🎬 Movie Review: Ananthan Kaadu (2026)
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A gritty political action thriller that gets lost in its own ambitious screenplay
Ananthan Kaadu is a Tamil-Malayalam bilingual action-political thriller directed by Jiyen Krishnakumar and written by Murali Gopy. It stars Arya as Vetri, alongside Indrans, Nikhila Vimal, Regina Cassandra, Vijayaraghavan, Sunil, Dev Mohan and others. The film was released theatrically on June 25, 2026, with a runtime of roughly 2 hours 36–37 minutes and an A certificate. (IMDb)
The film has an interesting combination of Sri Lankan Tamil displacement, Kerala politics, gang violence, revenge and survival, but its biggest weakness is that it tries to handle too many ideas at once. (India Today)
⭐ Quick Review Overview
| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Story | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Screenplay | ⭐⭐½ |
| Direction | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Performances | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Action | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Cinematography | ⭐⭐⭐½ |
| Music & BGM | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Editing | ⭐⭐½ |
| Emotional Impact | ⭐⭐½ |
| Overall | ⭐⭐⭐ / 5 |
📖 Storyline
The story moves between the late 1980s/1990s and later periods, connecting the political and social turmoil of Sri Lanka with the lives of people in Thiruvananthapuram. Arya plays Vetri, a Sri Lankan Tamil who escapes the violence of war and eventually finds a place among a group led by Krishnan Kutty, played by Indrans. (India Today)
Krishnan Kutty and his associates survive through violent activities while also maintaining a connection with music. Their lives become increasingly intertwined with Kerala’s political power structures.
A final assignment brings the group into direct conflict with powerful political interests, leading to betrayal, revenge, violence and survival.
The basic premise is genuinely promising.
The problem is that the screenplay keeps adding more layers—politics, war, revenge, relationships, crime, ideology and personal backstories—until the central emotional journey becomes difficult to follow.
👥 Cast & Performances
⭐ Arya as Vetri
Arya is one of the film’s major strengths.
Vetri isn’t written with a particularly distinctive personality, but Arya gives the character physical intensity and emotional seriousness. His action portions are convincing, while his quieter scenes show the character’s trauma and displacement.
The film could have given him more emotional depth, but Arya carries the central character effectively. Reviews also singled out his action and emotional performance as one of the film’s positives. (India Today)
⭐ Indrans as Krishnan Kutty
Indrans is arguably the standout performer.
Krishnan Kutty is more layered than many of the surrounding characters, and Indrans brings considerable maturity to the role.
His serious performance is particularly effective because audiences are accustomed to seeing him in lighter roles. Several reviews specifically praised his performance. (@theweek)
⭐ Nikhila Vimal as Deepa
Nikhila Vimal provides an important emotional component to the story. She performs sincerely, but the screenplay doesn’t give her character enough development.
Her role ultimately feels smaller than what the premise initially promises.
⭐ Regina Cassandra as Priyamvadha
Regina Cassandra is another strong addition to the ensemble.
She handles her character with restraint, but like several other actors, she is limited by the crowded screenplay.
⭐ Vijayaraghavan as K.K. Menon
Vijayaraghavan is suitably authoritative as the political power figure.
He brings the required menace and political weight to the role, although the character follows familiar political-thriller territory.
⭐ Murali Gopy
Murali Gopy is responsible for both the screenplay and an important acting role.
His writing demonstrates ambition, but the same ambition becomes the film’s biggest problem: there are simply too many narrative threads competing for attention.
🎬 Direction
Jiyen Krishnakumar clearly aims for a large-scale political action drama rather than a straightforward revenge movie.
The opening portions are particularly effective. The film establishes the atmosphere of violence, displacement and political instability with confidence.
The director also handles the action reasonably well.
However, once the narrative becomes increasingly political and revenge-driven, the momentum starts dropping.
The Week described the film as visually impressive initially but increasingly predictable and exhausting later, while India Today felt the numerous subplots prevented the story from becoming cohesive. (@theweek)
📷 Cinematography
S. Yuva’s cinematography is one of the film’s technical strengths.
The film creates a dark, gritty period atmosphere and gives the political/action world an appropriately harsh appearance.
The locations, night sequences and action staging contribute considerably to the film’s scale.
The visual presentation makes Ananthan Kaadu feel bigger than a conventional revenge drama.
🎵 Music & Background Score
Music is composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, with Rohit V.S. Variyath handling editing. (IMDb)
The background score gives the action sequences energy and helps create the film’s tense atmosphere.
However, one criticism that appears in reviews is that the score can become too loud, particularly when the screenplay itself is already trying hard to create dramatic impact. (India Today)
💥 Action
This is definitely one of the film’s better departments.
The action is:
- Brutal
- Physical
- Violent
- Well staged
- Suitable for the A-rated tone
The film doesn’t shy away from showing the consequences of violence.
However, the problem is overuse.
As the film progresses, repeated violent sequences begin to lose their initial impact. The Week similarly noted that the violence becomes overstretched in the later portions. (@theweek)
✂️ Editing & Screenplay
This is where Ananthan Kaadu struggles most.
At 156–157 minutes, the movie demands patience. (FilmiBeat)
The screenplay tries to incorporate:
War + politics + revenge + gangsters + displacement + relationships + ideology + betrayal + violence
That’s a lot for one movie.
Instead of making the story richer, several of these threads compete with each other.
India Today described the film as being weighed down by multiple subplots, while the Indian Express criticised its text-heavy screenplay and lack of emotional soul. (India Today)
A tighter screenplay of around 130–140 minutes could probably have made the film considerably more effective.
⚡ First Half vs Second Half
⭐ First Half — 3.5/5
The first half is the stronger portion.
The Sri Lankan backdrop, Vetri’s introduction and the connection with Krishnan Kutty’s group create genuine curiosity.
The atmosphere is strong, and the film feels like it could become something much bigger than a normal revenge thriller.
The first half makes you expect an excellent second half.
⭐ Second Half — 2.5/5
Unfortunately, the second half doesn’t completely deliver on that promise.
The political conflicts become increasingly familiar, the number of subplots increases, and the emotional core gets diluted.
The revenge narrative eventually becomes more predictable than the opening suggests. This was a common criticism among reviews. (The Times of India)
🔍 Critical Analysis
The most interesting thing about Ananthan Kaadu is the film it almost becomes.
There are genuinely ambitious themes here:
- Displacement and identity
- The trauma of war
- Political exploitation
- Violence as a means of survival
- Power and corruption
- How marginalised people become tools in political games
Cinema Express noted that the film contains flashes of a more ambitious story about identity, displacement and state violence, but ultimately chooses the safer route of a conventional revenge entertainer. (Cinema Express)
That’s probably the fairest description of the movie.
The ideas are stronger than the execution.
✅ What Works
✔️ Arya’s physical and emotional performance
✔️ Excellent supporting performance from Indrans
✔️ Strong period atmosphere
✔️ Impressive action sequences
✔️ Good production values
✔️ Interesting Sri Lankan/Kerala backdrop
✔️ Ambitious political themes
✔️ Strong cinematography
✔️ Interesting opening portions
❌ What Doesn’t Work
❌ Overloaded screenplay
❌ Too many subplots
❌ Predictable revenge structure
❌ Weak emotional payoff
❌ Some characters are underwritten
❌ Runtime feels excessive
❌ Violence becomes repetitive
❌ Political material isn’t developed as deeply as it could be
❌ Background score can feel overly loud
🎯 Final Verdict — Is It Worth Watching?
Yes, but with moderate expectations.
If you’re watching Ananthan Kaadu primarily for Arya, action, political drama and gritty visuals, there is enough here to make it worthwhile.
But if you’re expecting a tightly written political thriller with the emotional depth suggested by its premise, the movie may disappoint.
The strongest parts are the setting, performances, action and ambition.
The weakest part is the screenplay, which tries to say too much and ultimately makes the film less powerful.
⭐ Final Rating: 3/5
Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
A visually strong and ambitious political revenge thriller, elevated by Arya and especially Indrans, but held back by an overloaded screenplay, predictable revenge track and insufficient emotional depth.
📺 OTT Note
The film is scheduled to begin streaming on ManoramaMAX on September 2, 2026, and current reports also indicate a multi-platform digital release involving Prime Video and Lionsgate Play, with availability varying by territory. (malayalam.indianexpress.com)
My recommendation: Watch it if you enjoy gritty political/action dramas—but don’t expect another Lucifer-level political thriller.
