Director Arun Anirudhan's film Athiradi, starring Basil Joseph and Tovino Thomas in the lead roles, has been having a solid run at the worldwide box office. In about a week into its release, the film has grossed more than 50 crore from theatres, according to the makers. The reviews for it have also been generally positive, although some critics have found it a mixed bag.
Meanwhile, Aju Varghese shared his take on the film through his social media. The actor shared a poster for the film on his Instagram Stories space and wrote, "One of the best 'Athiradi entertainers' in recent times... heavy.. fun and pace was unmatchable." Aju went on to praise the specific technical aspects that made the film entertaining, making special note of "music placement and how it gelled so well with the visuals." He also described the performance of each actor as "mind-blowing".
Aju Varghese also gave a shout-out to the film's cast, including Tovino, Basil, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Shaan Rahman, Riya Shibu, Vishnu Agasthya, Shelvin James, Ganga Meera, and Tiss Thomas, in addition to producer composer Vishnu Vijay and producer Dr Ananthu S. "To all I missed to mention you guys were amazing," he wrote in his Athiradi review.
The film follows a youngster named Samkutty (Basil) who takes admission in the same college as his brother (Vishnu) and revives a long-dormant festival there. The core event that forms the emotional crux of the story is reminiscent of the 2023 stampede at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). As students rushed in to a concert venue to attend a music event, a stampede ensued, contributing to a few casualties.
Athiradi is full of references to Malayalam films, both classics and recent ones, including some pertaining to its own cast members.
