Athiradi story: The action-comedy drama Athiradi marks the directorial debut of Minnal Murali co-writer Arun Anirudhan. It follows the intersecting stories of two characters with very different personalities. In this film, Basil Joseph plays the role of Samkutty, an aimless engineering student who is hell-bent on resurrecting his college's famed "Arohan" festival, which had been put on indefinite hiatus after a devastating stampede involving his elder brother. Kuttan, played by Tovino Thomas, is a former local goon who, in parallel with Sam's campus mission, forms a musical troupe for a temple festival to atone for his sins and start over. The story celebrates youth, second chances, and the enduring power of friendship as Sam's ambitious mission to restore his college's honour clashes with Kuttan's individual ambitions, leading to a lively, tumultuous, and amusing conflict between egos and ambitions.
Athiradi review: Over the past few weeks, the internet has been flooded with videos of Basil Joseph cracking up, and his infectious laughter became the talk of the town in no time. Well, that was sufficient to generate excitement for Athiradi in one way or another. But the main reason for the film to become exciting was the reunion of the beloved duo – Tovino Thomas and Basil Joseph. Their track record as a director-actor duo, including Godha and Minnal Murali, has been incredible. They also shared screen space in several films, with the latest being Ajayante Randam Moshanam (ARM) and Dear Friend, to name a few. So, of course, the expectations are at their peak, but was it worth it?
Malayalam films do best in what I call the 'clash of testosterones'! Be it Ayyappanum Koshiyum, Driving Licence, Kaduva, Thallumaala, Ponman, and so on and on. Athiradi falls into the same category, but, unfortunately, the purpose of the ego defeats it from the get-go. Yes, it only needs a small misunderstanding, but here, it's only created to push the straightforward narrative that needs a high.
Basil Joseph in Athiradi
The film begins in 2018 when the college festival of Arohan at BCET College turns into a massive tragedy, leading to deaths. This incident leads to the college authority making a decision to discontinue the fest altogether. Then enters Samkutty, aka Samboy (Joseph), who, despite being seemingly directionless, has one aim – to resurrect fun in the college. Yes, there is a backstory: the fest encountered a tragedy earlier because of his brother's (Vishnu Agasthya) batch. Sam wants to bring back that smile on his brother's face and will go to any lengths to make the fest happen in the college after nearly five years.
His plan to even study civil engineering stems from the fact that he loves the process of how cement is made. The film provides detailed insights into the lead character's journey, portraying it as a coming-of-age story driven by his determination to succeed. Arun Anirudhan and Paulson Skaria present a script that is all vibrant and has several meme-worthy things that will leave you in splits in no time.
The film depicts Sam's struggle to achieve his goals, demonstrating that he remains unstoppable even in his final year. Eventually, Arohan gets a green signal, and everything happens beyond the expectations of the college. So, how does the story get into a conflict? This is the point where the film actually begins, but it also starts to weaken.
With the entry of Tovino Thomas as Sreekuttan Vellayani, a goon-turned-singer, you expect that the fun is just about to begin and the unfolding is totally popcorn-worthy. However, their conflict, which escalates in no time, is filled with emptiness that you might laugh at, but you probably won't cheer for any of the parties in this fight.
'Athiradi' can be declared a Basil Joseph film out-and-out, and the rest of the cast are just catalysts to make this aimless man succeed. However, when Thomas is cast opposite him, one would expect fireworks. Yes, it keeps on bursting, but rarely is it a thumping clash of titans. This is the same issue that I had with Patriot, where you bring in Mohanlal in an out-and-out Mammootty film but fail to make it worthy enough to enjoy.
Amid the ego clash, there's a tug-of-war, and Vineeth Sreenivasan, who plays a fictionalised version of himself, gets stuck between them. And to add it, there's Shaan Rahman, who comes as a tagalong in the story. To be honest, I found their track more enjoyable and making more sense in how it weaves into the story.
Tovino Thomas in Athiradi
Athiradi is totally hilarious and will leave you in splits. The film goes totally in with the Gen-Z lingo, like "red flag", where Joseph behaves like a millennial and thinks it's some sort of political message. Yes, you see these jokes coming and might laugh too. However, the film sharply focuses on this generation while maintaining a millennial perspective, and this combination does not feel fresh at all.
To make it more meta, we have cameos by social media stars like Joby PU Wayanad and Hashir, as well as Devan, who comes out of the blue and vanishes in thin air in no time. The film relies so much on making it feel like relatable content that it's a series of gag reels and doesn't have an end to it.
If something that makes this film technically sound is the editing by Chaman Chakko, there are no surprises there. The transitions evoke a similar vibe, reminiscent of the much-discussed Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. The blend of traditional and mass music with a clash between the giant figurines of a mythological character and a robot made it so meta and meaty at the same time.
Athiradi is too much fun until it decides to overstay its welcome. The two hours and 37 minutes long runtime feels stretched, because even with ego clashes and emotional depth, the film gets lost in translation on where the weightage should be given more.
Coming to performances, Basil Joseph is just having a terrific run, and the actor balances being comical and getting teary with a heart. There's never a dull moment when it comes to him, but the script takes more out of him than needed. On the other hand, Tovino Thomas feels extremely underused, where his character's foundation is only cracked to begin with. He is not a villain nor an anti-hero, but giving his character a purpose gets defeated as the story progresses.
Meanwhile, coming to female characters, it's surprising to see that Riya Shibhu, who had a breakthrough in 2025 with Sarvam Maya, is totally wasted. Most of what we get to see from her are reaction shots. Another shocker is Zarin Shihab, who is an actor making a terrific mark just by being a wife in this film, which is not something digestible after standing out in Patriot.
Athiradi makes it all about Joseph, and there's nothing wrong with that, but the film makes it messy by adding "vibes."
Athiradi review: Athiradi is a vibrant, technically slick comedy that rests entirely on Basil Joseph's infectious energy and comedic timing. While the meta-humour and Gen-Z lingo provide consistent laughs, the film falters by underutilising Tovino Thomas and stretching a thin ego-clash across an excessive runtime.
