Nearly two years after its theatrical release, Cup, the sports drama directed by Sanju V Samuel, set against the backdrop of competitive badminton, is set for its OTT release. The Malayalam original film, which stars Mathew Thomas, Basil Joseph, Guru Somasundaram and Riya Shibu, among others, will soon be available on Manorama Max, announced the streamer. Incidentally, a Tamil-dubbed version of the film has been available on YouTube for a while.
Released in September 2024, Cup explored ambition, mentorship and pressures faced by young athletes. Mathew played the lead, as Nidhin Babu, fondly called Kannan, a young badminton player from a small town in Kerala, who aspires to play in the big league. But he’s faced with academic pressure, family expectations and emotional challenges.
When the film released, it did not click at the box office and was criticised for its bland and dated narrative. For a sports drama, Cup lacked dramatic turns, it was said. The film, written by Sanju, along with Akhilesh Latharaj and Denson Durom, features music by Shaan Rahman. The supporting cast also includes Thushara Pillai, Anikha Surendran, Mrinalini Susan George, Karthik Vishnu, Jude Anthony Joseph and Namitha Pramod.
The announcement of Cup heading to ManoramaMax comes at a time when two of its main cast, Basil Joseph and Riya Shibu are counting down to their next release, Athiradi, which hits theatres on May 14, 2026.
