Not to be confused with Athiradi (2015 film).
Athiradi
Directed by Arun Anirudhan
Written by Arun Anirudhan
Paulson Skaria
Produced by Basil Joseph
Ananthu S.
Starring Tovino Thomas
Basil Joseph
Vineeth Sreenivasan
Riya Shibu
Cinematography Samuel Henry
Edited by Chaman Chacko
Music by Vishnu Vijay
Production
companies
Basil Joseph Entertainment
Dr. Ananthu Entertainments
Release date
  • 14 May 2026 (2026-05-14)
Running time
157 minutes
Country India
Language Malayalam
Budget ₹30 crore[1]
Box office est. ₹44 crore[1]

Athiradi is a 2026 Indian Malayalam language action comedy film written and directed by Arun Anirudhan and produced by Basil Joseph and Ananthu S. The film features Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Riya Shibu.[2][3]

Plot

Samkutty, an energetic civil engineering student who is on a mission to revive his college's legendary "Arohan" fest which was banned by the management due to a stampede incident a few years back. His plans are thrown into chaos when the event's chief guest Vineeth Sreenivasan and also unexpected guest Shaan Rahman is kidnapped by Sreekuttan Vellayani "Thotta Kuttan", a notorious goon "turned" musician.

Cast

  • Tovino Thomas as Sreekuttan "Kuttan" Vellayani / "Thotta Kuttan"
  • Basil Joseph as Samkutty "Sam Boy" Oommen
  • Riya Shibu as Swathy R. Krishna
  • Vineeth Sreenivasan as himself
  • Zarin Shihab as Kuttan's wife
  • Shaan Rahman as himself
  • Vishnu Agasthya as Joseph "Joppan" Oommen, Samkutty's brother
  • P. Sukumar as Oommen "Chachan", Samkutty's and Joseph's father
  • Shelvin James as Prashanth "Parashu", Samkutty's friend
  • Arsha Jayaram as RJ Elizabeth
  • Shersha Sherief as Vivi "Alpha Male"
  • Tiss Thomas as Bosco, Samkutty's friend and his junior
  • Jeo Baby as SI Manichan
  • Vineeth Thattil David as Fr. Paul Markose, Bursar of BCET College
  • Reena Indrayani as Vivi's mother
  • Niyas Backer
  • Shivam Gupta as Ozrin, Samkutty's friend
  • Hariharan as Charlie, Samkutty's friend
  • Suryanarayanan
  • Yadhukrishnan
  • Ganga Meera as Dr. Lovely Mathew, Principal of BCET College
  • Rini .K. Rajan
  • Nirupama Thomas
  • Divya AB as Tanvi
  • Abin John
  • Rajkumar R
  • Aravind SK as Shambhu, Joppan's colleague
  • Aromal Devaraj
  • Athul Singh as Vivi's friend
  • Kannan Nayar as CPO Saji
  • Santhivila Dinesh as Sanal Kumar
  • Mahesh Kunjumon as Varkala Sudheesh
  • Annmiya Antony as Kuttan's daughter
  • Sivadas Kannur
  • Nithin Parameswar
  • Kiran Peethambaran as Merin's Father
  • Aswathy Chandra Kishor
  • Manoj Guinness as Master Agnivesh's father

Cameo Appearances

  • Benjamin P. Joby as Master Agnivesh
  • Devan as himself
  • Darshana Rajendran as Merin, Joppan's love interest
  • Hashir H as Dennis "Dennichan"

Music

Athiradi
Soundtrack album by
Vishnu Vijay
Released 14 May 2026
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 4:55
Language Malayalam
Label Saregama
Vishnu Vijay chronology
Lovely
(2025)		 Athiradi
(2026)		 Bethlehem Kudumba Unit
(2026)

The music and background scores of the movie was composed by Vishnu Vijay. The first single of the movie, "IFYKYK", was released on 28 April 2026.[4] The second single, "Patti Show" was released on 4 May 2026.[5]

Track listing
No. Title Lyrics Singer(s) Length
1. "IYKYK" Suhail Koya Fejo, Poornima Kannan 2:23
2. "Patti Show" Suhail Koya, Arivu Dabzee, Arivu, Suhail Koya 2:32
3. "Mic Check" Suhail Koya Suhail Koya 2:03
Total length: 6:08

Release

The film had a Paid Premiere on 13 May, a day before its release.[6][7] The film was released on theatres on 14 May 2026.[8]

Certification

The film received U certification from CBFC[9]

Home media

The film’s digital rights have been acquired by SonyLIV. The film is set to stream soon.

Reception

The movie received mixed to positive responses from the critics. Anjana George of The Times of India gave 4 on 5 rating for the movie and wrote that, despite its familiar setup, Athiradi turns out to be one of the most enjoyable entertainers in recent time - a colourful, laughter filled celebration of youth, friendship dreams and second chances.[10] Maruti Acharya of India Today rates 3.5 on 5 for the movie and wrote that, Athiradi is messy in parts and stretched in others, but it never feels dishonest. The friendships work, the humour lands more often than not, and the emotional core involving the brothers gives the film its heart.[11]

Nainu Oommen of The Hindu opined that, the movie is a fun watch, which does not take itself too seriously. The film that recreates the vibes of a loud, energetic college fete, consistently makes you laugh, if you catch the references.[12] Vignesh Madhu of The New Indian Express wrote that Athiradi is one of those films that does not warrant a lot of digging, but just vibing along.[13] Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 2 on 5-star rating for the movie and wrote that, this action comedy is weighed down by a hollow narrative, forced Gen-Z stereotypes, a meme-heavy script, and contrast between its ambitious setup and lack of emotional depth.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "Box Office Report: 'Athiradi' takes big drop on first Monday after securing strong four-day opening weekend gross as 'Drishyam 3' release nears". The Week. May 20, 2026. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  2. ^ ലേഖകൻ, മാധ്യമം. "അതിരടിയിൽ ടൊവിനോ ബേസിലിന്‍റെ വില്ലൻ; ട്രെയിലർ പുറത്ത്". Madhyamam (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  3. ^ ഡെസ്ക്, സമകാലിക മലയാളം (2026-05-10). "അടി, ആവേശം, ആഘോഷം; ബേസിൽ- ടൊവിനോ ചിത്രം 'അതിരടി' ആദ്യ ദിനം എത്ര നേടി ?". Samakalika Malayalam - The New Indian Express (in Malayalam). Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  4. ^ "'ഡെലൂലു'വിനെ ഇംപ്രസ് ചെയ്യിക്കാൻ ബേസിൽ, ഇത് ദിലീപ് സ്റ്റൈൽ അല്ലേയെന്ന് ആരാധകർ; 'അതിരടി' ആദ്യഗാനമെത്തി". Manorama Online. 29 April 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  5. ^ "സ്‌റ്റൈലിഷ് 'പട്ടി ഷോ'; 'അതിരടി'യിലെ പുതിയ ഗാനമെത്തി; ചിത്രം മേയ് 14-ന്". Mathrubhumi News. 5 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  6. ^ Cinema Express Desk (2026-05-06). "Tovino Thomas, Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan's Athiradi to have special paid premiere screenings before release". Cinema Express. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  7. ^ "Athiradi paid premieres from May 13: Release date, plot, cast and all about Tovino Thomas-Basil Joseph film". MSN. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  8. ^ "Athiradi and Karuppu set for box office showdown on May 14". MSN. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  9. ^ "Basil Joseph, Tovino Thomas's 'Athiradi' cleared for release with U certificate?". thehawk.in. Retrieved 2026-05-15.
  10. ^ "Athiradi Movie Review: Basil and Tovino turn Athiradi into a fun riot". The Times of India. 13 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  11. ^ "Athiradi review: Basil and Tovino's film is imperfect, but full of heart and humour". India Today. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  12. ^ "Athiradi' movie review: An enjoyable action comedy despite its heavy reliance on meta references". The Hindu. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  13. ^ "Athiradi Movie Review: Tovino powers this chaotic crowdpleaser". The New Indian Express. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
  14. ^ "Athiradi movie review: Basil Joseph and Tovino Thomas' film seems like a millennial's take on Gen Z". The Indian Express. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.