Starring Basil Jospeh, Rajesh Madhavan, Siju Sunny, Babu Antony, Suresh Krishna, Anishma Anilkumar, and others, Maranamass hit theatres today. Written and directed by debutant Shivaprasad, the dark comedy seems to have hit the mark amongst audience-goers.

Produced by Tovino Thomas, Raphael Pozholiparambil and others, the film follows a serial killer, suspected to be Luke PP, a ‘sigma’ male. While the latter is shipped off to Czechoslovakia, he encounters a bunch of quirky characters and a dead body inside a bus on a fateful night.

Also Read | Maranamass Review: Basil Joseph’s Thriller Turned Comedy

OnManorama noted that after a grounded approach in films like Ponman and Praavinkoodu Shaapu, Basil Joseph comes out of his comfort zone to play the Sigma male.

Despite all the quirkiness, the film, OnManorama, writes, does not forget the base emotions of love and attachment, especially at unexpected moments. “Even when ‘Maranamass’ tends to go overboard at times with absurdity in the situations, the makers ensure it never lets the reins go, as these scenes are integral to carrying the story forward,” observed the newspaper in its review.

Another element that stands out in the film is that Maranamass doesn’t rely on the dialogues to evoke humour but also derives it from darkly comic situations, observed OTTplay.

With the music elevated by JK, the stars, including Rajesh Madhavan, Romancham-fame Siju Sunny, who co-wrote the film with Shivaprasad, Anishma Anilkumar, Suresh Krishna and Puliyanam Poulose, serve good performances which help the narrative move forward, writes OnManorama.

Also Read | ‘Dark Comedies That Spark Reflections’: Social Media Reviews About Basil Joseph’s Maranamass

The film was banned in Saudi Arabia due to the inclusion of a transgender character in the cast. Despite receiving a U/A certificate in India, the film has faced censorship issues in Gulf countries, where the censor board demanded that the transgender character’s scenes be edited before the release.

In Kuwait, the censor board urged to cut the scenes featuring a transgender character, while in Saudi Arabia, the film has been completely banned.