Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil movie review: When the movie opens, one is bound to get the feeling that the Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval directorial might follow the narrative style of movies such as director Khalid Rahman’s Mammootty-led Unda (2019) or Amit V Masurkar’s Rajkummar Rao-starrer Newton (2017). In the village of Thirunelli, located near the forests in Wayanad, a team of armed personnel, led by Armiyas (Chidambaram), has surrounded a resort after receiving intel that a group of Maoists has entered the premises. Along with tension, the writer-director also slips in comedy, setting a unique mood.
However, once the opening sequence is over, it doesn’t take Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil (Under Mysterious Circumstances) much time to make it clear that it’s nothing like Unda or Newton. In fact, it treads a path marked by character-driven storytelling that few in Malayalam may have taken. However, the question that remains is whether it has succeeded.
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Sethu (Kunchacko Boban) works as an office assistant at the local government hospital. For him, the whole world revolves around his bedridden elder brother Madhu (Dileesh Pothan). Following the demise of his close relative and confidante Markose, Madhu is struggling with mental health issues and believes that the former is still with him. To keep his brother happy, Sethu occasionally acts like Markose in front of him whenever Madhu loses control of his emotions and feels like his confidante has left his side. Their cousin Armiyas, Markose’s son, is totally unhappy with all this but doesn’t care enough to meddle. To help Sethu finally build a family of his own, local politician Jaffar (Jaffar Idukki) introduces him to Mini (an impressive Sharanya Ramachandran), a teacher, in an arranged marriage setup, and the conversations around it are ongoing.
Meanwhile, Sethu’s life takes a turn when the fugitive “Maoist” Rajendra Prasad (Sajin Gopu), who allegedly escaped from the aforementioned resort, barges into his home with a gun and seeks solace there. Scared that he might hurt them, Sethu agrees to help him. But the cops, led by Armiyas, are on the hunt for him.
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Although Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil isn’t as experimental as Ratheesh’s last directorial effort, Sureshanteyum Sumalathayudeyum Hrudayahariyaya Pranayakadha (2024), this movie also struggles under the weight of the director’s excessive ambitions and determination not to follow conventions. The first half of the psychological comedy thriller is rather quiet, with the only noise piercing the serene location being Madhu’s occasional yelling. Here, Ratheesh explores the different dimensions of Sethu and Madhu’s characters and their relationship, as well as Sethu’s struggles to make ends meet.
With Rajendra Prasad’s entry, the writer-director also employs his skill at integrating situational humour into the narrative, which keeps it rather warm and endearing. Even though Sethu and Rajendran are scared out of their wits that Armiyas might storm in at any moment, breaking down the door, Ratheesh keeps the tension only to a certain level so as not to disturb the placidity, rendering the movie a simple comedy thriller.
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However, once Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil enters its second half, the director gradually increases the stakes, suffocating the characters by throwing conflicts at them one after another. Yet, he never really shifts the focus from the bond between Sethu, Madhu, and Rajendran, whom Madhu now believes is Markose. However, after a crucial point, Ratheesh takes the narrative to another level, integrating psychological and crime elements, thereby changing the movie’s tone altogether.
It is here that the movie falters, as Ratheesh fails to do justice to the build-up. While the individual moments leading up to this point, as well as those that follow, carry weight, their progression doesn’t leave much impact, as the director’s focus, unfortunately, shifts to experimentation rather than the story’s overall development. Once it enters the psychological terrain, it feels as if Ratheesh has completely lost control of his own creation, almost in a Frankensteinian way, ruining the film altogether.
The first half of the psychological comedy thriller Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil is rather quiet. (Credit: Facebook/@DileeshPothanOfficial)
One of the beauties of Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil is the way the writer-director references old movies within the narrative, particularly from Kamal Haasan films such as Kuruthipunal (1995) and Apoorva Sagodharargal (1989). At certain crucial moments, we hear lines from Kuruthipunal, such as “Veeramna enna theriyuma, bayam illatha mathiri nadikkarathuthan (Do you know what bravery is? It is acting as if you have no fear),” which adds to the movie’s depth. Ratheesh also employs strong metaphors to further flesh out the characters in a minimalistic way, with the most notable being Sethu telling Rajendran about their family enemy and how the latter is slowly encroaching on their land by moving his defecation spot closer to their home, much like how certain animals mark their territory.
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But none of this truly helps Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil towards the end, as it becomes too messy. However, in retrospect, what keeps the movie afloat is the splendid performances. After knocking it out of the park in Shahi Kabir’s Ronth (2025), Dileesh Pothan delivers yet another spellbinding performance in Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil, underscoring that he’s one of the finest character actors in contemporary Malayalam cinema. Even though he is in bed for most of the movie, the way he conveys Madhu’s emotions, grasping the character’s soul, is nothing short of a sight to behold.
Kunchacko Boban also does a brilliant job, making one feel like Ratheesh is one of the few directors who know exactly how to draw out the best from him, as we previously saw in their Nna Thaan Case Kodu (2022). There’s a moment in the second half of Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil where Sethu tries to cheer up Madhu by pretending to be Markose in Rajendran’s absence. While the sudden switch between Sethu and Markose itself is impressive, the way he shows his desperation and despair upon realising that Madhu isn’t buying it, all the while trying to maintain the character, deserves special commendation.
Sajin Gopu achieves, to an extent, here what he couldn’t in Painkili (2025), with his ability to excel in quirkiness working well. Chidambaram, meanwhile, delivers an outstanding performance, almost making one forget it’s his debut in acting.
Although Dawn Vincent’s loud, out-of-sync background score plays spoilsport in the movie’s initial acts, he excels towards the end. Arjun Sethu’s cinematography, Manoj Kannoth’s editing, Indulal Kaveed’s art direction, and Sreejith Sreenivasan’s sound design also deserve praise.
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Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil movie cast: Kunchacko Boban, Dileesh Pothan, Sajin Gopu, Sharanya, Chidambaram, Rajesh Madhavan, Sudheesh
Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil movie director: Ratheesh Balakrishnan Poduval
Oru Durooha Saahacharyathil movie rating: 2 stars
