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.
Although both versions were released in theaters, the board soon issued a notice to the filmmakers, warning of legal action if the uncertified Mammootty version was not withdrawn. While the producers faced legal trouble, the film emerged as the highest-grossing Malayalam movie of the year — with the unique idea of multiple climaxes drawing audiences to theatres.
Interestingly, the makers had also planned a third ending in which Shah Rukh Khan would play Juhi’s love interest. Despite a photoshoot with the cast, Khan’s Malayalam debut never materialized.

The Malayalam franchise with five films
Housefull 5 is also not the first Indian film franchise to reach a fifth installment. That achievement belongs to the CBI film series led by Mammootty. The CBI franchise is a Malayalam-language mystery film series directed by K. Madhu and written by S. N. Swamy, with Mammootty playing Sethurama Iyer, a Central Bureau of Investigation officer.

The series began in 1988 with Oru CBI Diary Kurippu and has since become one of the longest-running investigative franchises in Indian cinema. The character of Sethurama Iyer is said to have been inspired by Radha Vinod Raju, a real-life police officer who was appointed as the first chief of India’s National Investigation Agency in 2009.