Thalavara

Thalavara (transl. Fate line) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language coming of age drama film directed by Akhil Anilkumar and written by Akhil Anilkumar and Appu Aslam. The film stars Arjun Ashokan and Revathy Sarma in the lead roles. It is produced by Shebin Backer under Shebin Backer Productions and Mahesh Narayanan under his banner Moving Narratives. Anurudh Aneesh handles the cinematography and Rahul Radhakrishnan edits the film. Electronic Kili composes the songs and background score.

Thalavara
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Akhil Anilkumar
Written by	Akhil Anilkumar Appu Aslam
Story by	Akhil Anilkumar
Produced by	Shebin Backer Mahesh Narayanan
Starring	Arjun Ashokan Revathy Sarma
Cinematography	Anurudh Aneesh
Edited by	Rahul Radhakrishnan
Music by	Electronic Kili Vijay Anand
Production companies	Shebin Backer Productions Moving Narratives
Distributed by	Central Pictures
Release date	22 August 2025 (2025-08-22)
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Thalavara was released in India by Central Pictures on 22 August 2025. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

Cast

• Arjun Ashokan as Jyothish aka Panda
• Revathy Sarma as Sandhya
• Ashokan as Kannappan, Father of Jyothish and Jyothi
• Shebin Benson
• Devadarshini as Asha, Mother of Jyothish and Jyothi
• Sarath Sabha as Ganesh aka double
• Athira Mariyam as Jyothi, Sister of Jyothish
• Abhiram Radhakrishnan as Shine
• Prasant Murali as Vinayak raj
• Sam Mohan as Vimal
• Harish Kumar
• Sohan Seenulal
• Shaju Sreedhar Sandhya's Father
• Vishnu Reghu as Sudheesh
• Muhammad Rafi as Kilavan
• Manoj Moses as Minnal
• Aswath Lal
• Amith Mohan Rajeswari as Navaneeth
• Naseer as Police Officer

Production

Principal photography began on 3 June 2024.^[1][2][3] The filming wrapped on 24 November 2024.^[4]

Soundtrack

Thalavara
Soundtrack album by Electronic Kili Vijayanand
Released	2025
Recorded	2024
Studio	SKR Studios, EKM Pop Media House, EKM
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	6:22
Language	Malayalam
Label	Think Music

The soundtrack album of the film is composed by Electronic Kili and Vijay Anand. Think Music procured the audio rights of the soundtrack. The first single Kand Kand was released on 30 July 2025.^[5] The second single Ilakozhiye was released on 9 August 2025.^[6] The third single Nila Nila teaser was released on 17 August 2025.^[7]

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Kand Kand"	Muthu	Electronic Kili	Manikandan Ayyappa, Electronic Kili	02:34
2.	"Ilakozhiye"	Muthu	Electronic Kili	Rakhoo, Sai Prabha	03:48
3.	"Nila Nila"	Titto P. Thankachen	Vijay Anand	Ananthu
Total length:					06:22

Release

Theatrical

Thalavara is released on 22 August 2025.^[8][9][10]

Distribution

Central Pictures distributed the film in India.

Reception

Critical response

Thalavara received critical acclaim from both audience and critics.

Sajin Shrijith of The Week gave 4/5 stars and wrote "Thalavara is one of the rare films that manages to be sweet without overwhelming us with its saccharine nature. A fresh, contemporary take on Beauty and the Beast, Thalavara is an unconventional hero's journey, or rather, the unconventional journey to becoming a hero who trumps conventions."^[11] Shilpa Nair Anand of The Hindu wrote, "Thalavara tugs at the heartstrings in unexpected little ways, gives hope, and, by the end of the film, leaves you a little teary-eyed."^[12]

Vivek Santhosh of Cinema Express gave 3.5/5 and wrote, "An earnest, family-friendly underdog drama elevated by Arjun Ashokan’s career-best performance as a man with vitiligo and Akhil Anilkumar’s sincere storytelling."^[13] Gopika I. S. of The Times of India gave 3/5 and wrote, "Thalavara is a slice-of-life film that explores personal growth, overcoming shame, building self-esteem, and more."^[14]