Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, one of two films that released for Onam 2026 and emerged the undisputed winner in this contest, is now on OTT. The film, by Premalu maker Girish AD, starring Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju in the lead, has dropped on JioHotstar, a little over 40 days since its theatrical release. The Malayalam original film is available to stream with audio options in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi as well.
Girish’s film holds the distinction of being the highest grossing Malayalam film ever, displacing 2025’s hit, Lokah Chapter 1 in the process. The film had won appreciation not only from its target Malayali audience, but from other sections across the country. A simple age-gap rom-com, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit was dubbed a feel-good entertainer, with barely any criticism coming its way. Of course, there were the stray voices calling it an overhyped film, so it would be interesting to see what the OTT audience makes of it.
According to tracking site sacnilk.com, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit raked in a worldwide gross collection of Rs 330 crore, most of which came from the Malayalam original version, even though the film had dubbed releases in Tamil and Telugu. The film outdid Lokah Chapter 1 by around 26 crore, making it only the second to break into the Rs 300 cr club.
Nivin’s first collaboration with Girish AD, the film saw the director collaborate with Mamitha yet again after the hit Premalu. The film revolves around Nivin’s character Justin’s relationship with the much younger Ashley (Mamitha). The film also stars Sangeeth Prathap, Roshan Navas, Suresh Krishna, Vinay Forrt, Shyam Mohan, Srinda, among others. Ajmal Sabu is credited with cinematography while Vishnu Vijay scored the music.
