Category Archives: Malayalam

Pluto

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Vampire Owl: I remember naming one of my dogs with this name.

Vampire Bat: I do not remember you having any dogs. You had a black cat.

Vampire Owl: Yes, but it lived as a dog. It barked and howled.

Vampire Bat: What did you expect? It was originally from the werewolf lands.

Vampire Owl: But when the smart cat says it is a dog, you have to listen.

Vampire Bat: Why should you? It was never even a vampire cat.

Vampire Owl: Black cats are always immortal. Ask the witches.

Vampire Bat: Even the demons do not accept them as their people.

Vampire Owl: You mean to say that black cats are not connected to the other dimensions?

Vampire Bat: Not even that much connected as Uncle Dracula on a Halloween night.

[Gets a paneer biryani and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vicky (Neeraj Madhav) is the representative of the new generational youth who has no job, but one cannot say that he has not tried enough – his failures are not fully due to his foolish decisions, but are also the results of circumstances. Most of his attempts at business involves his friend Jose (Subin Tarzan), but all of them fails one after the other, much to the dismay of his father Raghavan (Saheer Mohammed) who has lost too much money in the process. His brother Naveen (Nihal Nazim) is considered to be the smart, intelligent, working, money-earner of the house though as he also keeps reminding everyone that he passed his degree while his elder brother did not. Vicky’s attempts at clearing PSC also reach nowhere, making his girlfriend and veterinary doctor of nearby pet clinic, Meera (Aarsha Chandini Baiju) disappointed, as she feels that there are no more chances for him to come out strong and successful. But she continues to help her by providing cash for his attempts on each occasion.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Meera gets into a clash with Tiger Thambi (Aju Varghese), a rich gangster who breeds dogs unscientifically leading to their shorter lifespans or at least some serious diseases. He is supported by Mallan (Vineeth Thattil David) and a man of science always busy with experiments known only by title Professor (Dinesh Prabhakar). She also remains good friends with Vicky’s younger sister Jomol (Nimna Fathoomi), an eccentric and comic-obsessed girl who frequently invades his personal space to test out her costumes which ranges from Harley Quinn to a simple alien. But this is when he comes up against Pluto (Althaf Salim), a real alien whom he accidently brings home instead of Jose after being drunk on the nearby beach. Realizing the danger of exposing Pluto to authorities or media, Vicky decides to secretly keep the extraterrestrial visitor with him, as he also hopes that the alien would possess some special powers which he can use to his advantage.

And what more can happen around here with strange things waiting to come up? :: Keeping an extraterrestrial creatures hidden in his household proves near impossible with household members keeping on coming to his room, but he manages to do so in the name of studies as he has to clear his degree before all mercy chances provided by the university are finished. Thambi also comes to know about the presence of an alien after he gets an alien device left behind by Pluto. Vicky had just come out of some big trouble due to a juice marketed by him causing food poisoning to a huge number of people after it was provided as drink for the participants of a marathon race, and finds it difficult to keep the alien who only drinks alcohol as food. Pluto manages to learn Malayalam with an English-Malayalam dictionary available online as he had already studied English during an earlier contact of his people with humanity. Vicky finds out that Pluto has no real superpower that they could use, but comes to know that his ship actually could do something, but is now located at the bottom of the sea after an unexpected crash. Can both of them be of help to each other and can they survive Thambi and the government officials searching for alien?

The defence of Pluto :: A full science fiction comedy has not been part of Malayalam cinema and this innovation and attempt at variety needs to be appreciated. Leading the way, Neeraj Madhav seems to have taken over nicely from that character in the fun fest Adi Kapyare Koottamani as the clueless youth, a role that suits him very well. The combination of Neeraj Madhav and Althaf Salim provide genuine feel-good moments along with the humour. The supporting cast also works with the humour really well, from the friend played by Subin Tarzan and the Nimna Fathoomi with a cute side added here. Aju Varghese plays the antagonist with a funny side really well, and has some fine moments which we will remember for the humour from talking with spicy flavour in his mouth to being Shikkari Shambu. Aarsha Chandini Baiju also adds to the humour so well, and she once again shines in a role which does not challenge her. The chaotic final moments deliver some big laughs and fun ends well, and even leaves scope for a future sequel. The movie can be considered silly fun that has not really come to this part of the world for some time.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not make the best use of the idea, even after so many directions where the movie could go, and there was scope for more humour and further references to aliens, superheroes and other planets instead of talking about just alcohol and exams. The premise was something with great scope, and only a part of it is taken here. The situation might not appeal to all kinds of audience, as its silliness and new generation style of innovation is not for everyone. The pace also slows down as we look at it in parts where nothing much happens – the humour is also not that effective throughout its run. As the alien does not leave scope for complex visual-effects spectacles due to the simple humorous model, the potential of the sci-fi backdrop feels not that there to be taken. After all science fiction can provide a lot of humour from within, and aliens have been providing the same in Hollywood for a long time as we remember.

How it finishes :: Malayalam movie industry has its first full-run attempt at science fiction comedy for the viewers here. As a lighthearted experiment in the form which is rarely explored in Malayalam movie industry, it deserved some appreciation when it was released, but the truth remains that I never knew such a movie released until it came to Amazon Prime Video. By placing an extraterrestrial visitor within a regular Kerala household, it keeps away from the heavy science-fiction tropes to keep the whole thing cute and feel-good, while the protagonist also relates to the new generation as well as the one before. It is surely one movie which is better than the ratings which it has received, and having such a harmless fun movie during a weekend to watch with family is just simple joy, and we should only remember to appreciate the movie makers who think differently even if its for humour. This is a kind of movie for the whole family, and the kids are also going to love the same.

Release date: 30 July 2026
Running time: 132 minutes
Directed by: Adithyan Chandrashekar
Starring: Neeraj Madhav, Althaf Salim, Aarsha Chandini Baiju, Aju Varghese, Nimna Fathoomi, Subin Tarzan, Vineeth Thattil David

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of this year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Padakkalam

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Vampire Owl: I thought we had reviewed this movie a long time ago.

Vampire Bat: We had watched it long ago, but did not review the same.

Vampire Owl: This might be one of the longest delays in writing any review.

Vampire Bat: It keeps coming on television all the time, so there are multiple watches.

Vampire Owl: I think we have kept watching it on Asianet Movies.

Vampire Bat: Watching it on television channels is not the best option though.

Vampire Owl: Yes, we keep missing parts of the movie at times.

Vampire Bat: But we watch parts of the movie that we missed the next time watch it.

Vampire Owl: But the movie has stopped repeating in the channel now.

Vampire Bat: Well, they have kept doing it for rather too long.

[Gets a Schezwan masala dosa and three cups of Darjeeling tea].

What is the movie about? :: Long ago, at a time when sorcery was considered to be part of common life, the ruler of Vijayanagara had a magical artefact created for his leisure, but understood that the device brought about something more than just entertainment. He realized that this was so powerful that it could even be used to control people or even the world, and tried to keep its existence a secret. But the huge army of Tipu Sultan marched to the declining kingdom and captured the same. This helped the Sultan’s further wars against other Indian kingdoms intending to conquer the lands for himself, as the artefact aided him from a side. But he was stopped by the King of Travancore who inflicted a big defeat to the Sultan’s army with the help of a great wizard. The victorious king decides to bury it in the battlefield itself so that nobody would be able to use it, and marked its location on some secret palm leaves. Soon, the tale itself losses its significance as it is considered as a fable. But many decades later, someone had started searching for the same and found it.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: At present, Jithin (Sandeep Pradeep), Ramzad (Arun Pradeep), Nakul (Arjun Ajikumar) and Kannan (Saaf) are four students who are pursuing their bachelor’s degrees in Engineering at the exact same location where the final war had occurred – there stood a monument surrounded by a reputed institution called Shri Kartika Thirunal College of Engineering. As Jithin’s girlfriend Jeevika (Niranjana Anoop) who returned from a trip brings some doubts about their relationship, he writes down his feelings on a piece of paper, which is taken by the lecturer who was in the class Shaji (Suraj Venjaramoodu). As a strike is called and chaos happens in the college, Jithin losses the idea of where that paper was taken. As the protest for bringing down the Head of the Department intensifies, another lecturer Renjith (Sharaf U Dheen) recommends Shaji as the next Head, which surprises everyone, as they were not on good terms. Shaji is delighted about this as he has been working at the college for a long time without any appreciation, but Renjith actually had other plans.

And what more can happen here as a crisis takes the spotlight? :: Renjith had the ancient artifact in his possession, which he uses to control Shaji and manipulate him into getting into a public fight which leads to him being suspended and Renjith becoming the new Head. This is supported by students as he is a popular teacher who helps students even against other teachers and management when in trouble unlike Shaji who as a learned man has always gone with the rules. The students enjoy their cool and supportive teacher becoming the Head, but Jithin accidentally sees Renjith using the artifact to control Shaji through the CCTV footage while trying to find the piece of paper which Shaji took, and talks about this to his friends. While searching on the artifact, they understand that a person can control another person who uses it by just playing his turn – it is revealed that the other person does not have to use it, and just the missing player’s blood on the dices is needed. They feel that the earlier teacher who died and was replaced by Renjith as new appointment might have also been a victim and decides to steal the artefact, but can they do that?

The defence of Padakkalam :: A supernatural campus story becomes a perfect new model for the viewers who are expecting divergence, and the magical artifact, mind control and body swaps do not usually come to the movies of this part of the world. The big three of the movie – Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharaf U Dheen and Sandeep Pradeep come up with classic performances not just with the comic side, but also with a certain amount of skill which is reflected even more when the swapping of bodies is done. Sharaf U Dheen going on between a charismatic professor and a power-hungry antagonist, and his moments after body swapping strikes us well, while Suraj’s transformations between characters are outstanding, and humour strikes very well with him around. Sandeep’s comic timing remains outstanding, and he becomes a perfect choice for a campus character. Niranjana Anoop does well within a smaller screen space, while the friends of protagonist add some fine fun around here as the comic side gets further boosting. Pooja Mohanraj also becomes a good addition here.

Positives and negatives :: One might feel that the movie could have explored the past of the artifact a little more, but that is understandable considering the plan to provide maximum entertainment. The movie’s female characters also have very less to do other than being reasons for a few things to happen, which is surprising for a campus movie. The superhero references also add some funny elements, and the situations leading to humour instead of forcing the comic side comes up with more advantage to the flick. The initial setup, character introductions, and the spread of mystery make sure that the starting is nice, and the ending is also very well done. When it seems to be ready to have a slight dip, the situation immediately gets a lift, and thus the movie keeps a certain level. The cast needs to be credited a lot for the same. Many moments also serve as reminders that people are not really what they seem to be, and like seen before Thanneermathan Dinangal, the seemingly better teacher could easily be the least perfect one among them all.

How it finishes :: It is not easy to bring comedy and fantasy together in this part of the world, and the movie does the same so well. This one succeeds primarily as a high-energy campus entertainer that takes the risk to step away from routine college situations and blends the genres in the process. By bringing supernatural elements, mind control and body-swapping to a usual college setting, the film creates something that most people would not have expected to happen in this part of the world. The comic chemistry between Suraj Venjaramoodu and Sharaf U Dheen brings something out of nowhere again and again and keep thins lively and engaging while Sandeep Pradeep takes that title of “Padakkalam Sandeep” with ease even though most of us would love to remember Falimy as the one defining flick for noting him for the first time. Well, this is one entertainer that you do not wish to miss, that is for sure. All the fun with innovation that is seen around here will have us interested all the time. It is on Jio Hotstar, and you might also be able to find it again on Asianet Movies as it has been some time since its last arrival there.

Release date: 8 May 2025
Running time: 123 minutes
Directed by: Manu Swaraj
Starring: Suraj Venjaramoodu, Sharaf U Dheen, Sandeep Pradeep , Arun Pradeep, Arun Ajikumar, Niranjana Anoop, Ishan Shoukath, Vijay Babu, Luckgith Saini, Nahas Hridayath, Saaf, Shaju Sreedhar, Pooja Mohanraj

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of this year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

I, Nobody

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Vampire Owl: A vampire has always preferred to remain as anonymous nobody.

Vampire Bat: There are no anonymous people among centuries-old immortals.

Vampire Owl: There is a certain anonymous infinity about us.

Vampire Bat: Infinity is not always equal to immortality.

Vampire Owl: Life which continues in an infinite manner is always immortality.

Vampire Bat: There cannot be a nobody here as there are centuries to discover any identity.

Vampire Owl: Nobody can identify a camouflaged vampire in his spirit form.

Vampire Bat: Uncle Dracula can see through everyone and everything.

Vampire Owl: So did Dr. Frankenstein, once upon a time.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frankenstein has seen no real truth in his entire life. We are forced to sing that “Frank doesn’t know” every time.

[Gets a chocolate donut and three cups of Yorkshire tea].

What is the movie about? :: Rajeevan (Prithviraj Sukumaran) is a middle-class man with a regular daily job in the Secretariat married to Meera (Parvathy Thiruvothu) and they have two young children – this seems like a very happy family for the people looking from outside. But Meera regularly cheats in their marriage with an unknown man (Rony David) identified only as the Branch Manager of ISFC Bank at its Vanchiyoor Branch. Rajeevan who is fed up with Meera’s attitude with him and his children, as well as her recently discovered secret sexual affair and decides to go the bank and talk to him with a gun during the busy hours. But there, while waiting for a meeting with the man, Rajeevan ends up facing three masked bank robbers who enter the bank with weapons, Peter (Sanju Sivram), Alex (Sudhi Koppa) and Koshy (Khalid Rahman) who also finds the gun with him as it falls down in shock. They feel that he is part of a rival gang or someone sent by someone who got a clue about their plans.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They decide to take him hostage with a plastic cover over his head as he seems like someone who can harm their cause, and they go on a ride in the van. But on the way, due to Rajeevan creating a ruckus, the car crashes while trying to run him down. CPO Anas Rahman (Hakim Shahjahan) who is also involved in the crime fails to find the stolen money, and everyone else in the police department who looks for the same are also not able to find the same. SP Ajith IPS (Shankar Ramakrishnan) who doubts Rajeevan fails to believe him, while CI Jomon (Madhupal) who has to listen to his superiors, decide not to help him as he is followed by the police and attacked by random goons and people who wish to steal from him after media calls him a suspect. Seeing the crisis that Rajeevan is going through and with her lover also disowning her due to police being involved, she decides to move away to a distant town after getting a divorce from him. Now the question remains if he can go on like this forever.

The defence of I, Nobody :: The movie talks about an almost middle or little above person, and the status of a common man in the food chain is questioned in a brutal manner, even for a man with a government job which had placed him in a safe-future zone. The final moments get the movie into action thriller mode really well, and we also remember that the beginning was so good. The emotional side is pretty much working around here for most of the times. A real-picture of dysfunctional small families of cities is also reflected here, as communication breaks down with not hope, with ego taking over. The final moments with the large amount of cash also proves that money is everything, and it is something that builds broken relations – the reality of humanity is exposed during so many occasions. Then there is the clear reflection of new generation online social media and media as a whole which streams and makes things worse. The movie is a reflection of a hopeless, absurd world of meaningless nihilism which still ends with a happily ever after.

The claws of flaw :: The supporting characters are not dealt with that well. This is too long a work, and it can be seen that the movie suffers from a certain drag, stretching scenes longer than needed, even having some slow motion and repetition in between. One can safely say that this never looked like a movie intended to go above two hours, but we see a very long journey around here. The individual character drama takes over so early that the main elements which we were expecting are always in the backseat. The heist elements die too early, and being an action thriller with this content is rather strange. It also seems to have a climax that lacks the punch for which we waited with so much expectations. The ending seems to be achieved as a deus ex machina or an easy resolution because there were not many ways left to end with such a build-up. There were so many moments in between which did not seem like suiting its world. The side characters also seem to go on a struggle in between, and some of them seem to be pushed right in there. The movie could have been so much more with the common man idea.

The performers of the soul :: Prithviraj Sukumaran comes up with a strong, but still a restrained portrayal of an ordinary as well as vulnerable everyman caught in extraordinary circumstances – due to his permanent government job nature, one might feel otherwise, but the same feeling is evoked as personal situations involving family also comes into picture, and there is always a food chain however safe one feels to be. Parvathy Thiruvothu has a role with subtle, layered emotional depth which is handled quite well. It is always good to see her in some work that requires a little bit of extra skill. The next one who catches our attention is Ashokan who has done a commendable job even though he gets more to do only later. Hakim Shahjahan’s policeman will also stay with us, while Shankar Ramakrishnan, Irshad Ali and Madhupal do well with lesser police roles. Nishanth Sagar also creates and impression, while Vijayaraghavan brings his fine veteran experience to light in the final few moments.

How it finishes :: The movie just serves the purpose, and that much is sure when we have a close look at it. There is the attempt to blend the genres, which seems to leave parts of the movie with a certain confusion about the possible directions. The inability to maintain its initial strength holds it back from reaching its full potential. A long runtime and the repetition followed by the inability to wrap up things well has it in peril by the end, but still manages to be fair enough. The needed dramatic weight never really comes in here either. It remains an interesting effort with makes the initial impact and brings the divergence, but struggles with the inconsistencies. The case of ordinary citizens struggling due to circumstances having no help from systemic corruption and feeling to activate the unexpected survival instincts was that engaging hook which sets it apart from the usual journeys, but what happens after that might be worth some questioning. Yet, this was enjoyable and thought-provoking for most of its run, especially in the first half. Jio Hotstar had this one releasing for Onam which serves the audience with more options.

Release date: 9 July 2026
Running time: 168 minutes
Directed by: Nissam Basheer
Starring: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Hakkim Shahjahan, Ashokan, Vijayaraghavan, Shankar Ramakrishnan, Madhupal, Nakshatra, Ayra Izra, Nishanth Sagar, Nandu, Ishad Ali, Manoj K U, Jijoy Rajagopal, Sudhi Koppa, Sanju Sivram, Khalid Rahman, Rony David, Beena R Chandran, Sana Althaf, Krishnan Balakrishnan, Dinesh Alappuzha, Noushad Ali, Sudhi Kozhikode, Albin Alex, Jithin Madanan, Lenna Paul, Mahendran

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bethlehem Kudumba Unit

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What is the movie about? :: Ashley Thankachan (Mamitha Baiju), a confident young student from Mundakkayam, moves to Angamaly to pursue studies as her family faces financial difficulties due to her father being a full-time drunkard who does not go for any job without creating any problems. The family settles down in a rented home as her mother takes charge of the home-related activities for the family of four. There is also a dispute with their family which makes it almost impossible to sell their ancestral house and land back in their hometown. He finds new friends at the location and finds Justin Davis (Nivin Pauly), a bachelor in his mid-thirties who lives in the nearby house. He is well-known and liked in the neighbourhood and runs a catering business, and he is known to help others who go through any struggle. She also meets Justin’s brother Joel Davis (Sangeeth Prathap) who spends most of his time trying to make a successful short-film with his lover Sayoojya (Parvathy Ayyappadas) as the main heroine while keeping their relationship a secret. Justin’s nearby and work-related friends Baiju (Suresh Krishna), Printo (Shameer Khan) and Glixon (Roshan Shanavas) also make themselves known at the same time.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Then there are the Moreli sisters who are the cousins of Justin, Riya Moreli (Meenakshi Raveendran), Sri Reshma Moreli (Srinda) and Renju Moreli (Sreerenjini), who become best friends with Ashley – they become part of various activities of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, a church-based family unit which also serves as a creative inspiration for various activities. Glixon develops a certain romantic interest with Ashley who does not show any interest in him, but develops feeling for Justin who has remained a bachelor after the death of his fiancée many years ago, and had only recovered from depression a few years ago with his catering business becoming successful against all odds. He has been serving as a leading participant in different activities of the area since then. Justin’s aunty, Sister Cicily (Bindu Panicker) finds out about Ashley’s love for him, which comes as a surprise, but he finds out that he has the same feelings for her. But the age difference and her parents’ other plans for her seems to come as a hindrance between them. Can their love survive this upcoming crisis?

The defence of Bethlehem Kudumba Unit :: We note that the age-gap dynamic between the two characters is treated with mutual respect and clarity without providing any uncomfortable feeling. The interactions also feel natural and not like something forced on the characters as part of the acting process. Their original age gap is reflected as part of the tale, unlike those movies in which older so-called superstars playing younger men and teenage heroines playing older women to bridge the gap between their lifespans. Along with the main cast, the support is also really strong with this one. The music nicely supports the movie, and there is a certain amount of nostalgia related to the talk about the past, as many of us feel close to the hero who has had a sad past. The humour nicely comes out of situations, as ego clashes and awkward family interactions easily create them, while some natural and common silliness also adds to the same. The emotions are still maintained in a strong manner, and we see that the romantic side remains cuter than ever.

Positives and negatives :: One could still feel that the tale could have had more depth to the proceedings, with the world outside the main characters also getting some more attention. But the simplicity remains a positive quality of the movie. Yet it seems to end quickly, but it serves the feel-good well as we look at it. The light-hearted feeling remains in such a way that even when there is a big fight going on, there is no real feeling of danger; we enjoy the same, as there is always a humorous side at work. The movie’s service as an Onam flick can never be questioned as it embraces the perfect mood so well – the other movies releasing with it can still have the audience who could not get tickets for this one, and those films which changed dates of release can be glad to have escaped from this competition. The fine frames here capture the lovely feeling of a suburban Kerala parish neighborhood unit. Underneath the comic side, the film explores the family expectations, the social awkwardness around non-traditional relationships and generational friction which always exists, and the same is also done without being too preachy or melodramatic.

The performers of the soul :: After Sarvam Maya, Nivin Pauly once again returns to the kind of role in which we have loved him, moving out of the Baby Girl and Prathichaya movies which came in between in thriller mode. Another return to top form with a classic and effortless feel-good/rom-com performance has us interested. Meanwhile, Mamitha Baiju delivers a grounded, expressive and confident performance which stays close to realism. Their chemistry feels more natural than ever, and the same keeps the movie going strong. Some of the dialogues used by them and situations in which we see them in life feel like natural part of life, and there is no artificial feeling about them – most of the romance we see in many other movies had not much real about them, for the Gothic often felt more realistic than them. Unlike her previous one hundred crore movie with Naslen, this one has her in a realistic world which is close to our life, and we remember that the earlier movie was more about silliness than anything else, with improbable situations. We know that Operation Java and Kho Kho were the earlier movies in which she had our attention, and here, the level has gone higher.

Further performers of the soul :: The movie’s standout performer as far as humour is concerned is Suresh Krishna, who has moved out of those serious and antagonistic roles to bring the kind of characters whom we remember during those happy and funny moments in life. His humorous moments will stay with us for quite some time, and it is also a character whom we would love to have around. Sangeeth Prathap once again has a fun role, and he repeats his good work in a territory which seems to work so well for him. Roshan Shanavas also has his fun moments, and the humour starts early for him in this movie and goes on well. Shyam Mohan’s work is also worth a lot of attention, and he shines very well in those final moments and the humour about him keeps the final moments going. Vinay Forrt also brings more effectiveness with a defining character. Srinda and Meenakshi Raveendran comes up with the characters we would remember too, and it is always nice to see the latter around for more as she our favourite from that acting reality show.

How it finishes :: Bethlehem Kudumba Unit is that return to the feel-good that we have always wanted, especially with the one leading actor who has been an expert in the same. As far as the director Girish A D is concerned, he gets his best movie so far with this one, and pushes Thanner Mathan Days to the second spot, with Premalu being pushed to the third, and Super Sharanya in comparison, is nothing but a shadow that comes alive only when that forced final romantic track is not active. Here, he has achieved the pinnacle of normal and realistic feel-good rooted in simplicity. As a lighthearted, warm and realistic family rom-com with breezy comedy, this one is clearly the winner of the Onam season. Without jokes made with bad intention or poor intent, this one is that kind of a film which is suitable for all kinds of audience. Despite a strong emotional side, the movie’s feel-good with the lighter elements keep it working all the time as humour thrives with ease. The quick one hundred crore collection is a reflection of the same, and as family audience do not have that much of a choice during this festival holiday season, the movie should continue to do well.

Release date: 21 August 2026
Running time: 155 minutes
Directed by: Girish A D
Starring: Nivin Pauly, Mamitha Baiju, Sangeeth Prathap, Vinay Forrt, Suresh Krishna, Shyam Mohan, Roshan Shanavas, Bindu Panicker, Srinda, Meenakshi Raveendran, Sreerenjini, Shameer Khan, Priya S Babu, Parvathy Ayyappadas

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

<<< Click here to go to the most awaited sequel of the year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Thudakkam

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Vampire Owl: Do you remember how long it took for us to watch another movie in the theatre?

Vampire Bat: Yes, I remember that the last movie we watched in the theatre was Anomie.

Vampire Owl: And it was Sarvam Maya before that.

Vampire Bat: That is like one movie in every three to four months.

Vampire Owl: Going by this rate, we will only watch one more movie this year.

Vampire Bat: Unlike those days when we watched like two movies a weekend.

Vampire Owl: Yes, hundred plus movies in one year at theatre used to be natural then.

Vampire Bat: Do you know how that would have cost now in rupees?

Vampire Owl: Yes, two-hundred-rupee ticket for two people for one hundred movies.

Vampire Bat: Forty-thousand rupees in one year – too much to spend for the cinema when nobody really reads these reviews in this hopeless world of meaningless existence of ours.

[Gets some cheese popcorn and three cups of masala tea].

What is the movie about? :: Meenu (Vismaya Mohanlal) is an independent and happy young woman who has only recently moved to an isolated high-range estate region the Idukki region in Kerala. She is a graduate who has been appearing for many government examinations, but not managing to clear any of them. Her father Ravi (Sai Kumar) was only recently transferred to the area as the village officer who is very punctual with his work. Meenu also has memories of a trauma that goes a long way back, as she had lost her mother, and her father is not able to walk without a stick, even though he is still extremely good at his work. As soon as they arrive, she makes some good friends at the new place including the neighbours and locals whom she sees on the way. With the help of Pauly (Pauly Valsan), an elder lady who lives nearby and after befriending Sariga (Nilja K Baby) who is a nurse from the nearby hospital, she manages to find a place to teach children of lower classes. More and more families become willing to send their children to her due to her charming nature and happy way of going through life.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One day, she travels to Cochin to write another one of those examinations, and Ravi is shocked to find her not returning home even after so much time into night. He receives one call from her during which he is scolding a man for his deeds, and then the mobile phone is switched off, scaring Ravi, who calls her friend who also wrote the same examination, but is not able to connect to her. He rushes to the police station and meets CPO Vijayan (Jaffar Idukki) who promises to do everything in his power to help him. But CPO Baijudev (Gibin Gopinath) who has no respect for public or women deduces that Meenu might have eloped with someone. It is revealed that Meenu was stalked by a man named Jithu (Ashish Joe Antony), a criminal who is known for the most violent crimes all around India. But it is revealed that she had manage to evade the criminal and reach home, but it seems that it won’t be the end of the problem as it would come after her. Meanwhile, Meenu’s neighbour and teacher of local school, Joseph (Kottayam Ramesh) is targeted by his own brother Esthappan (Bobby Kurian). As danger lurks around them, can they survive?

The defence of Thudakkam :: The movie’s biggest advantage is its first half, as it has the world so well-set with the first few scenes. The initial scenes are a reminder of the terror which is to follow, and when the antagonist is nicely established there, we know that there will be some real danger and it will be inescapable without the best efforts. This only keeps getting more terrifying as story moves forward, and the fear generation is at the highest until it reaches the best point during the interval. As the villainy is established before anything else, the mood sets in without much of a problem. The use of darkness in the purpose also has to be appreciated, as moments of fear are created. The atmosphere with that technical side and action with that require gore on both sides need to be appreciated. The movie’s take on harassment, stalking, victim-blaming, and above all, drug abuse will leave a message or two. It can also be seen that even the lesser-known supporting cast members do some fantastic job, whether it is about the local unruly youth on the side of the road or the twin girls who are worried about getting home in time. The music also forms the movie’s effective side.

The claws of flaw :: The movie has its struggles in the second half and manages to undo a number of things it establishes in the first half. One of them is indeed that extreme fear factor surrounding the antagonist who is left without having much to do after that post-interval punch. The predictability in the second half is surely too high, an we wonder if movie can go anywhere else than force that unfair advantage to the protagonist, and for the same, a cameo is added as the needed motivation, that too with a fight which comes out of nowhere. The emotional side is not that effective either, and even at the most emotional moments, there seems to be a little bit of lag, and in second half, the focus seems to be not in the existence of the narrative, but in the journey towards that pre-determined, speeded-up ending which could have been better planned. The final fight scenes also seem to go like a cliché with the person who gets beaten up and one the floor remembers something from childhood and stands up, and during the same time, the villains are just sitting and waiting for the protagonist to stand up and finish the initiation into fighting position, then do not even come together at the person. Even the final dialogues feel late by a few years.

The performers of the soul :: The movie is indeed the one thing Vismaya Mohanlal on his debut makes better with her charm and a type of work which would have been less effective if any other star kid of our time was doing this – the rest who does anything similar would only be nepo kids, but our protagonist is skillfully made a classy one from the beginning itself. The way in which she handles the action needs a lot of appreciation. Then on another one of those days when an antagonist outperforms everyone else, Ashish Joe Antony on his first full-movie role, delivers a performance which shines with the least dialogues which even adds to terrifying presence of the character. Bobby Kurian also serves well as a supporting villain. Sai Kumar’s fatherly figure is a man of reason, and along with the characters of Kottayam Ramesh and Manoj K Jayan, forms the voices which make sense in a movie in which most people seem to work according to their egos and prejudices. Mohanlal’s cameo is fine, but one can only wonder it was needed in the film, maybe it is still a yes for the blind fans, and our producer Antony Perumbavoor also comes in right there as expected. Nilja K Baby in a smaller role catches our attention too.

How it finishes :: The movie can be considered as an effective beginning, as the title suggests, for the daughter of the legendary actor and the son of one of the best-known film producers of Malayalam cinema industry. The same has been delivered well as they come up with shining colours, and we appreciate the quality of their work, even though the level of this movie coming down in the second half and its rushed climax with cliches remain sad considering how big a start it had managed and pushed through in the first half towards interval. The emotions could have worked better and the ending should not have brought this much predictability, and yet we enjoy this movie and that early effect is there to stay. This one will be seen as an entertaining theatrical watch for action fan even without being a memorable or groundbreaking entry here. If the title really has some significance, this is only a beginning, and there is more to come, with a sequel or a spin-off, for there can be an improvement on this – a Drishyam model series of movies, maybe? After Drishyam is an inspiration for such extensions in multiple languages.

Release date: 7 August 2026
Running time: 137 minutes
Directed by: Jude Anthany Joseph
Starring: Vismaya Mohanlal, Ashish Joe Antony, Sai Kumar, Manoj K Jayan, Bobby Kurian, Mohanlal, K B Ganesh Kumar, Miya George, Sijoy Varghese, Pauly Valsan, Nilja K Baby, Sivadas Kannur, T G Ravi, Jaffar Idukki, Chippy Renjith, Dinesh Prabhakar, Gibin Gopinath, Aadukalam Naren, Nsihanth Sagar, Kottayam Ramesh, Gilu Jose, Jaya Kurup, Antony Perumbavoor, Vijaykumar Prabhakaran

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Uyir

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Vampire Owl: I had some high expectations about this one.

Vampire Bat: But we waited for its release on Jio Hotstar to be sure.

Vampire Owl: And here we are here again to watch another investigation.

Vampire Bat: I do like the cast very much with this one.

Vampire Owl: We love it when they have performers over the superstars.

Vampire Bat: Yes, in the world of super stars, mega stars, power stars, young stars and whatever.

Vampire Owl: Stars kill every movie industry, don’t they?

Vampire Bat: We can agree about that towards infinity in a world of chaos.

Vampire Owl: How many movies with investigation can still stand the test of time?

Vampire Bat: As long as they have psycho killers, serial murderers and such interesting people.

[Gets a plate of paneer tikka and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: Probation SI Ajeeb (Roshan Mathew) is working in his first police station which seems to be located in a comparatively peaceful area. He is leading a happy life with Shehna (Athulya Chandra) with no children and memories of a past in which he had lost his sister in a train at a very long age. Though Ajeeb works hard and tries to be a good husband, he is quietly haunted by his childhood trauma of losing his younger sister and has panic attacks whenever he hears the sound of passing trains – he never travels in trains anymore; even when there is no direct buses, and during times when he has to travel more distance taking a longer path, he chooses to travel by road. His biggest support is his experienced colleague ASI Joy (Baiju Santhosh), who with his wife Molly Joy (Divya M Nair), a couple who is waiting for their first child and undergoing treatments which do not seem to work for them. He advices Ajeeb on cases as he is more experiences than him, even though not higher in rank.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Ajeeb finds himself with his first major case which is rather sensational in nature when the decomposed body of an unidentified woman is found in an abandoned local well. Ajeeb begins digging deep into the case despite his seniors’ doubts about his capability. They identify the dead person as Shobha (Shruthy Menon), a migrant worker from Karnataka who had moved to Kerala with her husband and two young children, and started living in the border area. But her husband and children seem to be missing, but after some more digging deep into the situation, Ajeeb and Joy track down Shobha’s husband, Raju (Vinod Sagar) in Karnataka with the help of the local police there. As Raju offers emotional stories and conflicting statements related to their lives and those incidents which changed their lives in between, police face different complications. They will need the help of a Mumbai police officer, Keerthi Deshpande (Saiyami Kher) in this to their surprise too. Can the two policemen find a solution here in time?

The defence of Uyir :: There are not many movies which can bring humanity to a tale of more than one murder and following investigation, but this one takes that and places the same at the right place to keep the interest of the family audience alive, it seems. As this is supposed to be inspired by actual police records of Kerala, everything feels grounded and realistic, and the last few moments feel very much close to heart. There are not many investigative movies that touches the heart, but this one does, even though the same is achieved a little late. The policemen are shown as common men, even though the women police officers could have also had something to do like the movie Dridam which had more balance and a higher level of danger and twists associated with it. The feeling of mystery is still maintained right from the behind. The character detailing is nice, especially with the main character, who is played to perfection by Roshan Mathew with classic support from the rest of the cast. At the same time, the message of humanity works, and the journey here is without exaggeration close to realism.

The claws of flaw :: The story here drags during the middle by trying to force suspense and twists into a story that seems to be more or less like an emotional character journey rather than anything else. Some of these twists do not seem to belong here at all, and the investigation also seems to be done randomly without much trouble. The melodrama often gets out of control, and we often think why this is going the emotional path when finding the killer was of so much significance. The final few minutes feel like the weakest as the movement from a usual murder mystery to a human-centric drama goes through a struggle, especially with the search being just a random thing of no real significance, even with the humane side. The way in which the pace goes down so many times, and the way in which the police keep focusing on a person, who keeps on becoming the centre of attraction again and again with one thing or other – it feels like repetition for sure. Everything seems more like coming to the police directly, and after they complicate things, the situation seems to be solved rather easily too, and then they extend the same to add more complications.

The performers of the soul :: The movie thrives on a brilliant performance from Roshan Mathew, who seems to make a police officer that we would remember. He is once again not a hero that one needs to remember for the superhuman acts, but as a flawed police officer, the kind that we have always loved as one among us. The emotional conflicts of the character are shown nicely too, and we have Athulya Chandra in the wife role, as the two share beautiful chemistry with underlying love and support which runs through their marriage with understanding. Athulya might be one of those actresses who had less number of main roles in major movies than she deserved, as she carries a certain amount of life even when playing this character who never really had that much to work with. Baiju Santhosh’s Joy is also a character whom we would all love, and he handles the same with a serenity that everyone should love see. The star of Kismat, the highly underrated Shruthy Menon also comes up with a work to remember with her return, and Vinod Sagar remains solid. Vineeth Thattil David, Santhosh Thrivikraman and Saiyami Kher are also police officers who catch our attention so well with their realistic work.

How it finishes :: As Roshan Mathew brings both restraint and emotional depth to his character carrying the film’s themes of guilt, remorse, empathy and redemption effectively, we have the movie’s mood and aim served well. The question still remains if this was the aim which the audience would have had considering the fact that this a movie revolving around one murder or two, along with a murderer on the loose manipulating the police. The thrills are kept at the minimum, and we feel that there was the scope for many engaging sequences with chance of bringing chaos always present against all odds. One can safely say that drama gets to be a lot above the thrills and the investigation itself, which would always be considered strange as we look at the genre here. We keep thinking if it is what we wanted, and a strange feel-good factor that creeps in to bring a conclusion with a happy ending in a journey which is rather personal than part of the case, would not bring the best for everyone for sure. Well, this is not your highly engaging, highly paced, intelligent and twisted police investigation for sure.

Release date: 26th June 2026
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: M Padmakumar
Starring: Roshan Mathew, Saiyami Kher, Baiju Santhosh, Athulya Chandra, Shruthy Menon, Vineeth Thattil David, Santhosh Thrivikraman, Vinod Sagar, Shaju Sreedhar, Divya M Nair, Srikant Murali, Mahesh Shetty

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Paathirathri

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Vampire Owl: I see a movie about midnight here.

Vampire Bat: I do not think that this movie is about vampires drinking blood at midnight.

Vampire Owl: Yes, I know we are supposed to prefer the witching hour over midnight.

Vampire Bat: Witching hour has now been copyrighted by witches.

Vampire Owl: They cannot have that. They already have infinite access to all magic.

Vampire Bat: They control most of the demons of our realm.

Vampire Owl: There was a time when they only controlled animated skeletons.

Vampire Bat: According to the new pact, they have transferred them to necromancers.

Vampire Owl: Necromancers have always animated dead bones.

Vampire Bat: These are perfect skeletons, and not those created out of random bones.

[Gets a paneer puffs and three cups of Kandy tea].

What is the movie about? :: SI Jancy Kurian (Navya Nair) is the new Sub Inspector of a rural police station on probation, who is struggling with a certain amount of confusion as a beginner while also trying to cope with her personal life which is close to breaking down due to the possibility of a divorce, despite them having a much-celebrated love marriage some time ago. Her personal life keeps her detached from social life and her approach to different cases is also hampered due to her fear of being alone in life as they live separate from their families after the love marriage which came out of a college relationship. Civil Police Officer Hareesh N V (Soubin Shahir) is also facing divorce and is going through a custody crisis with his wife, who keeps asserting that their daughter should stay with her at all times. The inability to talk to his daughter and the hostility of his wife also starts affecting Hareesh as he becomes not interested in working with women. But on one night, due to a sudden requirement of leave for another policeman, Jancy and Hareesh are forced to team up for a night patrol together.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: On the same night, as they travel near the forest, they see a car parked in a suspicious manner among the greenery. As they approach, they see a man running away and the woman in car drives the vehicle away. They chase the man who jumps into a swamp area and vanishes. Hareesh tells Jancy that there is no point in doing anything now as the person would have gone through the swamp to the other side and escaped. At the same time, they get a call about a girl committing suicide and Hareesh tells her to just leave as this is just irrelevant search that could lead them to trouble. Returning to the swamp out of guilt and worries, she is shocked to find the area recently covered with sand and wonders if someone could be under the sand. This further affects her daily actions, as she wonders if someone was dead and buried due to them. He talks to Hareesh about the same, but he dismisses these concerns and adds that the man would have escaped at that point itself.

And what more is to happen as further complications arise? :: Her anxiety increases as her husband in a complicated relationship with her leaves home after resigning his job, just after leaving her a letter. As the swamp was covered illegally, the court orders for the swamp to be reverted to its original form due to environmental concerns, but it is then that a corpse is found from under the ground. The dead body is identified to be that of a well-known journalist and investigative reporter Ansar Ali (Sunny Wayne), who was reported missing on the night when the two cops had seen the unknown figure. After checking multiple cameras and conducting unofficial investigations, they understand the woman who was with Ansar, his former college mate Anjali (Athmiya Rajan). But as she is the daughter of the DYSP, Suresh Kumar Menon (Achyuth Kumar), and he would make sure that nobody would know that she was with a married man among the trees and swamps in a car, and Anjali is also not interested in talking to anyone about it as it would devastate Ansar’s marriage and reputation as a leading journalist. As Hareesh and Jancy were there at that time and with the same proven through their walkie-talkie and mobile locations, they become easy targets to be framed for this murder. Can they escape from this situation and find the real culprits?

The defence of Paathirathri :: Navya Nair comes up with a highly controlled performance as SI Jancy Kurian, as she shows the physical and emotional strain of a woman balancing a troubled personal life and a demanding job, but tries hard to maintain both. Soubin Shahir also balances both, but he is more of a police officer than a husband in this one, but the conflict is nicely shown by him too. Their chemistry on screen can also be considered as one of the film’s highlights. With the support of their performances, the movie goes through the fatigue and psychological burdens beneath the police uniform and this brings an engaging, realistic rhythm which never goes for an overdose which would keep it realistic to the core. The visual are interesting and suitable, as the foggy landscape is beautifully captured to create a moody, tense aesthetic that suits this world of mystery. The tension is always there and so is the mystery which is never really solved until the very end, which provides that much needed twist.

Positives and negatives :: The movie could have had a little more of conviction with its content, as we see this never really providing the feeling that there is danger around. Even though the pace is fine, there are moments when it could have been increased further. The movie does not have that much to go to a length about two hours. But we can see that Harisree Ashokan and Indrans who come only in small roles could also make a fine impact. Athmiya Rajan who is best known for Joseph, does incredibly well too, and she is one underrated actress whom we should be seeing more often in movies, and there is some stoicism in her character here which find close to life. Ann Augustine also nails her role in a way that we would remember her with a certain amount of melancholy of the character which we notice realistically. When the emotional and personal side of the police is shown instead of showing them as machines on case, one can feel that this goes the realistic path. The final twist is surely working, and we are able to connect with the main characters who feel real. The investigative side could have been more powerful though.

How it finishes :: Paathirathri remains a movie which needed a better attention that it managed to get, as realistic police investigations with focus on emotions of the focus is very much rare in the industry even though flawed cops like those of Memories, John Luther, Abraham Ozler, all are still there and hunting psychopaths. The mystery here does not point that much to danger and fear generation though. But we see that clear sense of empathy for people with some power trapped in a flawed system which allows those with even more influence to take advantage of them and even ruin their lives forever. Despite the thoughtfulness and the competence in a real world that we see here, the narrative does struggle at times. For those who are looking for a slow-burning, performance-driven work focusing on the vulnerabilities behind the people in uniform, this works, even in a slower pace. After all, we are not making those dumb Bollywood police movies which turn into a universe which has ridiculous buffoons as police officers, and have lady cops who are even dumb and brainless as Lady Singhams.

Release date: 17 October 2025
Running time: 128 minutes
Directed by: Ratheena P T
Starring: Navya Nair, Soubin Shahir, Sunny Wayne, Ann Augustine, Athmiya Rajan, Harisree Ashokan, Indrans

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Mollywood Times

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Vampire Owl: Are they looking for the best time for Mollywood?

Vampire Bat: I do not think that it works like that.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein did not feel so either.

Vampire Bat: It does not matter what Mr. Frankenstein thinks about.

Vampire Owl: Frankenstein is the leader scientist whom we have always wanted.

Vampire Bat: That would be Uncle Dracula and not a fake scientist.

Vampire Owl: You do not believe that dead bodies can be animated through science?

Vampire Bat: Were you ever animated through science? I just came back from the dead.

Vampire Owl: Every creature does not come back from the dead just like that.

Vampire Bat: I think you are referring about dumb humans acting like zombies.

[Gets a poori masala and three cups of black tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vineeth Madhavan (Naslen) is a young man from Kuttikkanam area, who has developed a dream of becoming the greatest horror-movie director in the Malayalam cinema industry after reading the horror novels of Vaikom David (Jagadish). David, the best-known novelist of that time who has been writing novels, had scared even the most hard-hearted people. He carried this desire to become a director from the fifth standard to the eleventh standard when he succeeds with a short-film with the help of Sujithraj V (Roshan Shanavas) and the man in the local CD shop known only by the name of Sunilettan (Althaf Salim). His father K Madhavan (Prasanth Alexander), mother Sujatha Parameshwaran (Meera Nair) and grandfather who is known only as Appooppan (Balachandran Chullikkad) to everyone in the area do not consider him to be good for anything as he only somehow manages to pass all his examinations. But when he manages to come up with a movie, sends his atheist grandfather who does not believe in the supernatural right into coma with his ghost in the darkness, his father decides to send him to study cinema.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite warnings from the people around him about the harsh realities of the cinema world which take him to chaos and oblivion, Vineeth remains determined to come up with something above the usual, and transform something bigger. But as another film-maker named Arjun Haridas (Sangeeth Prathap) gets the first prize for the short-film competition which had Vineeth’s movie more appreciated by critics and audience, he gets angry and frustrated like never before. Then he is approached by Sachin Vaikom David (Sharafudheen), the son of the reputed author of his favourite horror works. He tells him the harsh truth that Arjun has managed to win the grand prize which would give him a shot at being the director of a grand movie through influence and connections which Vineeth never had in a life spent with movies and not people. Hana Shahjahan (Gopika Ramesh) who had a crush on Vineeth had also become a superstar and leading actor with bigger roots in Tamil and also in Telugu – but she also becomes the new girlfriend of Haridas.

And what more is to follow as there is something to be gained and a lot more to be lost :: Vineeth is not bothered about Hana being with Haridas as cinema has always been his only true love, but this combination seems to hurt him as with the leading actress’ stardom, it was always going to be a superhit, and with Arjun having stolen content from him, it was always going to hurt him the most, as his next movie would become irrelevant. His attempt to work with Sachin also gets messed up as the producers backout due to the script being too reworked by Vineeth, even leaving out the main heroine in the process while changing the whole setting, which were already decided. Vineeth decides to wait for his first film and work on Sachin’s film, which takes some time to release due to the lack of funds, and by that time, Haridas’ superhit had brought his movie out which became a blockbuster. Sachin’s movie also flops despite a grand script being associated with it, and this separates him and Vineeth seemingly forever. This forces Vineeth to try for something even more different, but it is to be seen how it is going to work out, with people including Haridas, Arjun and Hana not being fond of him.

The defence of Mollywood Times :: The movie is surely the best of Naslen so far, and it is a fine deviation from the kind of roles he was doing since Thannermathan Dinangal came into the picture and became instant success. He plays a protagonist different from Vineeth Sreenivasan of that previous movie of a dark world, as this one is determined to go on his way rather than that one with a better probability of success, and yet this one is no righteous man either. While he manages to stay at the core, Sangeeth Prathap provides some fine support. Sharafudheen also has a character that we will remember more than the rest while Roshan Shanavas and Althaf Salim gets some fine moments. Gopika Ramesh plays the only female character of relevance, which is done remarkably well. The movie’s best advantage is that it never romanticizes the movie industry, and shows the struggles and the attempt of the influential people to get rid of true talents for nepo kids or those who are related to them. The negative impact of corporates, script theft, nepotism, huge egos and fake smiles are all shown here – these are not the elements which would surprise us that much, but are indeed shown in an effective manner.

Positives and negatives :: The movie does not hesitate to speak the harsh truth that the successful people are there more because of influence or luck rather than anything else as there are so many more tales of failure than success even with the most talented people. As shown by Mukundan Unni in that classic movie, good people rarely become successful, and the very few stories from motivational speakers that we listen to rarely make even 0.1% of a world. Mukundan Unni Associates actually did it better and showed how evil humans really are, and this one never comes close. The movie also seems to have that feeling of a nearly full male movie with the female characters coming in lesser numbers never really used to that advantage. As the style of Mukundan Unni Associates is repeated here, we feel that quality in divergence here too. The use of internal monologue also works in the movie’s favour. Yet, it takes a little too much time during its run, and some of the moments seem stretched and repeated, never trying to improve from the previous work. Then the working humour keeps raising the level, and the dark humour adds further.

How it finishes :: The fact that we are reminded about people becoming successful mostly because of luck, influence or cheating just feels too real, as we see who become success stories and who do not, right around us. When we look deeper, there might be no success without evil behind it. The reminder that there is no success in this world for good people, and that it is reserved for those who use their inherent evil for twisted path is the biggest horror in the world, but it is also the greatest truth that nobody will ever completely agree with. This also serves as the hate letter to cinema as was said some of the posters. The realization that if we desire something, the universe conspires to keep you away from it, is really a revelation that should not be left behind. This unyielding, cynical tone that treats another field as a corporate, ego-driven battlefield, we remember that no profession is safe from the same. When we hear about people becoming successful due to hard work, we will think again before taking that unnecessary life which ruin over life while trying to be someone else. It is strange that even nepo kids of different movie industries talk about their struggles, but as long as there are blind fans, they will also be around giving such fake interviews. Let us note none of them, and try not too chase too difficult dreams as more people have been unsuccessful in the same than one can ever think.

Release date: 5th June 2026
Running time: 167 minutes
Directed by: Abhinav Sunder Nayak
Starring: Naslen K Gafoor, Sangeeth Prathap, Sharafudheen, Roshan Shanavas, Althaf Salim, Gopika Ramesh, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Basil Joseph

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Pongala

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Vampire Owl: I did not know about this movie being released then.

Vampire Bat: Well, just some movies take all the hype in this world.

Vampire Owl: Most of those hyped movies are like good for nothing too.

Vampire Bat: Unless those collections come down, there will always be such movies.

Vampire Owl: Such movies will never be hits in the vampire world.

Vampire Bat: You know that vampires will never create such big movies, but will have content.

Vampire Owl: Only in our world, there is quality about everything.

Vampire Bat: You know that even the smallest stone of Dracula Castle is shaped in quality.

Vampire Owl: Uncle Dracula is never known to make mistakes, you know.

Vampire Bat: The Vampire Elders have given assurances to him towards infinity.

[Gets a gobi paratha and three cups of Bandarawela tea].

What is the movie about? :: Aby (Sreenath Bhasi) is a man who had to go through a lot of crisis and trauma during his early life, as his father Joseph (Alencier Ley Lopez) had owed a lot of money to man named Lawrence (Sudheer Karamana). This man had come into their home to sexually assault his mother, he had to fight as the elder child, and the situation led to the intruding man getting killed, for which he had to go to correctional home life followed. From that day, his father had gone missing, and he had to take care of his family including his mother and younger sister from the moment he returned from the correctional home. It was not an easy task for him, and he joins the gang of Sabu (Baburaj) a local fish monger and gang lord who has his own violent ways of dealing things and maintaining his business over everyone else. Aby quickly proves his worth in street fights, as he rises through the ranks of Sabu’s goons to become his most trusted henchman. At the side of Sabu’s brothers Biju (Kichu Tellus) and Baiju (Indrajith Jagajith), he remains a force to reckon for. They maintain a iron-fisted monopoly over the harbour of Vypin.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Despite things seemingly in a violent, but profitable manner, Aby remains a stoic young man who does not care about many things, and seems like a man without feelings for the people of the village. During this period of random fights, a woman from the neighbourhood named Linta (Yami Sona) keeps following him, and tells him that she is in deeply in love with him. Though Abhi remains to be stoic and focused on his responsibilities, Linta who does not stop following him becomes a part of his life, as she is the best friend of his sister and also keeps visiting their home. At the same time, one of Aby’s close friends, Martin (Surya Krish), has a hidden crush on Linta, which she never reveals to his friends or her. Things then take a further twist when Sabu attempts to sexually exploit the vulnerability of his former classmate, a woman who used to be his classmate. Sabu, Biju and Baiju also begin expanding their criminal enterprise into illegal drug trafficking which leads to further rift being formed with Aby, despite his effort to keep peace between him and his childhood friend Biju. Will there be peace or will everyone turn against Aby without mercy?

The defence of Pongala :: The movie’s natural backdrop of the Vypin fishing harbour within Cochin provides an authentic and atmospheric feel – the visuals support the same really well. The initial scenes which go longer with a few flashbacks could nicely bring the situation to the picture without much of a difficulty. In this world, the action also happens well, but in simple manner, despite the leading character’s heroics. There is no attempt to follow that absurd nonsense flying and slow-motion of the so-called superstars who look like balloons and rockets while getting claps from the dumb and brainless fans who celebrate their famous stars destroying SUVs, cars by trying to throw villains on them or out of them and enjoy broken vehicles. The songs are fine and the music remains effective, as the mood of the movie in that setting has been maintained well. The actors nicely get into situation and keep the movie going without any trouble. It is always good to see the less explored areas in the industry getting attention too. Even though it was not much known during its release, the OTT should do well for the movie.

The claws of flaw :: The plot seems to have been somewhat inspired from the predictable, pre-2000 revenge tropes with gang wars even though it is shown as happening much later at the same area. The dialogues also feel somewhat dated and uninspired for these times. There are also so many fights which the hero wins with unparalleled ease, and it is not something we would expect from a man fighting so many people at once and when battling terrifying antagonist who comes with such a build-up. The one-man army mode feels outdated even though the fights and more like a street fight and therefore more realistic than those infinite slow-motion fight scenes create for those superstars in the name of style or rather dumb nonsense created for the brainless fans. The romance also feels like not given the full strength and the focus there seems to be not on love, but a past and sympathy. The predictability in the movie can also be seen at times, with the movie going through what we expect on more than one occasion.

The performers of the soul :: Sreenath Bhasi leads the way in a convincing way here as he moves away from his earlier roles by a long way and delivers a committed, physically agile and intense performance as a stoic action hero who doesn’t show fear in his actions. He has surely come a long way, and the signs of the same were already visible in a few other movies which released earlier, and this one reiterates the same. There is something about Baburaj in this kind of movies and with similar roles which pose no challenge to him – this one is also a more controlled performance from him rather than the usual antagonists. Kichu Tellus also has a role which is familiar to him and leaves him any difficulty. Yami Sona is a lovely addition to the movie, and this feels like the first time I am seeing her in a movie, and she does her job really well, even though we do not see her that much as we wanted in the movie, and the romance should have had a better focus than just her forcing it upon the situation. Sampath Ram has a fine screen presence, but does not get that much to do in the movie other than talk, following by contact on mobile phone. Alencier Ley Lopez only has a limited role here too. But Sadiq Mohammed has a notable presence and it is a role in which we have seen him multiple times, as he shows no struggle with it.

How it finishes :: It is clearly seen that the movie does not try too hard, as it follows an idea which has been tried so many times. The action works well, and we enjoy this as another old model movie which never really tries too hard. The predictability will hold it back and repetitions will do the same, but it keeps us interested from the beginning to the end. The atmosphere of the Vypin coastal belt and harbour brings a breathing character of its own. Sreenath Bhasi as a stoic becomes a fine action hero too. This adds to his versatility and carries the movie’s action sequences almost entirely on his shoulders. The attempt at the revolutionary side would not work, but taking the movie back to the working class who are actually hardworking itself has been a tough thing, and the movie has made that happen without any character who is lost in the internet – such movies are rare when taken in a big city, and that much is achieved. But with a little bit more focus and a shorter length, this one could have done wonders as there were nice opportunities for a fine twist and one villain who could unleash himself in a grand manner.

Release date: 5th December 2025
Running time: 138 minutes
Directed by: A B Binil
Starring: Sreenath Bhasi, Baburaj, Kichu Tellus, Sampath Ram, Sadiq Mohammed, Alencier Ley Lopez, Yami Sona

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Avihitham

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Vampire Owl: This is not the kind of genre that we have loved through our lives.

Vampire Bat: Well, you know that Malayalam movies usually transcend genres with a lethal approach.

Vampire Owl: Yes, most Malayalam movies do belong to drama category by default.

Vampire Bat: If we go a long way back, each of them is first drama and then anything else.

Vampire Owl: Malayalam movies have dealt with human emotions in a realistic manner.

Vampire Bat: Yes, there has been no gravity defiled in the process.

Vampire Owl: Humans and objects do no fly around in Malayalam cinema.

Vampire Bat: Neither do the villains fly when the heroes move hands.

Vampire Owl: This one does not even have those big stars to feed on our brains with elements of hero worship.

Vampire Bat: Then it also has that name which won’t attract family audience at all.

[Gets a paneer roll and three cups of Sikkim tea].

What is the movie about? :: One night, Prakashan (Renji Kankol) returns home after having some drunken time with his friends. It is very dark, and as he goes through a shortcut, he sees a young man named Vinod (Vineeth Vasudevan) and an unidentified young woman hugging and kissing behind the house of Madhavan (Unnikrishnan Parappa), a veteran carpenter working on a temple project in another village. He sees that it is Vinod’s house on the other side, and the woman can only be from the house of Madhavan. He contacts the local tailor Venu (Unni Raj) to help him find the woman, and Madhavan’s daughter-in-law Nirmala (Vrinda Menon) is estimated to be person who is in the extra-marital relationship, as her room is just behind the wall, and the tailor confirms that from the shadows, her blouse size matches according to the list of women’s body size taken by him for stitching blouses. As they visit the same place on the very next day, they realize that this happens on almost every night without fail, and this is a love affair which could become talk of the town.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: They decide to save the honour of the family by telling Murali (Dhanesh Koliyat), the younger son of Madhavan, and he is quick to inform the father about the same. As Nirmala is one of those young, beautiful women of the village, Murali also goes to same area and waits, only to see Vinod waiting for someone during the same time period. The next day, he follows Nirmala and finds out that she keeps going to Vinod’s mill even though they do not find the need for her to frequent place – she also talks very sweetly to Vinod, which raises further doubts about how intense the relationship has been. They finally inform the husband Mukundan (Rakesh Ushar) who is devastated after hearing the news. He begins to suspect her further as she goes to Vinod’s mill wearing her new saree and even tells him that he could look for a job in the Middle East. He decides to catch both of them from the bathroom outside the house where they seem to go together for sexual intercourse, and calls the people who already know about this to come up with a perfect plan. Now, what can go wrong here?

The defence of Avihitham :: The movie shows a certain number of skills in bringing to the screen how curiosity, rumours and the perpetual need for self-righteousness leads to complications in a simple world. The interactions and strange investigations carried out by local villagers remain something of interest throughout its run, as humour is nice and never overdone, remaining within the limits and not going out of the family mode. The setting itself works in support as we see how well the whole thing is placed in this premise and realistic world. Even without the big stars, this has been achieved with a strong narrative and the use of witty dialogues which also seems to be managed with a calculated smartness. One also cannot deny that fact that between all the drama and comedy, there is also a certain amount suspense being maintained, and the twist would have a say too. There is also a message about the idea of morality, and this would remain a satire about society and what comes to us in the form of tradition. The collective hypocrisy and the forced morals are shown without second thoughts.

The claws of flaw :: The audience can feel that the movie all set on the topic which is rather trivial, or has been explored as part of movies which mainly dealt with other topics. The emotional depth is also not that much to be taken, and we do not feel that much for the characters. The ending also seems forced, and there seems to be silly justifications for extra-marital affairs, and the justifications feel like a little too much, and the final message seems to go on different paths. Justifying the issue of infidelity just became the woman wants to go with a random man might not be right message, no matter how much tradition and righteousness is blamed for not giving the partner the opportunity and right to cheat. The characters are not that much developed, and the final moments do not reveal enough either. There are some repetitive moments when the movie seemingly tries to make its ideas feel superior, and except for that final twist, one keeps wondering why such a weak end had to happen. The struggle to prove something which is not there to be taken keeps pulling the movie down as it moves towards the end too.

The performers of the soul :: Unni Raj as Venu and Renji Kankol as Prakashan leads the way among the cast who are not that much known. If you look at the Wikipedia page of the movie, you will not find even one name which leads to another page which details an actor or actress. The above mentioned are the two actors whom we note first, and the former seems somewhat familiar from the Marimayam series of Mazhavil Manorama television channel. Instead of relying on a single star performance or at least on some well-known names, the cast here works as one unit that powers the movie. Among them, it is Vrinda Menon who plays Nirmala that requires the special mention, as she becomes the centre of attraction, and yet goes through a simple journey, nicely depicted on the screen. Vineeth Vasudevan as Vinod has some fine moments to add here, while Rakesh Ushar and Dhanesh Koliyat add the doubtful characters nicely. With the other female characters, Vijisha Nileshwar, Karthika Vijayakumar and Ammini Chandralayam gets small, but nice situations to contribute to the world.

How it finishes :: Avihitham can be considered as a humorous social satire that uses a simple situation in a usual village to comment on moral policing and where gossips and curiosity can lead people bound by traditions which have provided them with the understanding of accepted good and evil to maintain order in a world which can always go deep down into chaos. The relatable characters, authentic village setting and believable performances make this work, even though the movie seems to take a prejudiced movement forward with its social message. While seemingly working against people going through gossips and interfering in the personal matters of others, it seems to support extra-marital affairs – for the movie, cheating by women feels justified for some strange reason, and the final dialogue by the woman when caught is just the same as those Indian tourists who had shoplifted from supermarkets and souvenir shops of Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia, being ready to pay for them only when caught – this attitude which comes from those early tourists who emptied everything from a hotel room and agreed to pay for the same. We think about these, and then enjoy this movie with its simple moments of humour and even a little bit of suspense to go with it.

Release date: 10th October 2025
Running time: 106 minutes
Directed by: Senna Hedge
Starring: Unni Raj, Renji Kankol, Vrinda Menon, Vineeth Vasudevan, Dhanesh Koliyat, Rakesh Ushar, Ajith Punnad, Unnikrishnan Parappa, Aneesh Chemmarathi, T Gopinathan, Vijisha Nileshwar, Ammini Chandralayam, Parvana Raj, Beena Kodakkad, Vismaya Sasikumar, Premalatha, Shyamili Das, Vipin K, Swapna Pallam, Mukesh OMR, Karthika Vijayakumar, Sayanth, Prabhakaran Velaswaram, Shubha C P, Lakshmanan Manniath

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Drishyam 3

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Vampire Owl: I did not think that this was ever going to have a third movie.

Vampire Bat: I consider the ending of Drishyam 2 as a classic closure.

Vampire Owl: Even the first Drishyam had a fine ending.

Vampire Bat: The second movie had kept its standard and everything came together in the end.

Vampire Owl: Well, they still wanted a third movie for some reason.

Vampire Bat: Maybe the wanted to have a very high grossing movie in the franchise.

Vampire Owl: An inferior Hindi version would always have higher collection.

Vampire Bat: I think this wanted to go on the Lucifer 2 model banking on earlier success.

Vampire Owl: Yet they are not planning to create a better sequel here at all.

Vampire Bat: There is rarely a sequel which is better than the original, not even Alien and Predator.

[Gets some burritos and three cups of hot chocolate with tea].

What is the movie about? :: Five years have passed after Georgekutty (Mohanlal) provided Varun’s (Roshan Basheer) remains to Geetha (Asha Sharath) and Prabhakar (Siddique), and Thomas (Murali Gopy) who had investigated the case had also felt that there was no scope in the case. Now, Georgekutty, Rani (Meena), Anu (Esther Anil) and Anju (Ansiba Hassan) feel that they are now in a safe zone, with assurance from their lawyer Renuka (Santhi Mayadevi). Geogekutty has also produced a movie with superstar Harikumar (Biju Menon) as the hero, inspired from the events of their own life. He even gets into good terms with the eye witness who testified against him earlier, Jose (Ajith Koothattukalum) and Mary (Krishna Praba). The other police officers involved with the same case, DySP Philip Mathew (K B Ganesh Kumar) and CI Antony (Antony Perumbavoor) are also not interested in taking the case any further, and Sabu (Sumesh Chandran) who was also involved in the case as an undercover police officer is under suspension and has no interest in anything.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: A former police officer Suresh Babu (Irshad) becomes friends with Georgekutty, who becomes confident that he has some contact with the police department. But at the same time, Yamini (Veena Nandakumar), an investigative journalist with the support of the cameraman Rony (Shiva Hariharan) becomes more interested in the same and starts asking questions about the incidents related to Georgekutty all by herself despite the channel not showing that much interest in the same due to Geetha and Prabhakar no longer pushing that hard for their son. Georgekutty has the other people involved in the case under his wing and payment in the form of Rajan (Dinesh Prabhakar), Mathayi (Royas Marmakala) and Shreya (Shraddha Gokul) as they keep his special secrets safe with them. The director of his movie, Aneesh Raj (Muhammad Musthafa) chooses Georgekutty for another movie and things seem to get even better for him, but an old rival Sahadevan (Kalabhavan Shajohn) once again comes to the picture. How will it change the overall situation?

The defence of Drishyam 3 :: The movie continues to have that suspense element, and twists are added right towards the end, with new opponents coming out of nowhere and desperate situations requiring desperate measures. The movie with fine visuals, tries to have a closure to at least one question of the tale related to the protagonist while leaving the options for even a fourth movie right there in the end which could have further manipulations. The performances work well, and bringing some new characters to the light works nicely to bring the much-needed deviations that lead to the twist that defines the journey yet again. The relationship between the main character and his family remains something of significance and as this one goes in that direction, appeals to the family audience really well, and as an emotional drama score without trouble. The feeling that friends are the one’s causing trouble from behind, and with opponents becoming friends, this is a tale that brings a lot of dynamic character changes. The characters who have been close to our hearts to get the attention that they deserve yet again.

The claws of flaw :: Compared to the previous two movies this third film is a step downwards indeed, and as we keep wishing for something special to be added, what we get is something that comes down in the overall quality. There doesn’t seem to be that much of an effort to elevate the movie, and coming after two fine endings in precious two movies which would not have demanded sequels, this one ends with the possibility of a sequel without a closure, and that makes one wonder about the future possibilities as much as why this one could not capitalize on the basics which were already laid. The difficulty in matching that final twists of earlier movies can be seen here. The movie had also taken a lot of time to get to the main area of the tale, with a lot of time going on to find some interesting points. The idea of depending more on coincidences or far-fetched possibilities does not serve the purpose that much as compared with the more realistic happenings – this one feel more of luck-based rather than anything else. There is the feeling that this one is less natural and beyond the common man or usual smart man and something often forced.

The performers of the soul :: Mohanlal once again comes up with a masterclass in restrained acting which stands above the rest. He excels even when the tale seems to go in the wrong direction, and we see him keeping things in control. Meena does seem to have lesser jobs to do in each movie of the franchise, and seems to have to go through the same, but the same is maintained well. Ansiba Hassan remains good in the one role in which we remember her, and Esther Anil manages the character’s moving on to maturity well. Kalabhavan Shajohn’s return is good, but it also feels a little strange in characteristics, and not maintained well to the end. Siddique character change is not that much believable and feels forced, even though it is performed well. Murali Gopy is one person who remains solid and maintains the level of his character, and it is one work that feels perfect. Veena Nandakumar is wasted after a fine beginning, while Irshad, Santhi Mayadevi and Dinesh Prabhakar leaves a mark. Ajith Koothattukalum also has more to do here and he does even better than the earlier movie.

How it finishes :: The movie remains somewhat a good continuation to tale which has kept us interested with two entries in the franchise and also spawned so many remakes in different languages. There is still the fact that it could not meet the grand expectations which is always associated with this particular franchise. In between, Jeethu Joseph had come up with other thrillers, a superior Kooman and inferior Neru, 12th Man and Mirage. The movie succeeds in keeping audiences interested in its suspenseful narrative, emotional family drama and strong performances led by Mohanlal in another work to remember. The exploration of the long-term consequences of the protagonist’s actions and the psychological burden carried by the man who is determined to protect his family at the expense of others, also gets something extra here. Just like Lucifer 2: Empuraan, this one has scored with the initial collections so well that it does not need that much of opinions from the audience to become the fourth highest grossing movie of all-time in Malayalam movie industry, but one would feel that Drishyam 2 would have scored even higher at the box-office if it had released in theatres as the quality was surely much higher there. For now, Amazon Prime Video has this one ready for your eyes and soul.

Release date: 21st May 2026
Running time: 160 minutes
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba Hassan, Esther Anil, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Ajith Koothattukalum, Kirshna Prabha, Asha Sharath, Siddique, Murali Gopy, K B Ganesh Kumar, Veena Nandakumar, Shiva Hariharan, Irshad, Santhi Mayadevi, Anjali Nair, Dinesh Prabhakar, Antony Perumbavoor, Srikant Murali, Sumesh Chandran

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Bhishmar

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Vampire Owl: This sounds like a tale that comes out of the puranas.

Vampire Bat: Malayalam movies do not always have titles that match with the content.

Vampire Owl: Well, there is always at least a distant match for each movie.

Vampire Bat: We know better though, as we have known an eternity of cinema.

Vampire Owl: A wise vampire once said that there is an eternity or infinity in cinema.

Vampire Bat: Cinema is not eternal, just we are forever.

Vampire Owl: Well, some of the characters in cinema are also forever.

Vampire Bat: As people who have witnessed fall of civilizations, we cannot be sure about that.

Vampire Owl: We no longer have civilizations, as we see only nations.

Vampire Bat: There is no need for much of a time for any of these to fall. Uncle Dracula knows better.

[Gets a paneer samosa and three cups of boba tea].

What is the movie about? :: Murugan (Dhyan Sreenivasan) is a middle-aged man who is running a fruits and vegetables stall at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. He was in love with Gouri (Divya Pillai) whose family was running hotel business in the town, and as Murugan was supplying vegetables there, her family would not approve of the alliance. She is forcibly married off to Guru (Senthil Krishna), who is an alcoholic policeman who beats and abuses her regularly after reaching home without his senses. Murugan has remains permanently depressed as he has to see Gouri suffering right in front of him as the couple had settled down in the house right opposite to him. His friends ask him to do something about it, but Guru is that kind of a person who does not care about anyone and will not listen to any person who comes to advise him. It is revealed that Murugan and Gouri had planned to elope together on an eventful night, but he had failed to reach the location in time, leading to her family fixing the marriage on an earlier date. On the same day, another event had occurred leading to Murugan being arrested by the police.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: One night, he comes across a man named Aravindan (Vishnu Unnikrishnan) who is trying to jump off a bridge into a full river after failing to cause an accident. Murugan and friends try to help him by taking him with them as they feel that he would commit suicide otherwise. Aravindan tells them that he is in love with a girl from his college, Rasiya (Ammayra Goswami), and after their relationship became known her father Razzak (Santhosh Keezhattoor), the family had quickly fixed her marriage to a person she had never seen before. Now, the girl has threatened him that she will commit suicide before she is forced to marry a stranger instead of Aravindan. But Razzak will never let his daughter marry a non-Muslim, and the case of Aravindan is not even close to being a consideration for him. Murugan and friends decide to help him, but it turns out that both Razzak and Murugan got a tale which goes back to the night when the elopement plan with Gouri was scheduled. Can Murugan and friends solve the multiple problems so that everyone can leave and live happily ever after?

The defence of Bhishmar :: The movie has managed to bring a big list of actors around here without fail, and has come up with some interesting characters that they play as a suitable part of the proceedings here. Everyone seems to go through this smoothly as there is no real scope to come up with something huge. The cinematography seems to give the movie an advantage, while the music also keeps us a good level. The humour is somewhat working, and there are some moments which serves better than the rest. The contrasting style of Dhyan Sreenivasan and Vishnu Unnikrishnan works quite well in that case, especially with the comic side. When this comedy gets a little bit of romance and some emotions to be added, a family module is ready here, never really getting out of hand in the attempt. The movie also has messages about regrets and second chances, and goes against complications, keeping things simple. This has the kind of formula of feel-good which has worked some time ago in the past, and by not taking any risk, the desire to keep in the genre is once again asserted.

The claws of flaw :: The movie does not bring anything new, and follows too old a policy which has been followed with a usual feel-good tale in a small town with the hero lamenting over lost love and going on with the usual life with good friends ready to help with anything and everything. There is never that much of a scope with this one unless the movie takes some strange risks, and we know the same from the beginning itself, and despite adding a small twist in between which does not feel new, there is no attempt to go through risky terrains, which limits this movie. The humour also gets lost at times, and the feeling of danger is also lost too early. Some of the scenes seem to be prepared for convenience and not to keep the narrative strong and effective. It just takes the liberty to jump through some situations and reach the final moments. The idea of quickly solving a big problem has not done the movie much of a favour either. The slow pace and the lack of updates to an old tale can keep us worried as much as the new generation tales which has no real story or anything good – but those become blockbusters, and old style does not survive.

The performers of the soul :: Dhyan Sreenivasan who is supposed to the lead the way do the same with relative ease, and goes through the journey like nothing more needs to be done – he is just natural himself and plays the commoner without ups and downs. His Kunjiramayanam or Adi Kapyare Koottamani humour would have helped further here. Vishnu Unnikrishnan plays an interesting character with multiple shades, and as the same is not explored further, he just goes through the character’s strange mannerisms without bringing anything spectacular. There is always some humour around when he is there. Divya Pillai is very good in her character, and this is another fine character that she gets after Dheeram. One feels that she went to the background from leading roles too soon. Ammayraa Goswami is okay, but does not do much except for being unconscious, showing smiles all the time and occasional crying, with not much of an interesting dialogue for her. Senthil Krishna has a strong presence, and could have even had more, while Indrans scores heavily in just a few last minutes. Santhosh Keezhattoor and Vineeth Thattil David play the negative shades really well. Abu Salim should not have been restricted to such a small role as the setting had the options for a lot more for him here.

How it finishes :: If you are looking for a light family entertainer, this would serve the purpose, but there might be a chance that you will put a label which says outdated right here. This too old style a writing, slow pacing and some uneven screenplay cripples the movie at times, but the cast with their natural acting in a common man setting adds some humour and emotions to hide its faults. I have to say that I never saw that a movie like this was releasing in the theatres, and this one seems to have released without making that much of a noise. One cannot help thinking that too many movies are releasing these days and they are coming and going from the theatres without any warning. Even during last year, there were reports that most of the Malayalam movies are not that well no the big screen, and that only a small percentage of movies brought good revenue. Well, without some good promotion and without letting anyone other than some so-called influencers know about the release, one wonders how any movie can make people aware of its release. When a movie releases without enough hype, one wonders if it really got the attention it deserved.

Release date: 20th March 2026
Running time: 142 minutes
Directed by: East Coast Vijayan
Starring: Dhyan Sreenivasan, Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Divya Pillai as Gouri, Ammayra Goswami, Indrans, Senthil Krishna, Gibin Gopinath, Manikandan Achari, Santhosh Keezhattoor, Abu Salim, Shaju Sreedhar, Unni Lalu, Jayan Cherthala, Binu Thrikkakkara, Akhil Kavalayoor, Vineeth Thattil David, Sohan Seenulal, Vishnu Groovi, Smriti Pandey

<<< Click here to go to the previous review.

<<< Click here to go to the biggest movie of last year.

@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.

Aadu 3

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Vampire Owl: So, we have the third movie this time.

Vampire Bat: Well, there was always going to be a third.

Vampire Owl: But the situation seems to be entirely different in this case.

Vampire Bat: Well, there was the talk about the grandeur being a lot more.

Vampire Owl: The connections which seem to be made here feels rather strange when together.

Vampire Bat: That is quite natural as the genre itself seems to have changed by a mile.

Vampire Owl: I do not know if Uncle Dracula would like this change.

Vampire Bat: There is no need for you to show this to him, or your friend Mr. Frankenstein.

Vampire Owl: Dr. Frankenstein is now beyond all entertainment.

Vampire Bat: Mr. Frank is beyond everything sensible.

[Gets a taco and three cups of Strawberry milk tea].

What is the movie about? :: It is the year 2370, and Earth is ruled by a ruthless dictatorship known as The Organization which has managed to quash every attempt at rebellion. They are an all-powerful entity which was never really challenged, considering its power and ability to stop all riots even before they begin. The dictatorship would not stay away from unleashing violence if it is threatened, making the ruling group an entity which one would need to fear beyond everything else. According to the resistance leader Baba (Indrans), the Organization has achieved this status through a celestial object called the Star Dust, which allows time travel, and in the process, rewrites timelines according to their will. Baba assures the other resistance fighters that time is not linear as past, present and future coexist simultaneously, and actions in one timeline would change the other. Baba understands that preventing the Organization from acquiring the Star Dust is the only way to stop them from achieving total dominance through time travel. For the same, he feels that there can be some unexpected heroes in different timelines who can help them and make sure that the balance is maintained and the inter-timeline evil can be stopped.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: In 2025, Shaji (Jayasurya) and his gang had received three million US dollars after the events involving the fight with Chekuthan Lazar (Hariprashanth M G), Anali Sabu (Anson Paul). They make the plans to travel to the United States of America to convert the cash from dollars to rupees, but Cleetus (Dharmajan Bolgatty) misses out as he has no proof, neither an SSLC Certificate, driving license nor an aadhar card to prove his identity, missing out on passport as well as that possible visa to the United States. As Cleetus gets depressed about missing out on the opportunity, takes a funny dialogue by Shaji’s niece Rachael (Athira Patel) related to seeing the American President when he comes to Coimbatore and exchange the dollars for rupees by just talking to him. As the date of Donald Trump visit arrives, and Tamil Nadu Police with the Central Forces have come up with a strong security, and Cleetus gets in there and shouts terrorist instead of tourist as he gets arrested. The currency is discovered to be fake, with Benjamin Franklin wearing glasses for the first time in a note, and now the team has to save Cleetus.

And what more is to happen here as another timeline calls for more? :: In 1790, Maharaja Padmanabhan Thampuran (Jayasurya) is ruling his small kingdom which seems to be weakening day by day, as his influence keeps going down even in his own circle. He is helping Vareed Mappila (Vijay Babu), to build a bridge which would change the fate of his kingdom – Vareed is an architect who had earned his degree from abroad in a reputed university, but is struggling, and is strongly supported by Kunjukunju (Noby Marcose) and Palazhi (Nirmal Palazhi) who provide local support even though adding a little bit of silliness to the situation. The whole thing has Lord Walter Joseph (Sunny Wayne) as the overseer, but this British lieutenant is called more as “water” due to him being drunk for most of the time. He always has Soman (Sudhi Koppa) and Sundar (Bijukuttan) to aid him, as they struggle to finish the bridge in time. As the king has problems with his spine, he sends his driver Koran (Aju Varghese) to find a doctor, but the bigger problem arrives in the form of the ruthless Azam Khan (Vinayakan), a commander under Tipu Sultan who wishes to destroy everything. How will all of these incidents in different timelines come together now?

The defence of Aadu 3 :: Jayasurya as Shaji Paappan holds the most value once again, and we see him leading the way to glory here too, as this character gets another twist for him with one more to play around here. Among the characters, those played by Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Sunny Wayne, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Vijay Babu and Indrans score the highest, while the support only seems to get only stronger. The bigger than usual attempt makes it possible to have a post-apocalyptic dystopian connection out of nowhere make it one of the best attempts to go big with some risks taken. We could have never had our own post-apocalyptic world with a past without this, as even though I have written a novel in such a world, such world-building feels outside the limits of Malayalam movie-makers. Then they create those new generation alcoholic high grossers without content, but I shall watch none of them. But here, some fine production values and background score along with that humour which comes out of nowhere and takes it out of nowhere makes an impression. The feeling of nostalgia will still continue with this world and its characters with that cult following.

The claws of flaw :: The movie’s deviation from the original ideas might hurt its purpose and the loss of two of its best characters played by Sandra Thomas and Chemban Vinod Jose had already hurt the second movie and it misses out more on humour every time. There are also too many worlds and happenings around here, and this non-linear narrative does not always seem like managed in the same manner. The time spent at establishing different worlds seem to have affected the humour’s balance at times. The franchise has always been something belonging to silly humour like Kunjiramayanam and Maranamass which never really hard a smart character; yet we remember that Adi Kapyare Koottamani could add some seriousness to the same. In comparison, in this movie which tries so much, despite trying very hard, the overcrowded feeling seems more like a setting for the next movie rather than keeping this one going forward. This might be same reason why we do feel that the movie is not reaching anywhere as the timelines go through middle part. We often keep looking forward to having better connection and a smarter arrangement of things, and it is something elder audience would feel more.

How it finishes :: We are no longer watching that usual fun-filled silly entertainer, but something more, as we see different timelines coming together to face a problem of timelines – from a light-hearted situation to universe-threatening darkness that spreads, we feel that change is too much real and with high ambitions. Now, the next movie is sure to be something grand, and we will see such spectacles in Malayalam cinema that we might not have imagined before. It is a commendable job to transform a cult comedy franchise into a huge-scale fantasy adventure having time travel, reincarnations, future post-apocalyptic world and dystopia, with the same characters living through different timelines – still, the movie maintains the quality, and we can only appreciate the same. Midhun Manuel Thomas taking the decision not to repeat the same formula and instead choosing the unexplored territory has kept this franchise alive, as it was already losing a lot of steam with Aadu 2. He has indeed tried to make this work with all his heart, and this is the kind of grand experimentation that Malayalam cinema needed, and it should keep pursuing the same while leaving that new generation nonsense behind.

Release date: 19 March 2026
Running time: 170 minutes
Directed by: Midhun Manuel Thomas
Starring: Jayasurya, Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Sunny Wayne, Dharmajan Bolgatty, Vijay Babu, Bhagath Manuel, Harikrishnan, Renji Panicker, Indrans, Bijukuttan, Sudhi Koppa, Alleya Bourne, Krishna Jeev

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✠ The Vampire Bat.

Dridam

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Vampire Owl: We have been looking for similar police investigation movies.

Vampire Bat: Malayalam surely has the best investigation thrillers.

Vampire Owl: If this was in any other language, the twist would be to mass masala.

Vampire Bat: If it was Bollywood, there would also be special item dance too.

Vampire Owl: That would be as far away from reality as possible.

Vampire Bat: Well, Bollywood and reality never really come together.

Vampire Owl: I guess that they are very much against reality.

Vampire Bat: Their audience also has that kind of a taste, it seems.

Vampire Owl: I would give away my eternity to save myself from things like Singham franchise.

Vampire Bat: It is one franchise that I would never wish to remember.

[Gets a vegetable cutlet and three cups of Yorkshire tea].

What is the movie about? :: Vijay Radhakrishnan (Shane Nigam) gets his first posting as Sub Inspector in a rural area where there are usually not many problems and DYSP Alex Jacob (Mathew Varghese) feels that it is a good place to begin due to the peaceful atmosphere and wishes him all the best. A civil police officer there, Vidya Jayachandran (Saniya Fathima) becomes immediately romantically interested in him, and the same love interest is supported by a little more senior officer Remya Surendran (Krisna Prabha), as they attempt to get into his good books and gain a marriage alliance for Vidya. Due to Vijay’s lack of experience, the senior police constables Krishnan Kurup (Shobi Thilakan) and Balan Nair (Kottayam Ramesh) are there to help and advise him. The other supporting policemen in the station are Sathyan M (Dinesh Prabhakar), Anand Manoharan (Nandan Unni) and Bibeesh A (Vinod Bose) who are locals and going through usual problems of the village. Vijay starts off well in the village well with some simple problems.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Vidya who is a karate black belt, manage to get the attention of Vijay, and the police station seems like a happy place in the beginning days. But soon, problems begin to show up. People discover a severed hand followed by the rest of the corpse which shocks the villagers who face such a situation for the first time. Then there is a robbery in the nearby finance company and a number of people have also gone missing, and they are all suspects and those who have been holding a grudge against the company for a long time. The situation does not seem to be ideal for Vijay as the media as well as the superior officers call for the change of investigation lead, as he seems to be too inexperienced and a junior by all means. It is during the same time that more dead bodies are found, while Vijay and Balan are also attacked while discovering a body in a remote area. As Vijay finds himself in further trouble every day, the locals also turn against him, there are protests to the police station. Can he solve this mystery in time or will he be suspended or transferred?

The defence of Dridam :: The movie takes on a realistic path throughout its journey despite deviating in the last few moments. The whole journey follows an interesting pattern while never really trying to overdo the procedure of investigation despite chances being always present. Until the movie nears the last few minutes one never really has a real clue about the grand plotting behind all of these, and the suspense is indeed nicely maintained and the twist works, as it is not just one turn of events related to a person or two, but is really much more. What lies beneath is more than what people usually guesses with these kinds of movies. The visuals are really good, and as we had seen in Sambhavam Adhyayam Onnu, the setting really plays a major factor here too, and if that was about how forest plays along, this is about a small town surrounded by greenery goes on with the strange situation; in both situations, one police station and its people remain more important than anything else. The cinematography and background score supports this mood despite that initial feeling that there is so much good around here.

The claws of flaw :: The beginning stages spends quite some time in establishing characters and the setting, and the mood is never brought there. The movie seems to go full action in the last few moments, and despite how realistic they try, we feel that it is an impossible flight in the end, and that there has been a little too much of freedom taken with the same. There is that certain change with comes and seemingly struggling to manage that transformation as one might feel that it is not the same movie in the beginning and the end. Sometimes in between, the audience might feel that this is just going on and on without any major clue being followed, with the thought that this investigation might reach nowhere with repetitions seemingly happening too often and without attempts to think beyond limitations. Some of the characters can also be seen not being that developed, and a few seems to be there just for the sake of being there. There are also some situations which are not that explored. Some moments seem to be there to stretch the movie, as not much is gained there.

The performers of the soul :: Dridam has Shane Nigam leading in a police role, and it is not something new to him, but this might be the one where he has to lead more, considering the overall cast. He excels in the role of a young police officer who is placed in a situation from where problem-solving is too difficult. The performance here is restrained, and as the role demands, showing no overdose in a matured performance which could make even some senior actors feel the need to play a police officer in control. The character’s simplest characteristics are brought to light really well by him, from determination to frustration and the sides of the person and professional. Shobi Thilakan’s police role here is something to be admired, as he manages a seemingly usual, but multiple layered role with ease. Krishna Prabha has a smaller, but notable role which is managed well. Nandan Unni, Dinesh Prabhakar and Kottayam Ramesh perform their parts without any complication. Bitto Davis, Prashant Murali and Mathew Varghese come up with dependable supporting performances as they seem to blend into this world really well. A special mention goes to Saniya Fathima who is a lovely surprise and contributes so well to the situation.

How it finishes :: Dridam has a rather lesser known presence in the theatres during its release, as it never really managed to catch the attention of the common audience, and I remember never really hearing about the movie when it released, unlike those other police investigations from Memories to Anjaam Pathiraa and Forensic, all of them releasing with some fine hype; even John Luther which was a surprise entry had everyone talking about it, and Abraham Ozler had nicely followed the lead. In between, there was Kooman. Unlike those other movies, this one has to depend a lot on the main actor, and Shane Nigam makes sure that a certain strength is maintained here. We can call this one a well-crafted investigative thriller that moves on as an engaging mystery with grounded performances and more of realistic portrayal of police work, with twists also added. But the slow pace and the strange changes to the journey by the end might not satisfy everyone. It required to do better in moments, and appeal to the audience more with situations to remember, but there is not that much around here as this one goes on without trying to take the risk with big variations beyond the procedure. Jio Hotstar makes sure that you give this one a try.

Release date: 8th May 2026
Running time: 128 minutes
Directed by: Martin Joseph
Starring: Shane Nigam, Saniya Fathima, Shobi Thilakan, Krishna Prabha, Nandan Unni, Dinesh Prabhakar, Kottayam Ramesh, Bitto Davis, Prashant Murali, Mathew Varghese.

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Sukhamano Sukhamann

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Vampire Owl: Are they asking if we are doing well here in this realm without all the human chaos and hatred?

Vampire Bat: Well, in the Dracula Castle, everyone can only be well.

Vampire Owl: Yes, immortality itself makes one feel better.

Vampire Bat: I see dead people walking in this movie too.

Vampire Owl: Are they real or just hallucinations?

Vampire Bat: A few things which are real to some people might be unreal to others.

Vampire Owl: Yes, just like humans do not believe that we, werewolves and witches exist.

Vampire Bat: Like we do not believe in the nonsense by most of those romantic movies.

Vampire Owl: Most of the new generation movies are clear nonsense to us.

Vampire Bat: I am actually surprised that some of them really made so much money.

[Gets a paneer patty and three cups of boba tea].

What is the movie about? :: Theo (Mathew Thomas) is a shy and lonely young man who has been living alone since the death of his father. He was mocked and isolated by his schoolmates and later by the people around him, with no real relative or friend for support. Those who knew his father tries in vain to get him settled, but his strange behaviour always comes in the way, and he ends up losing his jobs one after the other, the last one being that of a driver. Going on and on with the trauma and loneliness, he finally gets the job as an ambulance driver with Ipe (Jagadish) who is in charge of a funeral home and spends much of his time collecting and transporting the dead bodies for funerals. As he continues with this kind of a work for a long time, Theo begins to have some strange visions of the dead people, who become his unusual companions that visits his home and stays with him as new members of a family which never existed. Ipe remains a kind-hearted mentor for him too, as he seems more settled in his new job than ever, but still feels incomplete.

So, what happens with the events here as we just keep looking? :: Theo’s world gets more life with dead people such as Vallyapachan (Spadikam George) whom he first meets and finds in his house, followed by Vallyammachi (Kudassanad Kanakam), Unni Chettan (Noby Marcose), Tabalist Gopu (Akhil R C Kavalayoorand), Rapper Porottakkaran (Abin Bino) and even a Japanese lady who dies in Cochin, and these are the people who bring meaning to his life. All these people point to the fact that Theo needs a lady love in his life. It is then that he comes across the flex about the death of Charu (Devika Sanjay), and it turns out that she was never really dead, but someone who is dying, with doctors giving her a maximum of two to three months maximum to live. Meeting her in an act of death in advance with paid actors, both Theo and Ipe become good friends with her, as she had come to Australia searching for her relatives. They try to make her believe that they are her relatives as she hopes for the best final moments of her life. Can they give it to her or will she have to leave for Australia too soon?

The defence of Sukhamano Sukhamann :: The way in which the movie explores isolation, and the human need for companionship in a sweet manner with hope needs to be appreciated – it is not an easy thing to do as we cannot always have the same in control with the deviations in such a topic so easily possible. The creation of emotional bonding with the dead to live in a world of humans is an idea less tried, but with an emotional touch and never going through the darker side, this one achieves its goals rather easily. The combination of fantasy or rather magic realism with comedy running through to give a cute and comforting feeling makes this movie one real feel- good. Wherever you look, you never really find tense moments; the abiding sadness and feeling of loss would be there, but it never gets to that level when we are thrown into an abyss of hopelessness. At least that much is expected to survive in our world of chaos, hostility and hatred. We understand loss as part of life and we move on with this movie, with the understanding that the world needs us. There are moments when we fear that hope is going to be lost, but the same is not the case, and we get the brighter side.

Positives and negatives :: One can still blame the script for not fully developing into a story with heavy motivational strength, and can keep hoping for a push during some occasions. The uneven pacing does not serve the purpose at times, and there is a certain lack of attempt to elevate it to a classic magic realism or fantasy. The ending would also seem like something which arrived too quickly, that too when everyone was getting even more interested. Yet, one can notice that the lightest moments here are delivered by some of the ghostly characters who also serve as comic relief as much as they are the reminders or metaphors of a past that refuses to leave a world which has already said goodbye to them. The visuals also support the overall mood of the movie, and how it supports the progress also needs some appreciation. The emotional depth works exactly as we would want it to, never really letting the melodrama in, but we are left to ponder over the feelings. The short tun-time also works in its favour. The music and sound track provide some smooth support from behind. At least some hope in humanity gets restored with this one, and we can only be glad about it.

The performers of the soul :: Mathew Thomas successfully comes up with a natural and believable boy-next-door charm to his character, and he is once again the character we sympathize with, just like he had in Kumbalangi Nights and Thannermathan Dinangal. Despite the seemingly negative campaign against him online, one has to say that he has continued to deliver fine performances in most of his works. The emotional impact that he has managed to deliver is indeed memorable, unlike those bigger rated actors of the same age. At the same time, we see that after that classic performance on debut in which she played another dying girl in Njan Prakashan, and that charming work in Makal, Devika Sanjay has come up with another performance to remember. There is a certain quantity of happiness factor about her performance, and the positivity of the character is only balanced by her joyful screen presence. Jagadish remains solid in this movie, and extends the feel-good as much as the emotional side. Among the rest of the cast, Sphadikam George and Nobi Marcose stands taller than the rest.

How it finishes :: The movie serves as a small-scale fantasy drama that tries to tell a heartfelt story about loss, loneliness, grief and the importance of human connection in life. It scores with an unusual premise on a young man who finds companionship among dead people living with him. This feel-good with an emotional touch makes sure that those who love the gentle fantasy stories above the fast-paced commercial entertainers are not to be disappointed. The fact that the more delusional feel-good Sarvam Maya released a month or two before might have affected the total run of this movie, but this is that flick which deserved better. In the world of new generation Premalu, Avesham and Vaazha, this is the kind of movie that we need to come up with the real feel-good, something which does not glorify silly violence or alcohol, but people who wish to make the world better. Being a sincere, good-natured film which never ceases to have a kind heart and hope for the future is much needed in a universe of chaos and inherent evil. If people do not like this one enough, it is a change which might not be in the right direction – well, people did not even like Mili, which reminds us that our people rarely like divergent people who are good at heart, and instead go for the alcoholics, goons and drug addicts like most of the relationships of these times reflect.

Release date: 13 February 2026
Running time: 107 minutes
Directed by: Arun Lal Ramachandran
Starring: Mathew Thomas, Devika Sanjay, Jagadish, Sphadikam George, Kudassanad Kanakam, Nobi Marcose, Akhil Kavalayoor, Manikuttan, Jibin Gopinath, Abin Bino, Taba Reema, Gayathri Mayura, Sandhya Manoj

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@ Cemetery Watch
✠ The Vampire Bat.