Malik, directed by Mahesh Narayanan, is a movie that obliged the OTT trend for its release instead of waiting for the theatres to open. The film received rave reviews for the performances by the lead actors (especially Fahad Faasil) and also for the brilliant making.

Though the director didn’t officially announce, Malik seems to be heavily inspired by a real incident that took place on May 7, 2009, in the coastal area of Trivandrum, Kerala.

Beemapally and Cheriyathura are neighborhoods of the same coastal area in Trivandrum and are primarily dominated by the Muslim and Christian communities respectively. The names of these places are strikingly similar to the localities mentioned in the movie, Ramadapally, and Idavathura.

On 7 May 2009, at 2 pm police opened fire in Beemapally and six Muslim men were shot dead. The first one to be shot was a 16-year-old boy Firoz, who was later seen being dragged by the police. The visual had captured the widespread attention of both media and the public. What perplexed everyone was why would a teenage boy who was playing cricket at the beach be shot by the police? What was the crime that he had committed?

The same scene has been recreated in Malik as well.

It all started when a fight took off between a local goon and the public of Beemapally. Such fights weren’t uncommon in these areas. However, the situation was utilized by those in power to benefit their personal gains and police opened fire at Beemapally.

The firing violated every known protocol listed by the judiciary and is cited as one of the worst and unfair police firing that ever happened in Kerala.

You can listen to Joju George explaining the protocol in the movie Malik- use of tear gas or rubber bullets and if the situation is still out of control, shoot below the knee. But the police went straight for firing.

To cover their faces and public image, the police made the entire incident look like a communal riot between the Muslims of Beemapally and Christians of Cheriyathura. They claimed that the Muslims who were killed, tried to sneak into Cheriyathura to attack the people there, but it was indeed untrue. The deceased men had no criminal background and earned their livelihood by doing faithful business.

In an independent investigation carried out by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and National Council for Human Rights Organization (NCHRO) it was concluded that the police used a fight that the local goon (whose name is Shibu) had in the place as an excuse to open fire in Beemapally.

The then Kerala CM and Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan had admitted that the firing opened by the police at Beemapally was indeed an accident.

The government offered compensation of ten lakhs to the families of the deceased, but how would that suffice for the families who had lost the sole breadwinners for them?

When the truth was out, the police officers involved in the firing were suspended but later transferred with promotions.

It has been more than ten years, and the people of Beemapally are still awaiting justice.

Read: Toofan Movie Review- The communal element couldn’t elevate the cliche sports-drama format

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