The makers of Sajid Nadiadwala’s Housefull 5 have made two major claims about their upcoming film — that it is the first Indian franchise to have a fifth installment and the first film to feature multiple climaxes. However, both claims are factually incorrect, as the Malayalam film industry has already achieved these milestones. While the Mammootty-starrer CBI 5 was released in 2022 as the fifth film in its franchise, the 1999 drama Harikrishnans — starring both Mohanlal and Mammootty — had two climaxes.

The Malayalam film with two climaxes

The 1998 Malayalam film `Harikrishnans` was written and directed by Fazil (father of actor Fahadh Faasil). In a major casting coup, the film brought together the two “Big Ms” — Mohanlal and Mammootty — as buddy lawyers. The film also marked the Malayalam debut of actress Juhi Chawla.

At the time of its release, `Harikrishnans` had two endings. This was done to cater to the massive and loyal fan bases of both Mohanlal and Mammootty. The plan was to release different versions based on the popularity of the actors in specific regions. In the primary version, Juhi Chawla’s character chooses Mohanlal as her friend who will help her choose her partner, while in the alternate version, she chooses Mammootty. However, only the Mohanlal version was submitted to the censor board and received certification.