Chorashastra

A small-time thief wants to escape the petty reputation of his father, who stole coconuts, and finally make a big score. He breaks into the home of an eccentric professor, who is convinced that early Indian civilisations were scientifically advanced and spends his days rescuing ancient texts that modern scholars have forgotten or ignored.

That night the professor is absorbed in the Chorashastra, a manuscript turned brittle and yellow with age. It contains astonishing advice for thieves, including the power to open a lock just by looking at it. Seeing the burglar's arrival as a sign, the professor decides to put the book's claims to the test on him.

So begins a run of extraordinary adventures. As vault after vault gives way to the thief's gaze, his recklessness and arrogance grow with every success.

V.J. James is known for subversive plots and narrative devices that set him apart from contemporary Malayalam storytelling. Chorashastra is a gripping tale of runaway ambition and the inevitable pursuit between crime and justice.