# Bharathanatyam (film)
**Bharathanatyam** (ഭരതനാട്യം) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film written and directed by debutant Krishnadas Murali, starring Saiju Kurup and Saikumar. It follows Sasidharan Nair, a temple committee secretary in a traditional household who tries to keep his family's reputation intact after discovering a secret about his father.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam) • [2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/review/2024/Aug/30/bharathanatyam-movie-review-an-entertaining-and-self-aware-family-comedy) The title shares its name with the classical Indian dance form, but in the film it works as wordplay on the actions of a prominent character.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/review/2024/Aug/30/bharathanatyam-movie-review-an-entertaining-and-self-aware-family-comedy)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original title | ഭരതനാട്യം (Malayalam)[3](https://www.moviebuff.com/bharathanatyam-2024-malayalam) |
| Director and writer | Krishnadas Murali, in his directorial debut[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam) |
| Release | 30 August 2024 (India, theatrical); 121 minutes; certified U[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/bharathanatyam/ott.html) |
| Lead cast | Saiju Kurup as Sasidharan Nair; Saikumar as Bharathan Nair[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31639439/) |
| Production | Thomas Thiruvalla Films in association with Saiju Kurup Entertainments[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam) |
| Key crew | Bablu Aju (cinematography), Samuel Aby (music), Shadeeque V B (editing)[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam) |
| Streaming | ManoramaMAX from 27 September 2024; later Netflix and Amazon Prime Video[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/bharathanatyam/ott.html) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharathanatyam-2024) |
| IMDb rating | 6.9/10 from about 3,200 votes[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31639439/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and cast
The film opens with Sasidharan, known as Sasi (Saiju Kurup), the secretary of a local temple committee, who shoulders the responsibilities of his close-knit family in a traditional dominant-caste household. Those living with him are his father [Bharathan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bharathan) (Saikumar), mother Saraswathy (Kalaranjini), elder sister Santhi (Divya M Nair), for whom the house is named, younger sister Sreelatha (Sruthy Suresh), and youngest brother Arun; also sharing the home are Santhi's and Sreelatha's husbands, played by Nandu Poduval and Swathi Das Prabhu.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/review/2024/Aug/30/bharathanatyam-movie-review-an-entertaining-and-self-aware-family-comedy) Sasi's struggle intensifies after he discovers his father's dishonorable secret and tries to keep it from a nosy neighborhood.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bharathanatyam)
**Supporting roles.** [Sreeja Ravi](https://www.edgepedia.org/sreeja-ravi) plays Rukmini, and Abhiram Radhakrishnan plays Subhash.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31639439/) Nandu Poduval, better known for brief comic parts, plays a major full-length role, according to the director.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam) A subplot in which Sasi and his temple committee colleagues, played by Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Sohan Seenulal, and Krishnadas Murali himself, devise a fake ritual to exorcise devotees' houses serves as commentary on superstition and gullibility.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/review/2024/Aug/30/bharathanatyam-movie-review-an-entertaining-and-self-aware-family-comedy)
### Sequel
A sequel, *Bharathanatyam 2: Mohiniyattam*, again written and directed by Krishnadas Murali with Saiju Kurup leading the cast alongside [Suraj Venjaramoodu](https://www.edgepedia.org/suraj-venjaramoodu), Vinay Forrt, and Jagadish, released in theaters on 10 April 2026. It continues the story of Sasidharan Nair's family, now drawn into a crime-laced situation connected to the late Bharathan Nair's past, and crossed ₹250 million (₹25 crore) worldwide during its theatrical run.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2026/May/03/bharathanatyam-2-mohiniyattam-ott-release-when-and-where-to-watch-saiju-kurups-dark-comedy-thriller) • [10](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/news/2026/bharathanatyam-2-mohiniyattam-ott-release-when-where-to-watch-malayalam-dark-comedy-thriller-515185.html) It began streaming on Netflix from 8 May 2026.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2026/May/03/bharathanatyam-2-mohiniyattam-ott-release-when-and-where-to-watch-saiju-kurups-dark-comedy-thriller)
## Production
The shoot for the film, actor Saiju Kurup's maiden production venture, was completed by April 2024. According to its director, Krishnadas Murali, the film is a lighthearted crowd-pleaser with a village setting, centering on the household of a Nair tharavad whose members feel immense pride in, and constant worry over, their lineage.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam) It was produced by Thomas Thiruvalla Films in association with Saiju Kurup Entertainments, with Bablu Aju as cinematographer, Samuel Aby as music director, and Shadeeque V B as editor.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam)
## Release and reception
The film released in theaters on 30 August 2024 with a runtime of 121 minutes and a U certificate from the Indian censor board.[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/bharathanatyam/ott.html) It began streaming on ManoramaMAX on 27 September 2024, and later became available on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/bharathanatyam/ott.html) • [6](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharathanatyam-2024)
A Cinema Express review rated it 3 out of 5, calling it an entertaining and self-aware family comedy in the tradition of the rooted, light-hearted entertainers centered on extended families that were popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The review praised the casting, Kalaranjini's comic timing as the mother Saraswathy, and Saikumar's portrayal of a man whose secrets are on the brink of exposure, while noting that the ending's emotional shift could have used more build-up.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/review/2024/Aug/30/bharathanatyam-movie-review-an-entertaining-and-self-aware-family-comedy) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.9/10 from about 3,200 votes.[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31639439/) Sacnilk's tracked data records a Malayalam-version net collection of ₹5.6 million (₹0.56 crore), with daily figures described as low.[8](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Bharathanatyam_2024) The film found much of its audience after its OTT release rather than in theaters.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2026/May/03/bharathanatyam-2-mohiniyattam-ott-release-when-and-where-to-watch-saiju-kurups-dark-comedy-thriller)
## The Telugu film of the same name
A different 2024 Telugu film also titled *Bharathanatyam* is a crime-comedy directed by KVR Mahendra, marking the acting debut of actor-writer Surya Tej Aelay, who wrote the story. It follows an ambitious filmmaker who gets entangled in a nexus of crime, politics, and moviemaking, received a U/A certificate, and released theatrically on 5 April 2024, with music by [Vivek Sagar](https://www.edgepedia.org/vivek-sagar) and production by Payal Saraf.[11](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2024/Apr/03/bharathanatyam-completes-censorship-formalities) A Cinema Express review of that film found it tonally inconsistent, while praising Harsha Chemudu's performance.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/telugu/review/2024/Apr/05/bharathanatyam-movie-review-this-crime-comedy-fails-to-keep-up-with-its-wackiness)
## References
1. [It's a wrap for Saiju Kurup's Bharathanatyam, Cinema Express (22 April 2024)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2024/Apr/22/its-a-wrap-for-saiju-kurups-bharathanatyam)
2. [Bharathanatyam Movie Review: An entertaining and self-aware family comedy, Cinema Express (30 August 2024)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/review/2024/Aug/30/bharathanatyam-movie-review-an-entertaining-and-self-aware-family-comedy)
3. [Bharathanatyam (2024), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/bharathanatyam-2024-malayalam)
4. [Bharathanatyam OTT Release, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/bharathanatyam/ott.html)
5. [Bharathanatyam (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31639439/)
6. [Bharathanatyam streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/bharathanatyam-2024)
7. [Bharathanatyam, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bharathanatyam)
8. [Bharathanatyam (2024) box office, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Bharathanatyam_2024)
9. [Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam OTT release, Cinema Express (3 May 2026)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2026/May/03/bharathanatyam-2-mohiniyattam-ott-release-when-and-where-to-watch-saiju-kurups-dark-comedy-thriller)
10. [Bharathanatyam 2 Mohiniyattam OTT Release, FilmiBeat (7 May 2026)](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/news/2026/bharathanatyam-2-mohiniyattam-ott-release-when-where-to-watch-malayalam-dark-comedy-thriller-515185.html)
11. [Bharathanatyam completes censorship formalities, Cinema Express (3 April 2024)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/telugu/news/2024/Apr/03/bharathanatyam-completes-censorship-formalities)
12. [Bharathanatyam Movie Review: This crime comedy fails to keep up with its wackiness, Cinema Express (5 April 2024)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/telugu/review/2024/Apr/05/bharathanatyam-movie-review-this-crime-comedy-fails-to-keep-up-with-its-wackiness)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Malayalam films of the 2020s › Malayalam films of 2024*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license