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🎬 Movie Review: Unmadham (2026)
A haunting police mystery with a brilliant setup, strong performances and a divisive supernatural turn
Unmadham is a 2026 Malayalam psychological crime mystery thriller directed by Kiran Das in his directorial debut and written by Shahi Kabir. The film stars Kunchacko Boban, Lijomol Jose, Kiran Peethambaran, Sudheesh, Arun Cherukavil, Sabumon Abdusamad, Krishna Prabha and others.
The film was released theatrically on July 31, 2026 and has a runtime of approximately 2 hours 21 minutes.
At its core, Unmadham is about a police constable, Shelly, who becomes involved with an old unresolved case. As he digs deeper, strange incidents, disturbing visions and supernatural possibilities begin to blur the boundary between reality, psychology and imagination.
⭐ Quick Review Overview
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Story | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Screenplay | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Direction | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Performances | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Mystery | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Thriller | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Psychological Elements | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Supernatural Elements | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Cinematography | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Music & BGM | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Editing | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Climax | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐½ / 5 |
📖 Storyline
Shelly, played by Kunchacko Boban, is a police constable who isn’t particularly happy with his professional life.
Unlike the stereotypical policeman who dreams of solving major crimes, Shelly has another ambition:
He wants to become a screenwriter.
His mundane professional life changes when he becomes connected to an old suicide case surrounded by strange circumstances.
As Shelly investigates the case, he begins encountering disturbing incidents.
The deeper he goes, the more difficult it becomes to understand whether what he is experiencing is:
- A genuine supernatural phenomenon
- Psychological instability
- Coincidence
- Or something connected to the unresolved case
The official synopsis similarly describes a police constable reopening a long-forgotten case while trying to determine whether the events surrounding him are truly supernatural or something else.
That ambiguity is one of the film’s biggest attractions.
👥 Cast & Performances
⭐ Kunchacko Boban as Shelly
Kunchacko Boban delivers one of the film’s biggest strengths.
Shelly isn’t simply another troubled police officer.
He’s a man frustrated with his career, struggling with his personal life and dreaming about becoming a writer.
That gives the character an unusual vulnerability.
Kunchacko plays Shelly with restraint rather than excessive heroism. His nervousness, frustration, fear and psychological exhaustion gradually become increasingly visible.
The Week praised this as one of Kunchacko’s strongest performances and noted that the role allows him to show a different side compared with his previous collaborations with Shahi Kabir.
⭐ Performance: 4/5
⭐ Lijomol Jose as Soumya
Lijomol Jose is equally important to the emotional side of the film.
As Soumya, she portrays a woman trying to support her husband’s ambitions while dealing with the realities of their difficult circumstances.
Her relationship with Shelly gives the film an emotional grounding that prevents it from becoming purely a procedural mystery.
OnManorama specifically praised Lijomol’s warmth and emotional presence and highlighted the chemistry between her and Kunchacko.
⭐ Performance: 3.5/5
⭐ Sudheesh
Sudheesh adds considerable weight to the supporting cast.
His naturalistic performance fits the film’s grounded police-world setting.
⭐ Kiran Peethambaran
Kiran Peethambaran provides dependable support, contributing to the investigative atmosphere.
The supporting ensemble—including Arun Cherukavil, Sabumon Abdusamad, Krishna Prabha and others—helps make the police environment feel believable.
🎬 Direction
Kiran Das makes his feature directorial debut with Unmadham after working extensively as an editor.
That background is visible.
The film understands pace, visual rhythm and atmosphere particularly well in its early sections.
The director doesn’t immediately reveal whether the supernatural events are real.
Instead, he lets uncertainty grow.
The Week praised Das’s debut, particularly his handling of tension, unusual dream sequences and the film’s deliberately ambiguous approach.
The major problem is that the film’s ambitious setup eventually becomes difficult to resolve satisfactorily.
🔍 Mystery & Psychological Elements
This is the film’s strongest department.
An old case.
A policeman.
A strange atmosphere.
Unexplained events.
Recurring visions.
And the possibility that the protagonist’s own mind may not be reliable.
The film constantly asks:
Are we watching a supernatural story—or a psychological one?
That question remains alive for much of the film.
The screenplay also plays with the idea of storytelling itself, particularly through Shelly’s ambition to become a writer.
That meta element makes Unmadham more interesting than a conventional police investigation.
👻 Supernatural/Horror Elements
Unmadham is not a conventional horror movie.
There are:
- Strange visions
- Ghostly appearances
- Disturbing dreams
- Unexplained deaths
- Flickering lights
- Recurring imagery
- Supernatural possibilities
The film deliberately refuses to provide an immediate scientific or supernatural explanation.
The Week described it as an introspective horror film that leaves interpretation to the viewer, while OnManorama felt that the supernatural approach doesn’t completely deliver the chills promised by the setup.
This difference in interpretation explains why the film has divided audiences.
📷 Cinematography
Arjun Sethu handles the cinematography.
The visual style is appropriately dark and atmospheric.
Dimly lit police spaces, interiors, nighttime environments and unsettling compositions help establish a sense of unease.
The film doesn’t need excessive visual effects to create its mood.
The atmosphere itself does much of the work.
⭐ Cinematography: 3.5/5
🎵 Music & Background Score
Mujeeb Majeed handles the music.
The background score is one of the film’s more effective technical elements.
The score helps create tension during the investigative sections and becomes particularly important during Shelly’s disturbing experiences.
The Indian Express specifically praised Mujeeb Majeed’s music, noting that it elevates the film even when the screenplay begins to struggle.
⭐ Music/BGM: 4/5
✂️ Editing & Screenplay
The film is edited by Kiran Das and Jithin John.
The editing is generally controlled, especially during the first half.
The bigger issue isn’t really the cutting—it is the screenplay’s direction in the later portions.
The film establishes an intriguing mystery and makes the viewer expect a satisfying explanation.
But once the story enters increasingly supernatural territory, the narrative becomes more complicated.
India Today described Unmadham as an excellent starter that loses its way toward the end, while Cinema Express praised its tension-building but noted that some of the bizarre dream sequences overstay their welcome.
⚡ First Half vs Second Half
⭐ First Half — 4/5
The first half is excellent.
The police setting feels authentic.
Shelly is an interesting protagonist.
The old case is intriguing.
The strange incidents gradually increase.
Most importantly, the film doesn’t immediately tell us what is happening.
The audience is encouraged to investigate alongside Shelly.
Verdict:
🔥 Excellent mystery setup.
⭐ Second Half — 3/5
This is where opinions become divided.
The supernatural and psychological elements become increasingly prominent.
Some viewers may appreciate the ambiguity.
Others may feel that the film is moving away from the grounded police mystery they initially invested in.
The screenplay also becomes more chaotic toward the climax.
The Indian Express and India Today both criticised the latter portions, while The Week was considerably more positive about the film’s unconventional approach.
Verdict:
⚠️ Ambitious but uneven.
🧠 Critical Analysis
The most interesting layer of Unmadham is its connection between policing, writing and the human mind.
Shelly is a policeman who wants to become a writer.
That isn’t just a character detail.
It becomes part of the film’s larger discussion about how stories are created and how reality can be interpreted.
The film even incorporates a discussion about Manichitrathazhu and the choice between psychological/scientific explanations and supernatural explanations. The Hollywood Reporter noted that this scene effectively foreshadows the film’s own approach.
That’s a clever structural decision.
The film is essentially asking the audience to make the same choice:
Do you believe what you’re seeing—or do you search for another explanation?
❤️ Shelly & Soumya
The marriage between Shelly and Soumya is an underrated part of the movie.
Soumya is frustrated with their circumstances, while Shelly is distracted by his dream of becoming a writer.
Their relationship feels more grounded than the supernatural portions of the story.
Lijomol Jose’s performance helps provide warmth whenever the movie becomes too dark.
Their dynamic also gives Shelly something to lose beyond the mystery itself.
🔥 What Works
✅ Kunchacko Boban’s restrained performance
✅ Excellent first-half mystery
✅ Strong police-world atmosphere
✅ Interesting supernatural ambiguity
✅ Lijomol Jose’s emotional performance
✅ Mujeeb Majeed’s effective BGM
✅ Atmospheric cinematography
✅ Strong directorial debut from Kiran Das
✅ Meta connection between police work and screenwriting
✅ Doesn’t explain everything immediately
✅ Leaves room for interpretation
❌ What Doesn’t Work
❌ Second half becomes chaotic
❌ Some supernatural sequences feel prolonged
❌ Final resolution may disappoint viewers expecting a straightforward explanation
❌ Some logical leaps
❌ The central mystery isn’t as satisfying as its setup suggests
❌ Emotional potential could have been explored further
❌ The film occasionally becomes too ambiguous
🎯 Final Verdict — Is Unmadham Worth Watching?
Yes—especially if you enjoy unconventional psychological mysteries.
Unmadham is not a straightforward police investigation.
It begins like one, gradually becomes a psychological thriller and then moves into supernatural territory.
That genre shift will either be the film’s biggest strength or its biggest weakness, depending on what kind of thriller you prefer.
The first half is genuinely compelling, Kunchacko Boban delivers an excellent performance, Lijomol Jose provides emotional grounding, and the technical team creates an appropriately unsettling atmosphere.
But the second half doesn’t completely live up to the promise of the opening.
The critical response reflects this divide: The Week gave it 4.5/5 and praised its ambition, while The Indian Express gave it 3/5 and felt the screenplay struggled to sustain its ideas; Times of India rated it 3.5/5.
⭐ Final Rating: 3.5/5
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐½☆
A fascinating and atmospheric police mystery that gradually transforms into a psychological-supernatural mind game. Kunchacko Boban and Lijomol Jose are excellent, the first half is gripping, and the filmmaking is confident—but the second half’s chaotic supernatural resolution prevents Unmadham from becoming a truly exceptional thriller.
📺 OTT
Unmadham is scheduled for its digital premiere on SonyLIV on September 4, 2026.
Best reason to watch: 🕵️ The mystery + Kunchacko Boban’s performance
Biggest drawback: 🔀 Uneven second half
Best suited for: Viewers who enjoy slow-burn Malayalam crime mysteries with psychological and supernatural elements.
