Dies Irae’s Rahul Sadasivan on how Pranav Mohanlal came on board horror film: ‘He was also waiting for a negative…’

Rahul Sadasivan has firmly established his place as a master of the horror genre with his latest film, with Pranav Mohnalal, also winning widespread appreciation. The film also marks the first horror film of Pranav, who has only a handful of movies to his credit. So, how did Pranav come on board as the lead character of the Rahul Sadasivan movie? The director says the young actor perfectly fit his character and that he was also incidentally on the lookout for negative roles.

Pranav Mohanlal in Dies Irae

Dies Irae The Day of Wrath is the latest Malayalam horror film directed by Rahul Sadasivan, who already won plaudits for Bramayugam and Bhoothakaalam. In a recent interview with Manorama Online, Rahul said that he had watched Pranav's previous films and that prompted him to write such a character.

“Pranav is already a great actor. I told him what I wanted (in the role), the shades of the character. I later came to know that he was also waiting for a negative-shade, something different role. It is about timing,” saying that he approached Pranav at the right time and the collaboration happened. Pranav plays Rohan, a rich brat from an affluent family, who gets pulled into paranormal happenings.

Dies Irae reception

Dies Irae opened with paid premieres on October 30, before a worldwide release on October 31, 2025. The initial reviews of the horror film were overwhelmingly positive, but with the larger crowd watching the film, Dies Irae did see mixed reactions. Despite this, the film had a stellar first weekend.

The horror thriller, also penned by Rahul Sadasivan, has recorded the highest opening for an A-rated Malayalam movie with Rs 12 crore in worldwide collections, surpassing the previous best of Marco’s Rs 10 crore. Along with Pranav’s performance and Rahul’s haunting tale, Christo Xavier is also winning applause for his moody music.

Also read: Dies Irae box office collection day 3: Pranav Mohanlal's A-rated movie continues its terrific run after beating Unni Mukundan's Marco record 

FAQs

Q. Is Dies Irae horror?

A. Yes, Dies Irae is a Malayalam horror thriller film, directed by Rahul Sadasivan. Actor Pranav Mohanlal stars in the movie, marking his first film in the genre.

Q. What is Dies Irae movie about?

A. Dies Irae is about a young man named Rohan whose life is disturbed by scary paranormal activities, as he sets out to learn the strange occurrences connected to a supernatural entity.

Q. What is the new horror movie of Pranav Mohanlal?

A. The new horror movie of Pranav Mohanlal is Dies Irae, which was released in theatres on October 31.