half-baked thriller, relying on the performances of the actors and a brilliant original score.
"[32] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Midhun Manuel Thomas' film can be dubbed as a crime thriller that meets the essential criteria for the genre.
"[33] S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "The Jayaram-starrer is marred by generic treatment to the serial killer genre, with a cameo from superstar Mammootty offering only a temporary relief.
"[34] Vishal Menon of FIlm Companion wrote "By reinventing Jayaram as an actor and by infusing so much information into a stereotypical thriller, Abraham Ozler remains fairly engaging even if you've seen it all before.
However, true to the expression "to end with a bang," Midhun employs the right tactics in the second half to provide viewers with a more than satisfactory conclusion.