Aadu 3: One Last Ride Part 1, the first of a two-part franchise ending series of films, written and directed by Midhun Manuel Thomas hit theatres on March 19, 2026, in time for Eid. The film, starring Jayasurya, Saiju Kurup, Vinayakan, Renji Panikker, Vijay Babu, Sunny Wayne, among others, received rather middling reviews, but had a decent run at the box office.
Closer to the film’s theatrical release, it had been reported that the OTT rights had been sold and that Zee5 had picked it up. The streamer has now announced a date as well, so here’s when you can expect Shaji Pappan and gang on your screens.
On April 22, Zee5 announced that Aadu 3: One Last Ride Part 1 will begin streaming on the platform from May 1, 2026. The film, which also stars Dharmajan Bolgatty, Bhagath Manuel, Indrans, Bijukuttan, Suddhi Koppa, Harikrishnan, Alleya Bourne and Krishna Jeev, is the third in the Aadu series and comes almost a decade after the last, Aadu 2.
| Title | Aadu 3 |
|---|---|
| Director | Midhun Manuel Thomas |
| Cast | Jayasurya, Vinayakan, Saiju Kurup |
| Streaming platform | Zee5 |
| Streaming date | May 1, 2026 |
This time around, the film is set across three timelines – one in the future, another in present day, and a third in the early 18th century. The third part gets a much bigger canvas, but according to reports, the end product did not benefit much from this improvement in scale. With this instalment, Midhun failed to strike a balance between the comedy expected of the franchise and the more serious bits in the narrative.
Meanwhile, Aadu 3 Part 2 does not have timeline set in terms of production and release. Midhun has been quoted as saying that the script for the final chapter is ready and that it will conclude the story once and for all. Aadu 3 will be available with Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada audio as well, besides the Malayalam original.
