General · EdgepediaSeptember 17, 20264 min read

Diés Iraé

Diés Iraé (ഡീയസ് ഈറേ; Latin for "Day of Wrath") is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language horror thriller film written and directed by Rahul Sadasivan and starring Pranav Mohanlal. It follows Rohan, a wealthy young architect who becomes convinced a supernatural entity has invaded his home after the suicide of a former classmate.¹^•² The film released in theaters on 31 October 2025, coinciding with Halloween, and became the biggest A-rated Malayalam opener to date.³^•⁴

Key fact	Detail
Director and writer	Rahul Sadasivan, his fourth successive horror film after Red Rain, Bhoothakaalam (2022), and Bramayugam (2024)³
Lead cast	Pranav Mohanlal as Rohan, with Sushmitha Bhat as Kani, Gibin Gopinath, Jaya Kurup, and Arun Ajikumar⁵
Release	31 October 2025 (India, wide theatrical; United States, limited), certified A by the CBFC³^•⁶
Runtime	About 1 hour 55 minutes (115.3 minutes as certified)⁶
Production	Chakravarthy Ramachandra and S. Sashikanth for Night Shift Studios and YNOT Studios³
Box office	Estimated nearly ₹120 million (₹12 crore) worldwide on opening day, including paid premieres; the biggest A-rated Malayalam opener, surpassing Marco (2024)⁴
Streaming	JioHotstar from 5 December 2025⁷

Spoilers

Plot

Rohan (Pranav Mohanlal) is an affluent, US-based architect staying in his father's modern home in Kerala while his parents are abroad. His carefree life changes when he learns that his schoolmate Kani (Sushmitha Bhat), a Bharatanatyam dancer with whom he had a brief relationship, has died by suicide. After visiting her home for the funeral and leaving with a keepsake, he begins to feel his house is haunted, and his investigation draws him into eerie mysteries, strange alliances, and terrifying supernatural forces.²^•¹⁰ As Rohan and Madhu, Kani's neighbor, unravel the mystery of her death, the film moves toward themes of desire, obsession, guilt, and grief.²^•¹¹

Unlike the 17th-century period setting of Bramayugam, the film is set in modern-day Kochi.¹²

Title and production

The title comes from the Latin Dies Irae, meaning "Day of Wrath", a medieval hymn associated with judgment and mortality.³ The project was announced in May 2025 as Night Shift Studios' second feature, following the critical and commercial success of Bramayugam, and filming had already been completed at that point.⁸ According to the makers, the story is based on some true events.³

Retained crew. Sadasivan kept the core creative team from Bramayugam: cinematographer Shehnad Jalal, composer Christo Xavier, production designer Jothish Shankar, and editor Shafique Mohamed Ali.³ Stunts were choreographed by Kalai Kingson, and Jayadevan Chakkadath served as sound designer.⁹ The film cleared censor formalities on 16 October 2025 with an A certificate.³

Reception

Critical response. On Rotten Tomatoes the film held a 75% Tomatometer score from six critics at the time of reporting.¹³ Reviewers singled out the sound design, cinematography, and Pranav Mohanlal's performance. Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave 4/5, writing that the film works by making dread accumulate step by step rather than shocking viewers.¹³ The Cinema Express review rated it 4/5 and credited Sadasivan with a "horror hattrick", noting his reliance on atmosphere, silences, and shadows rather than gimmicks.¹¹ India Today gave 3.5/5, praising Christo Xavier's music and the immersive sound design while noting a few open-ended arcs involving Kani and her brother.² Some critics found the storyline simpler and less narratively complex than Sadasivan's previous films, with more jump scares in the latter half.¹²

Box office. The film released on 31 October 2025 to packed houses across Kerala and beyond. Early trade reports estimated nearly ₹120 million (₹12 crore) grossed worldwide on opening day including paid premieres, and it surpassed Unni Mukundan's Marco (2024) as the biggest A-rated Malayalam opener to date. Within two days it had crossed ₹100 million (₹10 crore) in Kerala alone and was approaching a global total of ₹250 million (₹25 crore).⁴

Streaming and distribution

The film began streaming exclusively on JioHotstar on 5 December 2025 in India.⁷ Prime Media handled United States distribution, Home Screen Entertainment handled overseas theatrical distribution outside India, and Think Studios was the all-India theatrical distributor.⁶^•⁹ A Telugu-dubbed version was also released.⁶

References

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 2025

Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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