Kannur Squad

The film stars Mammootty alongside Azees Nedumangad, Rony David Raj, Shabareesh Varma, Kishore and Vijayaraghavan.

The film was shot across locations including Kannur, Kasaragod, Wayanad, Ernakulam, Athirapilly, Thiruvananthapuram, Pala, Wai, Pune, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Belgaum, Mangalore and Coimbatore.

[6] 2015: ASI George Martin and his team of CPO officers: Jose, Jayan and Shafi, known as the Kannur Squad, head out to search for a political goon, who is in a hideout in the Kannur-Virajpet forest area.

The squad begins their investigation, where they capture the suspect Riyas, as he bought two SIM cards and his urine sample(the culprit was has kidney stone) was found at the crime scene, and interrogates him.

They find there is no money and brutally kill Wahab, injure his son Ramzan and leave his daughter Farha assaulted by Ameer.

The squad later sets out to track down the culprits, where they reach Mumbai for the investigation and learn that Ameer had made a call to Shiju Velayudhan.

The squad reaches Faizabad and is assisted by constable Yogesh Yadav of the UP Police, where they learn that a person named Pawan picked up Ameer and Zulfiqar from the railway station.

Kannur Squad marks the fourth production of Mammootty Kampany, following Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (2022), Rorschach (2022) and Kaathal – The Core (2023).

[7][8] It was the directorial debut of cinematographer Roby Varghese Raj, who has previously worked in Puthiya Niyamam (2016) and The Great Father (2017).

[11] Rony David Raj and Muhammed Shafi began writing the story on policemen during the COVID-19 lockdown, and the initial draft resembled a documentary.

[14] The action choreography was created by Supreme Sundar, Rajashekhar, Kanal Kannan, Jolly Bastian, Run Ravi, PC Stunts and Roby Varghese Raj.

Lukman Avaran and Arjun Ashokan were initially considered for the role of police officers but both of them had to back out due to conflicting schedules.

Shabeer Kallarakkal was considered for a negative role in the film, but it didn't end up happening as he was busy shooting for King of Kotha (2023).

[24][32] The entire filming took place in Kannur, Kasaragod, Wayanad, Ernakulam, Athirappilly, Thiruvananthapuram, Pala, Wai, Pune, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Belgaum, Mangalore and Coimbatore.

The squad is still operational and has a total of nine members, consisting of Additional SI Mathew Jose, and senior CPOs Raphy Ahmed M A, Vinodkumar P, Manojkumar K, Sunilkumar C, Jayarajan K, Reji Skaria, Rajasekar C K, and led by ASI Baby George.

[38] The film focuses on four police officers, played by Mammootty, Rony David Raj, Shabaresh Varma, and Azeez Nedumangad.

[39] Rony David Raj and Muhammed Shafi (who wrote the story and screenplay of the film) contacted the officers of the Kannur Squad.

Sanjith Sidhardhan of OTTPlay gave 4/5 stars and wrote "All departments fire in equal measure in making Mammootty's police procedural a gripping theatrical watch.

Kannur Squad also serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by duty-bound police officers, while keeping the audience hooked to the engaging narrative as a team of four cops chase four elusive criminals across the country.

"[62] Sajin Shrijith of The New Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "The most stimulating aspect of the script is how it explores the manner in which its characters handle strong emotions.

Muhammed Rahil's cinematography is excellent; wonderfully capturing dramatic moments in small spaces and the grandeur of landscapes.

"[66] Cris of The News Minute gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Roby Varghese Raj, the director, gives a few cinematic strokes, minimal and essential to the real story of a police squad in Kerala, played by Mammootty and his team of three men.

"[67] S. R. Praveen of The Hindu wrote "Despite letting Mammootty indulge in a bit of fan service, director Roby Varghese Raj ensures that the film sticks to the police procedural sans any glamour for the most part.

"[68] Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote "Despite no major twists, the performances of all the actors and the action-oriented sequences in the second half of the movie, make 'Kannur Squad' engaging.

"[69] Vishal Menon of Film Companion wrote "When aided by a strong support cast and one seriously menacing villain, Kannur Squad develops into a meticulously detailed procedural that is clever enough to go all guns blazing for its superstar when needed.