Athiradi Review: A Full-Blown Theatrical Ride
Athiradi doesn’t try to reinvent the campus entertainer. In fact, for most of its runtime, it proudly walks through familiar territory; college politics, bruised egos, friendships, festival chaos, emotional baggage and loud confrontations. Yet, what makes the film work more often than not is the sincerity with which it embraces that chaos. It understands the pulse of a packed theatre and constantly chases moments designed to trigger whistles, laughter and applause.
Directed by Arun Anirudhan, the film unfolds inside BCET College, where the once-celebrated fest ‘Arohan’ remains buried under the shadow of a tragedy from the past. Into this emotionally loaded campus walks Samkutty, better known as ‘Sam Bro,’ played by Basil Joseph, with the kind of uninhibited energy only he can convincingly pull off.
From the long hair to the overconfident swagger, Basil turns Samkutty into someone who is equally annoying and oddly lovable. There is something deliberately excessive about the performance; the character constantly performs for the people around him, trying hard to appear cool, important and unforgettable. Basil leans fully into that eccentricity, and although some comic stretches feel overstretched, the actor’s conviction keeps the character entertaining. The humour often comes from how shamelessly Samkutty occupies space, and Basil’s complete lack of self-consciousness becomes one of the film’s biggest strengths.
What begins as a colourful college drama slowly transforms into something larger once Tovino Thomas enters as Sreekuttan Vellayani. Tovino smartly avoids turning the role into a caricature mass character. Instead, he plays Sreekuttan with surprising restraint, allowing the humour, body language and Trivandrum slang to do most of the work. The result is one of the actor’s more refreshing performances in recent times.
The surprise appearances and meta jokes in the film may feel gimmicky to some, but in a theatre filled with an energetic crowd, many of those moments land exactly as intended.
The writing by Arun Anirudhan and Paulson Skaria operates almost entirely on setups and payoffs. Dialogues, character quirks and throwaway moments eventually circle back later in the narrative. Some twists are visible from a mile away, but a few are cleverly held back, creating genuinely crowd-pleasing moments during the final act. The film clearly prioritises theatrical highs over subtle storytelling, and to an extent, that gamble works.
At the same time, Athiradi never fully escapes the feeling that it is trying a little too hard to sound “young.” Much of its Gen-Z flavour feels filtered through a millennial understanding of youth culture, meme references, exaggerated slang and social-media humour packaged together at high speed. The film stays so busy entertaining that it rarely pauses long enough to let its emotional wounds breathe. Samkutty’s emotional motivation, especially the guilt and trauma surrounding his brother, deserved more silence and depth than the film is willing to offer. Every time the story approaches vulnerability, humour quickly arrives to soften the impact.
Still, the emotional core is not entirely absent. The father-son dynamics, the burden of guilt carried by certain characters and the underdog spirit running beneath the chaos give the film enough emotional grounding to remain engaging. The climax, in particular, manages to bring together many scattered threads effectively, ending the film on an emotional and celebratory high.
Technically too, the film understands its tone well. Vishnu Vijay’s music carries an infectious youthful rhythm throughout. The songs blend neatly into the narrative, while the background score amplifies the celebratory mood without becoming overwhelming. Samuel Henry’s visuals give the campus a colourful, festival-like atmosphere, especially during crowd sequences and action blocks. The staging of confrontations often relies on visual contrasts between personalities and groups, adding a playful visual flair to the drama. The action choreography also deserves mention for delivering scale without losing clarity.
Among the supporting cast, Riya Shibu brings warmth to Swathi despite the character being written within familiar boundaries. Content creator Shelvin James leaves a strong impression with his comic timing, while Vineeth Sreenivasan and Shan Rahman add charm through their appearances. Their combinations throughout the film produce some of its funniest moments, especially because of the self-referential meta-humour the film taps into.
See, Athiradi may not become a landmark campus film, nor does it entirely overcome its formulaic structure. But it rarely becomes dull. It thrives on movement, humour, colour and noise, constantly chasing the next crowd-pleasing beat. Even when the writing turns uneven, the film’s energy remains infectious enough to keep the audience invested. This is a film that knows exactly what kind of theatrical experience it wants to deliver; loud, messy and unapologetically fun. Whether that chaos fully works for someone will depend on how much they are willing to surrender to its vibe.
