Janani K

Actor Vikram Prabhu’s choice of scripts has been impressive in the recent past. His upcoming venture, Sirai, marks his second collaboration with writer Tamizh (also an actor) after their critically acclaimed Taanakkaran. Sirai, like Taanakkaran, casts Vikram Prabhu’s protagonist as a police officer, but from the district armed reserve wing.

Mohanlal has had a phenomenal 2025 with three consecutive hits. He started the year strong with L2: Empuraan, followed it up with a delicious crime thriller, Thudarum and struck a hat-trick with the heartwarming Hridayapoorvam. Vrusshabha is his fourth film as a hero (barring cameos in Kannappa and Bha Bha Ba). Did the film succeed in impressing the audience? Let’s find out!

Sarvam Maya translates to “everything is an illusion,” and it is perhaps the perfect title for this Nivin Pauly-starrer that blends horror, comedy and fantasy. Releasing on Christmas, the film is an antidote to all the extra-violent, hyper-masculine films that rely on over-the-top theatrics. But, Sarvam Maya leaves you laughing out loud despite tackling sensitive topics like faith, belief and grief.

Nivin Pauly delivered the only and greatest comeback of the week. A character in the film calls him the Comeback King and by the end of the show, you realise why. Pharma, being his foray into the OTT space, brought back memories of the films that the actor nailed in the past. While the past few years have seen fewer films and fewer hits, it feels like a huge relief to see him having so much control over his craft in PR Arun’s Pharma. The eight-episode series, streaming on JioHotstar, is a delightful thriller, though with minor shortcomings.

Bha Bha Ba, short for Bhayam, Bhakthi, Bahumanam (fear, devotion, respect), is billed as Dileep’s “great comeback” that he has been waiting for. From the trailer to the film’s promotional materials, the film is regarded as the actor’s biggest return to comedy, a genre that originally defined his career. With Mohanlal playing a cameo, will Bha Bha Ba help Dileep deliver the “comeback” that he’s hoping for? Keep reading to know what we feel.

That Mammootty is playing his darkest role yet is something that’s known to everyone who has watched Kalamkaval’s promos. With his amazing track record of pulling off diverse roles with different levels of complexity, what does Mammootty have up his sleeve this time to blow our minds? Sharing the screen with him is another beast of an actor, Vinayakan. Has Jithin K Jose’s Kalamkaval lived up to expectations and imagination? Let’s find out!

The initial frames of Stephen feature a young boy looking up at a giant wheel in awe. Soon, he begins hearing voices of his mother and father asking him to join them on the ride. And when he gets on the giant wheel, it spins. Watching director Mithun Balaji’s two-hour-long Stephen, you understand that the wheel never stops once it begins spinning. Stephen Jebaraj (Gomathi Shankar) confesses to the serial killing of nine women in six months. He surrenders to the police matter-of-factly. Michael (Michael Thangadurai) is entrusted with the job of finding the motive behind the murders. Helping him in evaluating Stephen is psychiatrist Seema (Smruthi Venkat), who, through her conversations with him, uncovers the truth behind the murders.

When the spunky Angammal (a brilliant Geetha Kailasam) rides her moped and delivers milk, there’s a spark in her eyes. The spark tells you that she’s leading life by her own rules. But when she’s forced to make certain lifestyle changes after her second son Pavalam (Saran) pushes her to, you see the vitality fading. It shows you how little things that made Angammal the fierce matriarch that she is are not acceptable to the generation that comes after hers. It shows how Angammal, the independent woman, is denied the choice. The choice that made her a flawed, foul-mouthed woman with her own ideals.