# Chaappa Kurishu

Chaappa Kurishu (transl. Heads or Tails (slang)) is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language thriller film co-written and directed by Sameer Thahir and starring Vineeth Sreenivasan, Fahadh Faasil, Roma Asrani, Remya Nambeesan, and Nivetha Thomas in the lead roles.
The film started production in April 2011 at Kochi and was released on 14 July. It is the directorial debut of Thahir. The film was remade in Tamil as Pulivaal with Vimal and Prasanna.
The film is an unauthorized remake of the 2009 South Korean film Handphone, along with its reported structural similarity to the 2002 American film Changing Lanes.

## Plot

Arjun, a wealthy builder who owns a big construction business in Kochi, is having an illicit affair with his subordinate, Sonia, even though he is preparing to be engaged to his family friend's daughter, Ann. Ansari, a poor supermarket worker frequently mocked for his appearance, is crushing on his co-worker Nafiza.
Arjun is shown to be regretful of having taken advantage of Sonia's trust in him when she allowed him to record them.When Arjun and Sonia met in Arjun's flat, Arjun recorded them having sex on his mobile without Sonia knowing. Sonia too finds out about the leaked video, and after making a call to Arjun, is shown to be preparing for suicide.
A chase follows when Arjun tries to find Ansari. The confrontation between the two is vicious and bloody before finally settling down and resignedly going their separate ways. Sonia decides to leave town instead of killing herself. Arjun finds out and is seen seeking her out at the airport. He is all bruised from the fight, and the film leaves them at that point and ends with Ansari standing up to people who mock him.

## Cast

* Vineeth Sreenivasan as Ansari
* Fahadh Faasil as Arjun Samuel
* Roma Asrani as Ann
* Remya Nambeesan as Sonia
* Nivetha Thomas as Nafiza
* Jinu Joseph as John
* Sunil Sukhada as Store Manager Martin
* Dinesh Panicker as Samuel

## Production
### Title

"Chappa Kurishu" means Head or Tail in Malayalam. Sameer Thahir chose the title based on the two male leads, saying "I knew that they were the two sides of the same coin." He chose the colloquial term used in Kochi, owing to his own locality.

### Filming

Chappa Kurishu was launched by actor Kamal Haasan at the 100th day function of Traffic. The film was produced by Listin Stephen who also produced Traffic. It was director Anwar Rasheed who introduced Sameer Thahir to Listin. The film started production in April 2011 at Ernakulam. The film was shot entirely with a Canon 7D DSLR camera.

## Reception

Keerthy Ramachandran of Deccan Chronicle gave the film a rating of 2 out of 5 stars saying "The film is a dark riveting account of the lives of two men who lead extremely contrasting lives." Veeyen of nowrunning.com rated the film 2.5/5 and said "It's a brave and genuinely heartfelt directorial effort from a young director, who has clearly won the toss this time around." Rediff.com gave the film a score of 2.5 out of 5 saying "Chaappa Kurishu, Samir Thahir's debut as a director holds promise but leaves us with a feeling that it could have been better." Sify on its review said that "Chappa Kurishu shocks the viewers for sure, but sadly for all the wrong reasons." Indiaglitz rated the film 5/10 and wrote: "The generous dose of skin show sequence, violent action and the need for a more tighter scripts will tell on its business and restrict its appeal further to limited audiences."

## Soundtrack

The music of the film was composed by Rex Vijayan with lyrics penned by Engandiyur Chandrasekharan.

## Awards

| Award | Category | Result | Recipient |
| Kerala State Film Awards 2011 | Second Best Actor | Won | Fahadh Faasil |
| Ramu Kariat Memorial Cultural Forum Awards | Best Second Film | Won | Chaappa Kurish |
| Film Guidance Society of Kerala Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | Remya Nambeesan |
| Vayalar Ramavarma Chalachitra Television Award | Best Actress | Won | Remya Nambeesan |
| Asianet Film Awards | Best Character Actress | Nominated | Remya Nambeesan |
| Asiavision Movie Awards | Trendsetter Award | Won | Listin Stephen |
| Vanitha Film Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | Remya Nambeesan |
| Mathrubhumi Kalyan Silks Film Awards | Best Path Breaking Movie of the Year | Nominated | Chaappa Kurish |
| Amrita Film Awards | Best Film | Won | Chaappa Kurish |
| Kochi Times Film Awards | Best Youth Film | Won | Chaappa Kurish |