Athiradi (2026): Samkutty Enters With lands hard though the screenplay stays patchy
The gates of BCET College swing open for Samkutty, and within minutes we know why he is here. He wants to revive Arohan, the festival that a deadly stampede once killed, and the campus still wears that scar. Tovino Thomas walks in with the swagger of a man who has already decided the rules don’t apply to him.
That opening stretch is brisk, confident, and sets a dangerous premise: celebration as an act of defiance. The risk is baked into the setup, and for a while, the film enjoys the tension of that gamble.
Tovino Thomas Anchors the Chaos With Barely a Sweat
Thomas is the engine here, and he knows it. As Samkutty, he drives the tempo of every crowd sequence, every standoff, every moment where the film threatens to fly off its hinges. His physicality sells the mass moments, but it is his ease with the comic beats that keeps the character human rather than heroic.
Watch him in the festival-crowd sequence, the one critics keep pointing to, where performance energy and visual movement collide. He is not just acting; he is conducting. The film leans on him hard, and he rarely lets it fall.
That said, the role itself is not a stretch. Samkutty is a familiar archetype – the charming instigator who rallies the youth – and Thomas plays him with practiced polish rather than fresh discovery.
Direction and Screenplay: Energy Over Architecture
Arun Anirudhan, co-writing with Paulson Skaria, understands momentum better than structure. The first half moves with brisk purpose, setting up campus politics and the festival’s forbidden allure without dragging its feet. The humor lands because the ensemble sells it, not because the writing is particularly sharp.
The flaw is density. The film stuffs itself with subplots, rivalries, and crowd reactions until the narrative spine bends under the weight. Later portions feel cluttered, and clarity suffers as the vibe takes over.
It is an imperfect screenplay, and the film knows it. The self-aware tone saves it from collapsing, but it cannot hide the fact that spectacle is doing the heavy lifting that dialogue should have handled.
Genre Execution: Action-Comedy as a Crowd Sport
The festival revival sequences are where this film lives or dies, and they mostly live. Anirudhan uses campus space like a battlefield, converting celebration into conflict with a visual language that feels expansive and deliberately chaotic. The crowd-chaos sections show genuine craft in staging bodies in motion, bodies that push and shove and celebrate until the line between fun and violence blurs.
The action-comedy balance tilts heavily toward spectacle. Humor here is ensemble-driven, built on the chaos of too many people in one frame rather than on tightly constructed setups and punchlines. It works as a mass entertainer because the tone is consistently self-aware, but the craft tension is obvious: the film chooses vibe over story every single time.
When the festival turns into rivalry, the shift feels organic, but the resolution is less convincing. The climax leans on the same crowd energy that powered the highs, yet the emotional payoff is thinner than the spectacle that precedes it.
Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan: The Atmosphere Providers
Basil Joseph, who also produces, is not a side presence here; he is part of the film’s central current. His comic timing gives the ensemble its rhythm, and his scenes with Thomas carry a natural rapport that feels lived-in rather than performed.
Vineeth Sreenivasan brings a different register, more grounded, slightly wry. He is the calm to Thomas’s storm, and the contrast helps the film breathe between set-pieces.
Riya Shibu and Zarin Shihab round out the cast, though the research offers little on their specific moments. Their presence signals the film’s intent to balance the male-dominated energy with female perspectives, even if the screenplay does not fully commit to them.
The Verdict: Imperfect, Loud, and Surprisingly Watchable
The Week gave this a 3.5, and that feels about right for a film that knows exactly what it is. “Athiradi clicks as a fun, self-aware entertainer packed with festive energy, ” one review noted, and that captures the appeal better than any plot summary could.
Koimoi reported an opening day of 6.07 crore India net and 7.16 crore worldwide, with a first-week total of 28.15 crore against a 30 crore budget. The film crossed 50 crore worldwide within its first week-plus, earning a “Hit” verdict from trade sources. The numbers tell the story the screenplay could not: this is a crowd picture, and the crowd showed up.
The criticism is fair too. “Basil Joseph, Tovino Thomas, and Vineeth Sreenivasan bring a festive atmosphere to an entertainer that occasionally feels overstuffed, ” one review said, and that overstuffed quality is the film’s defining flaw. Substance takes a back seat to vibe, and viewers looking for a tightly written drama will leave frustrated. I found myself wishing the screenplay trusted its premise more and its spectacle less.
For those who want a loud, energetic campus entertainer with a star performance at its center, this delivers. For those who need narrative coherence, this will test your patience.
Watch it in a regular theatrical format, preferably with a crowd that feeds on the same energy the film projects. It is a film designed for collective viewing, not solitary reflection.
See it for the festival sequences and the Tovino show, but go in knowing the story is the weakest performer on stage.
More Malayalam action comedies worth your time are a click away.
Athiradi is a 3/5 experience – a festive blast that burns bright but never quite catches fire as a story.
Compare this with the measured tension of Drishyam 3 review.
And if you want a debut that arrives with intent, Gudgudi verdict announces itself differently.
Ankit Jaiswal is the Chief Author, covering Indian cinema and OTT releases with honest, no-filler criticism. An SEO strategist by background, he brings a research-driven approach to film writing, cutting through hype to tell you exactly what's worth your time.
