Athiradi X Review: What Audiences Are Saying About Tovino Thomas And Basil Joseph Starrer Film

Athiradi X Review: The Malayalam action-comedy Athiradi hit theatres on May 14, 2026, after holding paid premiere shows a day earlier on May 13. Following the early screenings, viewers began sharing their reactions on X (formerly Twitter), with social media posts offering an initial glimpse into the audience response to the film on its opening day.

Directed by Arun Anirudhan, Athiradi stars Tovino Thomas and Basil Joseph in lead roles. The cast also includes Zarin Shihab and Riya Shibu.

As is common with major Malayalam releases, social media users started posting their immediate reactions shortly after the early shows concluded. Several viewers shared their opinions online, discussing their overall impressions of the film after watching the early screenings. Here are some of the initial reactions shared by viewers on X following the film's early shows:

Although social media reactions from viewers have started surfacing online, these are still early responses from opening-day audiences and should not be considered a definitive critical verdict on the film. Broader audience opinions and detailed reviews are likely to emerge over the next few hours and days as the movie continues its theatrical run.

About Athiradi: Storyline And Technical Crew Details

The film's storyline revolves around Samkutty, an energetic student who revives a banned college festival, setting off a rivalry that gradually turns the celebrations into chaos. The movie blends elements of action and comedy within a campus backdrop.

Apart from directing the film, Arun Anirudhan has co-written the screenplay with Paulson Skaria. The project has been produced by Dr. Ananthu S and Basil Joseph, while Sameer Thahir and Tovino Thomas are attached as co-producers.

The technical crew includes cinematographer Samuel Henry and editor Chaman Chakko. Music for the film has been composed by Vishnu Vijay, with lyrics penned by Suhail Koya. The action sequences have been handled by Action Sandhosh and Phoenix Prabu.

Other members of the crew include production designer Maanav Suresh, costume designer Mashar Hamsa, makeup artist Ronex Xavier, and sound designer Nixon George. The sound mix has been done by Rajakrishnan MR, while the DI colour grading was handled by Joyner Thomas. Visual effects for the film were executed by Mindstein Studios.

With the film now officially released in theatres on May 14, industry observers will be watching closely to see how Athiradi performs at the box office in the coming days and whether audience word-of-mouth influences its theatrical run further.