Unmadham (2026) · Malayalam · Director: Kiran Das · Writer: Shahi Kabir · Thriller

Unmadham is a Malayalam thriller that does most things right — a tight premise, a writer who knows the genre (Shahi Kabir, who wrote Jai Bhim), and enough twists to keep you leaning in. Director Kiran Das keeps the atmosphere taut and the stakes clear, and the film has that quiet confidence that the best Malayalam thrillers carry — no flashy pyrotechnics, just a story that commits to its characters and trusts the audience to keep up.

The setup draws you in quickly, and the performances are solid across the board. The writing has real texture — the kind where side characters feel like they have lives outside the frame, and the moral complexity isn't just decorative. When the film is locked in, it's genuinely gripping.

But. The pacing sags in the middle stretch. There are sequences that could have been tightened by 10-15 minutes without losing anything — the kind of deliberate, slow-burn breathing room that works in some thrillers but here just slightly deflates the momentum you've built up. You find yourself waiting for the next turn rather than being carried by the current one. It's a minor issue in a film that otherwise respects your time, but it keeps the whole thing from hitting as hard as it could.

The verdict: A nice, well-crafted thriller that's worth a watch. The writing and direction are above average, and it doesn't insult your intelligence. Just don't expect a relentless ride — it takes its own pace, and while that mostly works, the slower stretches keep it from being a must-rewatch. One-time watch, and a good one.

Rating: 3/5 — nice thriller, a little slow, one-time watch.