Unmadham, the directorial debut of editor-turned-filmmaker Kiran Das, opened in theatres on July 31. Written by Shahi Kabir, the acclaimed writer behind Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela and Anjaam Pathiraa, the film reunites him with Kunchacko Boban in a psychological crime mystery that blends a police investigation with supernatural elements, mental illness and a quietly ambitious exploration of writer’s block. The critical response has been mixed, acknowledging the film’s originality and strong performances while pointing to a second half that does not honour its promising first.
Shelly, played by Kunchacko Boban, is a police constable who hates his job and dreams of becoming a screenwriter. During a break from service, he comes across a cursed case file stored at a remote police station, a set of papers nobody in the department is willing to touch, as everyone who has ever opened them has suffered personal tragedy. In his desperation for a story worth telling, Shelly reopens the case. From there, strange things begin to happen. Lizards begin appearing as recurring motifs. Reality and delusion begin to blur. A psychiatrist suggests Shelly may be in the early stages of schizophrenia. As he descends into a spiral, the film uses his deteriorating mental state as both a narrative device and a lens through which to explore the painful, obsessive nature of the creative process.
One of the most discussed aspects of the film among critics is a specific scene right in the middle of the story, where Shelly watches a YouTube interview between film journalist Maneesh Narayanan and director Sibi Malayil discussing the classic Manichitrathazhu. In that clip, Malayil explains the choice to resolve the film through supernatural rather than scientific logic. The Hollywood Reporter India‘s Vishal Menon described this as a clever bit of lampshading, with the film essentially announcing, through this very scene, exactly what kind of choices it is going to make in its own climax. Whether that self-awareness makes the eventual choices easier to accept—or simply more knowing—is something critics disagree on.
The consensus across publications is that the first half of Unmadham is significantly stronger than its second. The News Minute described the setup as intriguing: an earnest cop, a cursed case file and lizards from the netherworld building a genuinely mysterious atmosphere. FlickOnClick praised the film’s slow and patient storytelling, saying director Kiran Das never rushes the mystery and trusts his audience to stay invested without constant hand-holding. Onmanorama called it an engaging and well-paced psychological thriller that succeeds in creating an unsettling atmosphere and balancing realism with elements of superstition, at least in its early going.
The Hollywood Reporter India noted that the film’s most surprising and effective moment is a scene in which a filmmaker pours his heart out to Shelly about the emptiness of a creative life—the loneliness, the obsession and the cost to everything else around him. In a film of this genre, that kind of stillness is rare, and critics found it to be the most genuinely moving moment in the entire film.
The critical response is near-unanimous on the performances. Kunchacko Boban has been praised across every review as the film’s most reliable element. The News Minute wrote that his chaos has a certain sensitivity to it, holding the viewer at arm’s length from giving up on the character even when the writing around him falters. FlickOnClick called it one of those performances where silence often says more than dialogue. Onmanorama noted that his portrayal of a man slowly losing confidence in his own understanding of reality feels convincing from beginning to end.
Lijomol Jose, playing Shelly’s wife Soumya, has drawn equally strong notices. The News Minute called her performance brilliant and nuanced, describing Soumya as a character who grounds Shelly without suppressing him, allowing him the space to unravel while remaining the most stable presence in the film. The Hollywood Reporter India acknowledged both performances as incredible, even as it concluded that the film ultimately lets them down.
The second half is where most critics lost patience. The Hollywood Reporter India‘s Vishal Menon was the most direct, arguing that the film ultimately evades the question of scientific evidence and leans too heavily into supernatural territory, losing the grip it had built during its opening hour. Instead of the “fair mix of both” that the premise initially promises, the film begins relying almost entirely on Shelly’s visions to solve the mystery and, in doing so, settles for a convenient conclusion that plays it safe. Menon also singled out a clichéd flashback, describing it as entirely out of place in a film with such ambitious ideas.
The News Minute echoed that criticism, noting that the plot mistakes ambiguity for depth and ultimately settles for quick answers where more questions deserved to linger. Onmanorama similarly argued that the film does not quite deliver the emotional payoff audiences have come to expect from Shahi Kabir’s writing, calling it intriguing, but ultimately falling short of the standard set by his previous work.
Unmadham is not a film to dismiss. Its premise is genuinely original for Malayalam cinema, with the idea of a man’s creative desperation mirroring a descent into madness handled with enough intelligence to make you wish the resolution matched the setup. Director Kiran Das, working on his debut feature, shows clear technical confidence; the atmosphere is controlled, the cinematography is unsettling, and the first-half pacing is genuinely effective. It is in the writing where the film stumbles, choosing safety when the story had already earned enough goodwill to take real risks.
As FlickOnClick put it, for fans of measured Malayalam thrillers that prioritise character and atmosphere over plot mechanics, Unmadham offers enough to engage. But those expecting the sharpness of Shahi Kabir’s finest work may leave feeling the film stopped just short of becoming something truly special.
Watch the Unmadham Trailer:
Film Details: Unmadham
Director: Kiran Das
Writer: Shahi Kabir
Cast: Kunchacko Boban, Lijomol Jose, Siddique, Sudheesh, Sabumon Abdusamad
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Language: Malayalam
Country: India
Release Date: 31 July 2026
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