Upcoming Malayalam thrillers to watch in 2025

2024 has been incredible for the Malayalam industry. Films such as Marco, Manjummel Boys, Aavesham, Kishkindha Kaandam, The Goat Life, Premalu, and many more have received rave reviews from the audience as well as critics. These films raised the anticipation for the upcoming releases in 2025. Like 2024, this year also has several Malayalam films in store for us and the below-mentioned list consists of upcoming Malayalam thrillers of 2025 such as Mammootty's Bazooka, Mohanlal's L2: Empuraan, and more. 

Upcoming Malayalam thrillers of 2025

Rekhachithram

Directed by Jofin T. Chacko, Rekhachithram is an upcoming Malayalam mystery crime thriller film. Starring Asif Ali and Anaswara Ranjan, the film was officially announced on August 11, 2024, and filming concluded on July 15, 2024. It is scheduled to release on 9 January 2025. In the film, Asif plays the role of CI Vivek Gopinath. The film is about a suspended police officer who investigates the disappearance of a young nun 40 years ago. 

Also Read: Loved watching Asif Ali's Kishkindha Kaandam? Stream these fascinating Malayalam thrillers on OTT

Detective Ujjwalan

Detective Ujjwalan stars Dhyan Sreenivasan in the lead role. This movie is produced by Sophia Paul under the Weekend Blockbusters label and directed by Indraneel Gopeekrishnan and Rahul G. In the film, Dhyan plays the role of Ujjwalan, a private investigator who wants to crack a big case but is only called for frivolous matters.

L2: Empuraan

Directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and written by Murali Gopy, L2: Empuraan is the second installment in a planned trilogy, following the 2019 film Lucifer. It stars Mohanlal as Khureshi-Ab'raam / Stephen Nedumpally, along with Prithviraj Sukumaran, Indrajith Sukumaran, Tovino Thomas, Manju Warrier, Saniya Iyappan, Saikumar, Baiju Santhosh, Fazil and Sachin Khedekar. The plot follows the journey of Stephen Nedumpally, who becomes the leader of a global crime organization. The film is scheduled to be released on March 27, 2025. 

Kathanar - The Wild Sorcerer

The upcoming Malayalam fantasy thriller is directed and edited by Rojin Thomas and written by R. Ramanand. The film stars Jayasurya in the titular role, along with Anushka Shetty (set to make her Mollywood debut), Prabhu Deva, and Vineeth. Produced by Gokulam Gopalan of Sree Gokulam Movies, the film focuses on the life of Kadamattathu Kathanar, a legendary 9th-century Christian priest endowed with magical powers. 

Bazooka

The film is written and directed by Deeno Dennis in his directorial debut. The cast features megastar Mammootty as Vinod Menon. It is about a former military officer named Rafi Mohammed who gets into trouble. Other cast members include Gautham Vasudev Menon, Neeta Pillai, Divya Pillai, Iswarya Menon, Gayathiri Iyer, Bhama Arun, and more. 

Rachel

It is a thriller directed by Anandhini Bala. The star cast features Honey Rose, Radhika Radhakrishnan, Baburaj, Kalabhavan Shajohn, Jaffer Idukki, Vandita, Roshan Basheer, Chandu Salim Kumar, Pauly Valsan, Vineeth Thattil, Dinesh Prabhakar, Joji, and Baiju Ezhupunna. It is a revenge drama where Honey Rose plays a woman who embarks on a relentless quest to find and confront an unknown antagonist.

Narivetta

Directed by Anuraj Manohar and featuring Tovino Thomas in a pivotal role, Narivetta is scheduled to be released in February 2025. The screenplay is written by Abin Joseph and produced by Tippu Shah and Shiyas Hassan under the banner of the Indian Film Company. In the film, Tovino plays the role of a constable named Varghese.

Pravinkoodu Shappu

Pravinkoodu Shappu is scheduled to hit the theaters on January 16, 2025. Helmed by debutant director Sreeraj Sreenivasan, the film features Soubin Shahir, Basil Joseph, and Chemban Vinod in pivotal roles. The cast also stars Chandini Sreedharan, Shabareesh Varma, Niyas Backer, Revathi, Vijo Amaravathy, Ramkumar, Sandeep, Sivajith Padmanabhan, and Pratapan K S in supporting roles.

Pravinkoodu Shappu is scheduled to hit the theaters on January 16, 2025. Helmed by debutant director Sreeraj Sreenivasan, the film features Soubin Shahir, Basil Joseph, and Chemban Vinod in pivotal roles. The cast also stars Chandini Sreedharan, Shabareesh Varma, Niyas Backer, Revathi, Vijo Amaravath, Ramkumar, Sandeep, Sivajith Padmanabhan, and Pratapan K S in supporting roles.

Officer On Duty

Helmed by director Jithu Ashraf, Officer On Duty stars Kunchacko Boban and Priyamani in leading roles. It is produced by Martin Prakkat Films in collaboration with The Green Room, led by Siby Chavara and Ranjith Nair. Kunchacko Boban is all set to play a cop in Officer On Duty. The first poster features the versatile actor in a police uniform, slicked-back hairdo, and thick moustache, while six youths are seen in the foreground. On the other hand, in the second poster, Boban is seen revealing his romantic avatar with leading lady Priyamani.

Are you excited about these upcoming Malayalam thrillers of 2025? Share your thoughts on X by tagging us @ottplayapp!

Also Read: Kishkinda Kaandam movie review: Asif Ali’s effective slow-burn thriller is equally clever and moving