- Date of Release: 14 May 2026
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama
- Language: Malayalam
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Athiradi
Introduction
For a drama that is built on chaos and comedy, it is rather interesting on how the foundation of the new Malayalam film Athiradi is that of a tragic incident that occurs at a college fest. The emotional gravitas of the film is established in its cold open when a bunch of college students are killed in a stampede that erupts following a miscommunication at the college festival. In many ways, this remains an important start – given how it lays the purpose of the drama to follow even before familiarizing its viewers to the characters.
And that is immensely noticeable once you are introduced to Samkutty aka Samboy (Basil Joseph), even as he is about to take admission at an engineering college. Like every Gen-Z, Samkutty likes focusing on his looks – sporting a mullet with braces, while always flexing his non-existent biceps. It is also an awkward love at first sight for him when he sees Swathy R Krishna (Riya Shibu) for the first time. His awkwardness coupled with an urge to showcase his masculinity makes him a red-flag in her eyes, only for the protagonist to pivot to the idea of reviving the college festival that has been expelled following the major incident – all in order to impress Swathy, and offer a redemption of sorts to his guilt-driven brother who was at the center of the confusion, resulting in chaos.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Paulson Skaria and Arun Anirudhan, the core tone of Athiradi remains its youthful zing that formulates in a zany entertainer. Yes, the one little flaw remains on how the purpose of the protagonist to revive the college festival – through repeated petitions, and distributing pamphlets, and even accounting for his backs along the way, is essentially divided between the girl that he likes and to account for a sense of redemption for his brother under severe depression. The latter had a stronger emotional weightage as opposed to the former, however despite the portions involving Samkutty’s family and his brother, the emotional gravitas remains a tad under explored.
That said, the writing still accounts for some rather hilarious moments centered around a few characters. Be it the one ‘perfect’ guy who poses himself to be an alpha-male, only to be beaten up by his mother following a crisis. Or the friend of the protagonist who would always provide him with wacky ideas to woo the girl that he likes, only for the protagonist to fumble. Or even a college professor who induces more pauses in his speeches than words. Or a police inspector who shares a fan moment with a celebrity, while ignoring the conflict in hand. Or even the situations that act as important character cogs – be it the protagonist evolving over the engineering course while being fixated with the idea of organizing a festival – even at the cost of stretching his neck and dabbling with the idea of bringing in Vineeth Srinivasan for the fest.
The writing tries to alternate between multiple tonalities – and I must admit that it took me a little while to relicalibrate my thoughts that followed post the introduction of Kuttan (Tovino Thomas) – an ex good turned classical singer who is now known to organize temple festivals. At once, Kuttan reminded me of Ranjith (Fahadh Faasil) from Aavesham (2024), but with the exception of a restrained energy. In a scene wherein he is ridiculed for his singing, or the one where his celebrity guest refuses to sing with him on stage, his glances tell you a story about his suppressed rage. And this suppressed rage is effectively tapped into following a brawl at Samkutty’s college following a miscommunication, while highlighting two pivotal cogs as conflicts – the chaos and an ego clash between Kuttan and Sam, thereby setting up the stage perfectly for a resounding second hour.
The primary conflict reminded me of some Malayalam gems in the form of Driving Licence (2019) or even Ayyappanum Koshiyum (2020). With that, the sprinkling moments of brawl which one encountered in films like Thallumaala (2022) or even Bejoy Nambiar’s Dange (2024). But the originality here lies in its humour, be it a hilarious kidnapping spree followed by a car chase, resulting in bouts of laughter and uncertainty. Or Kuttan’s attempt at luring the celebrity kidnapees into praising his non-existing singing skills.
Yes, there are moments of lags in the narrative, felt a little more than usual given that the emotional depth of the drama wasn’t always tapped into with regards to the two protagonists. Even for Kuttan, the emotional angle with regards to his mother is slightly untapped. Also what this passage does is, briefly steer away from the core of Samkutty – particularly with his “purpose” of wanting to conduct a college festival.
Thankfully, these flaws are just fleeting even as you see a hilarious game of one-upmanship unfolding between the two protagonists. A surprise cameo and a ticklish car chase later, I was also glad on how the writing circled back – that remained the hub of the chaos. Be it the characters bringing in an impersonator to keep the audience engaged, or providing ample moments of distraction including an animal mimickry round that had me in splits. This, even as the idea remains to get the real celebrity onstage against by Samkutty against an opponent that would stop at nothing – except maybe concrete for a while😂.
I liked how the makers handled the layers of a tonal shift at the end – going from a comedy to a soothing air of emotions, from drama to romance while toggling between the two quite ably. And this is also when the emotional core of the film was at its strongest – with emotions landing beautifully, and characters being offered heartfelt arcs to culminate the prior chaotic themes. I would be lying if I say that I wasn’t entertained – I thoughly was, in a screenplay that may have had its share of shortcoming but was incredibly good on the whole!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are youthful and go perfectly in sync with the Gen-Z lingo of today. If anything, a stronger emotional core integrated in the lines (for most parts of the narrative), could have elevated the drama even more. But that is me just being greedy, knowing the high standards of the Malayalam film industry. The music and BGM are peppy and soulful in equal measures, encapsulating the core theme of chaos perfectly, while always keeping the drama ticking – and elevating its impact along the way. I was so impressed by the cinematography here – with frames that captured the brawl and the chaos just so well. This, while keeping the viewers emotionally abreast and invested with the characters on show. The shifting tones in the drama are synchronized through its frames too – be it the ticklish moments of Samkutty at his college that would transition into a brawl later on with Kuttan.
The editing pattern is sharp for most parts of the film, minutely stumbling in the moments of lag in the second act post the interval. But the chaotic beats of the screenplay are perfectly integrated through its editing style that is pretty palpable and zany to witness (in a great way). Director Arun Anirudhan in his directorial debut, manages to transition between one tone to another with utmost ease. He shows a sense of control through his humourous take with his characters, even while possessing a solid control with the ensuing chaos onscreen – something that he gets better in handling over the course of the film. The emotional core that was half baked also finds its voice at the end, thereby summing up an impressive outing by yet another debutant director from the Malayalam Film Industry.
Performances
The performances are pretty good by the members of the cast. Tiss Thomas as Bosco is affable in a character who is hilariously a blind supporter of Samkutty. Ganga Meera and Reena Indrayani have their moments to shine. Hashir in a cameo, did bring the roof down with his antics – even while being greeted with whistles and hoots. Jeo Baby as SI Manichan is ticklish with his performance, and he does a swell job here. Arsha Jayaram as RJ Elizabeth has a solid screen presence and she manages to do a good job. Darshana Rajendran as Merin and Zarin Shihab as Kuttan’s wife are critical emotional anchors in the narrative, that directly or indirectly have an influence on the lives of the protagonists – and both of them deliver competent performances.
Vineeth Sreenivasan and Shaan Rahman are hilarious in their respective avatars of themselves, and I often cracked up at their antics. The former also brings an emotional gravitas to his performance, which was a fresh dimension at the end. Shersha Sherief as the ‘alpha’ male character is effortless with his comedy, and he really manages to shine despite his limited screentime. Shelvin James as Parashu is sincere and earnest while being a perfect foil of friendship to the protagonist. Vishnu Agasthya as Joseph is well restrained and understated in a character that is a touch underwritten. Riya Shibu as Swathy has a disarming screen presence, and she puts forth an assertive but supremely affable performance along the way.
Tovino Thomas is a superb actor, and as Kuttan, he is incredible to witness here. There are many shades of his character, who uses his music has a shield to breakaway from his past trauma and rage. And Tovino uses his body language and mannerisms perfectly, while putting forth an act that was brilliant in every measure. Basil Joseph as Samkutty aka Sam Boy exudes of naivety and bravado at the start – in sync with any Gen-Z that you would associate with, while also accounting for an arc of transformation along the way. He continues to remain one of the most versatile actors of today’s times – and despite an argument around casting him as an 20 year old (he is 36 years old in reality), I felt that he did full justice to his character. He was excellent to witness here.
Conclusion
Driven by solid performances, Athiradi is a chaotic, fun-filled entertainer that makes for an enjoyable theatrical experience. While not perfect, it is supremely engaging and ultimately a delightful watch. Available in a theatre near you.