Jeethu Joseph
Jeethu Joseph (born 10 November 1972) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema.[1] He has also worked in a few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Jeethu made his directional debut with the 2007 police procedural, Detective. He is best known for the crime thrillers, Drishyam and Drishyam 2.[2] Drishyam became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, at its time of release. It was the first Malayalam film to cross the ₹50 crore mark, at the box office.[3] Drishyam 2 was released directly through Amazon Prime Video, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the prequel, it was highly acclaimed and appreciated, worldwide.
Jeethu Joseph | |
|---|---|
Jeethu Joseph in 2021 | |
| Born | 10 November 1972 |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse | Linta Jeethu |
| Children | 2 |
His other works include Mummy & Me (2010), My Boss (2012),[4] Life of Josutty (2015), Memories (2013),[5] Oozham (2016), Aadhi (2018). Jeethu made his Tamil debut with Papanasam (2015) which is a remake of his 2013 film Drishyam,[6][7] Hindi debut with The Body (2019),[8] and Telugu debut with Drushyam 2 (2021).
Early life
Jeethu was born in a Syro-Malabar Catholic family in Mutholapuram, Muvattupuzha taluk to Leelamma and V. Joseph, ex-MLA of Muvattupuzha. Jeethu wanted to attend the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) although his father wanted him to become an engineer. He attended Fathima Matha English Medium School and later graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha.[9]
Career
Early works
Jeethu Joseph started as an assistant director to Jayaraj in the film Bheebhathsam. After that, he got a chance to direct a film starring Dileep but it did not materialize and he was back where he started.[9] Meanwhile, Jeethu developed the one-line plot of Detective. But after failing to find any producers, his mother Leelamma Joseph offered to co-produce the film, which became his debut directorial. A month into the project, a producer evinced interest and took on the production. Detective was released in 2007. The film fared well at the box-office.[9]
His next film Mummy & Me was a success at the box-office. Mummy and Me, although it took close to three years in the making, marked a turning point in his career as director. "My first film was easy compared to the struggle I had to go through for my second, Mummy and Me." There were offers to make films like Detective, but Jeethu declined. "I wanted to do a different film" It was for this reason that, though he had one line scripts of Mummy and Me and Memories ready in 2008, he chose to make Mummy and Me.[9]
His third film My Boss was also a success in theatres. Jeethu's fourth movie Memories, a suspense thriller, was released in 2013 which did well in box office.[10][11]
Post Drishyam
Towards the end of 2013, the drama-thriller Drishyam starring Mohanlal was released, which was well received critically and commercially. It was the highest-grossing Malayalam film, until 2016, and the first Malayalam film to cross ₹50 crore mark at the box office.[3][9][12][13] Drishyam was remade in Tamil by Jeethu with Kamal Haasan enacting Mohanlal's role. It was also remade to Telugu, Kannada and Hindi by other directors.[12] Jeethu then directed Dileep-starrer Life of Josutty.
Personal life
Jeethu married Linta and they have two children. Linta is a costume designer in Malayalam cinema.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credited as | Language | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | ||||
| 2007 | Detective | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2010 | Mummy & Me | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2012 | My Boss | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2013 | Memories | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| Drishyam | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | |||
| 2015 | Papanasam | Yes | Yes | Tamil | Remake of Drishyam | |
| Life of Josutty | Yes | Malayalam | ||||
| 2016 | Oozham | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2017 | Lakshyam | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2018 | Aadhi | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| 2019 | Mr. & Ms. Rowdy | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | ||
| The Body | Yes | Hindi | ||||
| Thambi | Yes | Yes | Tamil | |||
| 2021 | Drishyam 2 | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | Amazon Prime Video film | |
| Drushyam 2 | Yes | Yes | Telugu | Amazon Prime Video film; Remake of Drishyam 2 | ||
| 2022 | Anthakshari | Yes | Malayalam | Sony Liv Film | ||
| 12th Man | Yes | Malayalam | Disney+Hotstar film; Also as Merin's brother (voice only)[14] | |||
| Kooman | Yes | Malayalam | ||||
| TBA | Ram: Part 1 | Yes | Yes | Malayalam | Filming | |
Awards
- 2013 – 44th Kerala State Film Awards - Best Popular Film - Drishyam
- 2013 – Vanitha Film Awards – Best Director – Drishyam[15][16]
- 2013 – Kerala Film Critics Association Awards – Best Director – Drishyam[17][18]
- 2013 – Jaihind TV Film Awards – Best Director – Drishyam
- 2013 - South Indian International Movie Awards - Best Director - Drishyam
References
- ^ . IndiaGlitz. 19 February 2007. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007.
- ^ Gayathry (19 December 2013). . Entertainment.oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ a b Nambidi, Parvathy. . The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ . The Times of India. 7 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 August 2013.
- ^ "Prithviraj act as a drunkard in Memories". Asianetindia.com.
- ^ Kamal Haasan to don Mohanlal's role in Drishyam remake?. The New Indian Express. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ . Sify. 31 January 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ "Emraan Hashmi announces his next, The Body, a suspense thriller with Rishi Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala, and Vedhika". Bollywood Hungama. 8 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Shilpa Nair Anand (17 January 2014). "Bankable brand". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "Manorama Online - Home". Malayala Manorama. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ "Memories movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ a b "My script for 'Drishyam' is original: Jeethu Joseph". Deccan Chronicle. 4 March 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
- ^ "Drishyam movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "അടച്ചിട്ടൊരു മുറിയിലെ ത്രില്ലർ; ട്വൽത് മാൻ റിവ്യു". ManoramaOnline (in Malayalam). Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ BreakingMovies (6 January 2014). "Breaking Movies : TTK Prestige – Vanitha Film Awards 2014 ~ Complete Winners List". Breakingmovies.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ . Kerala9.com. 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ Gayathry (30 January 2014). . Entertainment.oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ "'Drishyam' Bags Kerala Film Critics Association Awards". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
External links
- Jeethu Joseph at IMDb