Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 6 (IANS): Malayalam megastar Mammootty will soon be seen on screens in the action thriller 'Christopher', where he plays the role of an IPS officer.

The movie, directed by Mollywood hitmaker B. Unnikrishnan, is expected to be released in theatres in January. It revolves around a real-life crime thriller and Tollywood actor Vinay Rai plays the villain. It marks his debut in the Malayalam industry after his hit Tamil movies 'Unnale Unnale', 'Jayamkondaan', 'Endrendum Punnangai', and 'Araanmanai'.

Amala Paul, the popular South Indian actress, is cast as a character who is herself a mystery in the action thriller. Sneha is the other female lead in the movie.

Aishwarya Lakshmi of 'Ponniyin Selvan' fame plays a small role, but she gets to share screen space with Mammootty in the movie. Other cast members include the Tamil star Sarath Kumar, Siddique, Shine Tom Chacko, Dileesh Pothan, Deepak Parambol, Aditi Ravi and Remya Suresh.

The script of 'Christopher' is by Udaykrishna, Faiz Siddik helms the cinematography, and the music is by Justin Varghese. .