Rekhachithram: Malayalam mystery movie creates young Mammootty with AI, strikes gold at the box office

Rekhachithram, made with ₹9 crore, minted ₹75 crore worldwide in theatres before its OTT release on SonyLIV. As it turned out to be the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of 2025, director Jofin T Chacko earlier explained how artificial intelligence (AI) was used in the movie.

Director Jofin T Chacko recently took to Instagram to share how AI technology was used to bring a de-aged version of superstar Mammootty (Mammookka) to life. Following the movie’s release, audiences were amazed by how convincingly Mammootty appeared as his younger self from the 1980s.

Jofin received numerous questions and compliments about the amazing transformation, prompting him to acknowledge the team behind the impressive visual effect.

He first credited Twinkle Surya, the artist who performed as Mammootty’s stand-in. He skillfully captured his iconic body language and movements, making the de-aging effect appear more natural and seamless on screen. His performance played a crucial role in grounding the AI-generated visuals in authentic human motion, according to Chacko.

Jofin also praised Arun Sankaran, a specialist in retro cinema traits and body language. Arun trained the performer to accurately reflect the physical nuances typical of Mammootty’s style from the 80s, further enhancing the realism of the portrayal.

The AI de-aging work was led by Andrew and the Mindstein team, who handled the technical aspects of recreating Mammootty’s younger face using artificial intelligence. Their expertise made the visual effect possible, blending advanced technology with performance artistry.

Jofin ended his post with gratitude to everyone involved in the AI transformation. He highlighted how this collaboration between performance, training and technology brought a piece of cinematic nostalgia to life.

Rekhachithram story

The story follows SHO Vivek Gopinath, played by Asif Ali. He resumes duty in the remote hills of Malakkappara after a suspension. He gets involved in a mysterious suicide case. The victim, Rajendran (played by Siddique), live-streamed a confession before dying.

In the movie, Anaswara Rajan plays Rekha Pathrose, an aspiring actress who happens to be a Mammootty fan.