Athiradi, the Basil Joseph and Tovino Thomas film, opened with paid premiere shows on the evening of May 13. The initial set of reviews were overwhelmingly positive, but then netizens pointed out that they originated from handles that had been featured on the film’s credits as PR collaborators. Once those overtly positive comments were eliminated, what emerged, though, was a picture of a very divided audience.
Director Balu Anand’s campus comedy is, by and large, being described as an average watch, that worked for some but didn’t for many others. Basil was the wrong choice for the character, said many, with Sarvam Maya fame Riya Shibu dubbed cringe. Tovino’s antagonist, though, fared better, with several netizens opining that his entry lifted the film and saved it from a complete crash and burn.
Basil Joseph in Athiradi
Comments ranged from, “A lot of fun moments, but the emotional track didn’t work out”, to “Basil was okay, but Tovino was great”, “No brain fun entertainer”, “Went expecting action movie like Thallumala, but ended up watching a comedy entertainer”, “Flat movie; Vineeth Sreenivasan’s cameo saved it”, “Athiradi is for GenZ and maybe even Gen Alpha”, “As someone who is born after 2000, im not liking the representation malayalam cinema is giving us. I feel like these people scroll through instagram a bit and be like ‘this is it’,” among others.
Interestingly, Riya Shibu’s acting is being described as cringe, pretentious and unbearable. Netizens remain divided whether Basil was the right fit or not as a college student, but are more or less in unison about Tovino, Vineeth and Shaan being the saving grace of the second half.
Athiradi released in theatres on May 14, 2026
