Johny Antony has confirmed a release year for CID Moosa 2, the sequel to his 2003 cult comedy led by Dileep. The actor-director made the announcement at the inauguration of producer-distributor Listin Stephen's new theatre in Karukachal, Kottayam on Monday, with lead actor Dileep present in the audience as one of the guests alongside Shwetha Menon and Sheelu Abraham. According to the filmmaker, the second instalment will release in 2027.
While addressing the gathering, Johny spoke about a slate of upcoming Malayalam films that he hopes will draw audiences back to theatres in large numbers, before confirming that CID Moosa 2 will arrive in 2027. “Aadu is set to release,” he said, referring to Aadu 3: One Last Ride - Part 1, which opens worldwide on March 19. “Likewise Ottakomban, Pallichattambi and Derby are also in line.” He added, “And above all, I’m saying that in 2027, CID Moosa 2 will come.”
Johny had hinted at a sequel earlier as well. In 2023, when the first instalment completed 20 years since its release, he said that a continuation of the film was being planned and that the script work was in process.
Directed by Johny and written by the scriptwriting duo Udaykrishna and Sibi K. Thomas, CID Moosa starred Dileep as Moolamkuzhiyil Sahadevan, a young man who turns into the titular private detective CID Moosa. The film also featured Bhavana, Ashish Vidyarthi, Sharat Saxena, Murali, Harisree Ashokan, Cochin Haneefa, Jagathy Sreekumar, Vijayaraghavan, Captain Raju, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Sukumari and Salim Kumar.
The film, produced by Dileep, was a major box office success and ended up as the second-highest-grossing Malayalam film of that year. Known for its slapstick humour and quirky characters, CID Moosa has since built a strong cult following among audiences. The film was later remade in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu.
At the moment, it is not clear which actors from the original film will return for the sequel apart from Dileep. Several members of the beloved ensemble, including Murali, Cochin Haneefa, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Sukumari and Captain Raju, are no longer alive. Jagathy Sreekumar, who played Sahadevan's brother-in-law SI Peethambaran in one of the film's most memorable roles, has remained largely absent from films since a severe car accident in 2012.
For Dileep, who played the titular detective, the sequel could be an important project. The actor has been trying to rebuild his career after being acquitted in the long-running 2017 actor assault case. His last film following the acquittal, Bha Bha Ba, was widely seen as part of his comeback attempt, but did not perform well at the box office and also drew criticism over reportedly distasteful scenes and dialogues.