Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Krishnadas Murali
Written by	Krishnadas Murali Vishnu R. Pradeep
Produced by	Lini Mariam David Anupama B. Nambiar
Starring	Saiju Kurup Suraj Venjaramoodu Jagadish Vinay Forrt Baby Jean Kalaranjini Sreeja Ravi
Cinematography	Bablu Aju
Edited by	Shafeeque V. B.
Music by	Electronic Kili
Production companies	Thomas Thiruvalla Films Saiju Kurup Entertainments
Release date	10 April 2026 (2026-04-10)
Running time	155 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam
Budget	₹5–6 crore[1]
Box office	est. ₹50 crore[2]

Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam is a 2026 Indian Malayalam-language dark comedy thriller spoof film directed by Krishnadas Murali and co-written by Murali and Vishnu R. Pradeep. A sequel to Bharathanatyam (2024), it was produced by Thomas Thiruvalla Films and Saiju Kurup Entertainments. The film stars Saiju Kurup, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Jagadish, Vinay Forrt, Baby Jean, Kalaranjini, and Sreeja Ravi.^[3] The film continues the story of Sasidharan Nair and his extended family.

It was released theatrically on 10 April 2026 as a Vishu release. It received positive reviews from critics. The film was a commercial success and emerged as the fourth highest grossing Malayalam film of 2026.^[3]

The film begins after the death of Bharatan Nair. Sasi along with his family travels to Sreekandapuram to the new house of Rukmini and Ajay. They stay for a few days and meet with their neighbours, including Subhash. They visit the local temple, and pray there, though the local people stare at Saraswati. Govindan, a friend of Bharatan Nair, as well as the uncle of Subhash, comes to meet them and reveals that the temple and the deity were created with a fake story by Bharatan Nair. Now someone has understood the truth and is threatening to go public with it, unless he is paid around Rs 1.5 crores. The local temple committee has found some of it, but are short of Rs 75 lakhs. He asks Bharatan Nair's family to pay the money or to put the complete blame on Bharatan Nair, saying since he is dead, the others can avoid jail, and gives them two days time to make a decision.

Sasi asks his mother the name of their grandmother, Bharatan Nair's mother, which she says was Mohineeshwari. Sasi goes to the temple and finds that the deity's name is Mohineeshwari Devi. He also finds plaques in the temple with his family's names, and finds that the image of the deity is created from a picture of his mother, Saraswati. Convinced now that Govindan was telling the truth, he tries to stall for time, but Govindan arrives promptly on the second day. He soon figures out that Bharatan Nair has two families and tries to go public to extort more money. To hide him, they cover him with a cloth and hold onto him, but in the process, Saraswati accidentally twists his neck, which kills him. Subash who had seen that his uncle was going to Sasi's house, is told by Sasi that his uncle never arrived, though he doesn't believe it. The family meanwhile tries to dispose off the body, but it is foiled by Subash each time. Subash, now convinced that the family is hiding something, starts to keep a closer eye on them.

To save themselves as well as handle Subash, Sasi calls a friend of his from back home, also called Subash. To avoid confusion, they call him Subash Sr and their neighbour, Subash Jr. Subash Jr starts putting out missing posters of his uncle. Subash Sr discretely follows Subash Jr and while he is busy, they hide the body in his home, much to his shock. Subash Jr later hears from his aunt (Govindan's wife) that Govindan was planning to cheat him as well by robbing him of money. The local temple committee also realize that Govindan was cheating them when the person who was threatening them asks only for a smaller amount. Subash Jr eventually goes and meets with Sasi's family and they reach a compromise.

They decide to take the help of Eapen, a local butcher holding a grudge against Govindan. They go to Subash's house, cut the body into various small bags, dispose off the clothes and slippers, and try to abandon the bags in different places; however, Arun realizes that one of his bags is missing. Meanwhile, CI Parthan, who gets the missing poster, catches Subash Jr near the river and follows him to his house. Ajay who was with Subash Jr, warns everyone and they escape Subash Jr's house just in time. Govindan's dog Simba who had left home after Govindan went missing, follows them and starts barking near Sasi's house. The CI gets doubtful and searches Sasi's house as well.

The family frantically search for the missing bag, with the doubtful CI watching over them. Arun discreetly reveals to the family that he put the contents of the missing bag inside the pressure cooker which is on the gas stove. Sasi now tells the CI that Govindan had discovered his father's two marriages and puts the complete blame on Govindan for creating the fake temple. The local committee also puts the blame on Govindan for stealing money from them. The CI comes to the conclusion that Govindan cheated everyone and escaped with the money.

A few days later, the family is performing the last rites of Bharatan Nair. After the rites, Sasi gives Gopan a bag containing around Rs 30 lakhs, needed for his new job. It is revealed that the extra amount Govindan stole from the temple committee was kept in the temple's donation box and that Sasi and Subash Jr had broken it a few days ago and split the money. He also reveals that he burnt the contents of the cooker and that ash was mixed with that of Bharatan Nair, which he just sent down the river. The film ends with the shocked faces of the family.

• Saiju Kurup as Sasidharan Nair "Sasi"
• Suraj Venjaramoodu as Govindaraja "Govindan"
• Jagadish as Eapen (butcher)
• Vinay Forrt as CI Parthan
• Baby Jean as Subhash Jr.
• Kalaranjini as Saraswathi
• Sreeja Ravi as Rukmini
• Abhiram Radhakrishnan as Subhash Sr.
• Vijay Babu as Mohandas
• Divya M. Nair as Santhi
• Sruthy Suresh as Sreelatha
• Nandu Poduval as Ashokan
• Jinil Rex as Arun Ghosh
• Jivin Rex as Ajay Ghosh
• Swathidas Prabhu as Gopakumar "Gopan"
• Balachandran Chullikkadu as Sathyan, Temple committee member
• Santosh K. Nayar as Raghu, Temple committee member
• Nisthar Sait as Baby, Temple committee member
• Sreerekha Rajagopal as Govindaraja's wife
• Salim Hassan as Adv. Henry Samuel
• Saikumar as Bharathan Nair (Photo Presence)

Following the reception of Bharathanatyam on streaming platforms after its theatrical run, a sequel titled Mohiniyattam was announced in 2025. Krishnadas Murali returned as director, while Saiju Kurup also returned as the lead actor from the first film.^[4]

The film was formally launched in November 2025 with a pooja ceremony.^[5] Reports noted that the sequel would continue from the point where the earlier film ended, with members of the original cast reprising their roles and several new actors joining the franchise.^[6]

Principal photography began in 2025 and wrapped in January 2026.^[7] Bablu Aju handled the cinematography, while the film was edited by Shafeeque VB.^[8][9]

Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam
Soundtrack album by Electronic Kili
Released	April 2026
Genre	Filmi
Label	Think Music

The film's music was composed by Electronic Kili.^[10] The first single, "Nilavoonjale", was released in March 2026. The song was written by Muthu and sung by Sublahshini.^[11]

The film was released in theatres on 10 April 2026, coinciding with the Vishu season.^[3] The film's runtime was reported as 155 minutes in theatrical listings.^[12]

The digital streaming rights of the film is acquired by Netflix and started streaming from 8 May 2026.^[13]

Critical reception was positive. Reviewing the film for The Indian Express, Anandu Suresh described it as "a worthy sequel" and praised its fresh treatment within an established franchise framework.^[14] Cinema Express called it "a bolder, funnier sequel" that moved the franchise into darker territory with a stronger ensemble.^[15] In The Hindu, the film was noted for its "rationalist bent" within its dark-comedy approach.^[16]

Manorama Online described the film as one of the stronger recent dark-comedy entertainers in Malayalam cinema, while Indian Express Malayalam highlighted its shift from the first film's family-comedy tone into a darker comic register.^[17][18]

During an interview, Saiju confirmed that there would be a sequel.^[19]

• Mohiniyattam at IMDb