Vilaayath Budha teaser: A ‘local’ Pushpa, sandalwood and a clash of egos in this Prithviraj Sukumaran starrer

Vilaayath Budha teaser: Prithviraj Sukumaran’s long-in-the-making Vilaayath Budha, directed by Jayan Nambiar, will be in theatres shortly, according to the teaser

Prithviraj as Double Mohanan in Vilaayath Budha

Prithviraj Sukumaran’s first Malayalam release as a leading man in 2025 will be Vilaayath Budha, the Jayan Nambiar directorial that was in the making for a while. The film, which was rumoured to be an Onam 2025 release earlier, didn’t take a crack at the box office in the festive season, but is, according to its first teaser, coming soon to theatres. Jakes Bejoy’s music and Kantara-fame cinematographer Arvind Kashyap are credited on the crew of the film, which also stars Shami Thilakan, Anu Mohan, Dhruvan, Kiran Peethambaran, Pramod Veliyanadu, Vinod Thomas and many others.

Meet Double Mohanan, a budding Veerappan

The teaser introduces audiences to Prithviraj’s Mohanan, better known as Double, an agent dealing with sandalwood trade at the Marayoor forest range. Forest officers describe him as a budding Veerappan (a forest brigand who smuggled ivory and sandalwood for close to 4 decades), with the teaser also hinting at a potential Ayyappanum Koshiyum kind of ego clash between Double and a forest official.

Vilaayath Budha is the adaptation of a novel of the same name by GR Indugopan and was initially meant to be made by Ayyappanu, Koshiyum maker Sachy. After his untimely demise, the filmmaker’s associate Jayan took over way back in 2020, but it was only in 2025 that the film was finally wrapped up. The teaser has received overwhelmingly positive response online, with netizens excited about the subject, Jakes’ music and Arvind’s visuals.

Vilaayath Budha is about the sandalwood trade, which has elicited a Pushpa reference in the teaser. And interestingly enough, the Allu Arjun-led blockbuster did not fare well in Kerala. Will Prithviraj’s ‘local’ Pushpa click with them though?

Also read: Vilayath Buddha: Empuraan director Prithviraj Sukumaran’s next big film locks a festive release date | Exclusive

FAQs

Q. What is the story of Vilaayath Buddha?

A. Vilaayath Budha, the film, based on a novel by GR Indugopan, follows two men — Bhaskaran Master and his protégé turned smuggler, Double Mohanan and their tussle over the ownership of a sandalwood tree planted by the former.

Q. Why was Vilaayath Budha delayed?

A. Vilaayath Budha was initially meant to be developed by filmmaker Sachy, but after his untimely demise, his associate, Jayan Nambiar took over. Prithviraj’s other film commitments, as an actor and filmmaker, as well as injuries sustained in the course of these projects delayed Vilaayath Budha, which was completed only in 2025 and will be in theatres shortly.

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