Ponman on OTT: Basil Joseph’s ‘career-best performance’ gets a thumbs up from netizens - ‘Undeniably the best of 2025’

Basil Joseph’s latest film Ponman made its OTT premiere on JioHotstar on March 14, 2025. Audiences, who missed the film in theatres, have watched the Malayalam thriller drama on OTT and have been raving about Basil Joseph’s performance as ‘Undeniably the best of 2025’. Read on to know more about what netizens have to say about Ponman, which also stars Lijomol Jose and Sajin Gopu in key roles.

Basil Joseph's Ponman on OTT

Basil Joseph’s Ponman, which released in theatres on January 30, 2025, landed on JioHotstar on Friday. Ever since its OTT premiere, netizens have showered praise on the filmmaker-actor for his terrific performance on social media. Several netizens said that it is Basil's 'career-best performance' as PP Ajesh in Ponman, directed by Jothish Shankar. Certain others said that it is the best performance of the year.

Also read - Basil Joseph films to binge-watch on OTT that showcase his versatility as an actor 

While sharing a screenshot of Ponman, one netizen commented on Twitter, “This scene truly showcased the immense capability of the actor Basil Joseph. I genuinely wonder if any actor can outshine his performance in #Ponman this year.”   

Even while lauding Basil, some netizens also gave a shoutout to Sajin Gopu and Lijomol Jose for their stellar performance in the film. 

Certain others also noted that the film heavily ‘underperformed’ at the box office. Ponman opened to positive reviews, but did not match up to Asif Ali’s Rekhachithram and Kunchacko Boban-starrer Officer on Duty that have emerged to be the hits of 2025 from Malayalam. 

The plot of Ponman is based on a novel by GR Indugopan's Naalanchu Cheruppakar. One netizen wrote that Ponman is ‘A textbook example of adapting a novel into a killer script.’ 

Ponman plot

The film narrates the ordeal of small-time gold dealer PP Ajesh, who lends jewellery to brides for the wedding day. However, the conflict in the film arises when the gold he gave for Steffi’s wedding is not returned as promised. 

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Ponman is available to stream on JioHotstar in multiple languages, including Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.