# Jai Ganesh (film)
**Jai Ganesh** (ജയ് ഗണേഷ്) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language mystery thriller film written and directed by Ranjith Sankar, starring [Unni Mukundan](https://www.edgepedia.org/unni-mukundan) as a paraplegic graphic designer who creates a comic-book superhero of the same name.[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwYNLMmxLHU) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28755837/) It was produced by Unni Mukundan and Ranjith Sankar under the banners Unni Mukundan Films and Dreams N Beyond, and it was the first film distributed by Unni Mukundan Films.[3](https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=1307759&u=unni-mukundan-starrer-jai-ganesh-coming-to-ott-%EF%BF%BDrelease-date-announced) • [4](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/interview/2024/04/07/chat-with-unni-mukundan.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | Ranjith Sankar, who also co-produced with Unni Mukundan[1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwYNLMmxLHU) |
| Theatrical release | 11 April 2024, as a Vishu release alongside *Aavesham* and *Varshangalkku Shesham*[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2024/Mar/29/jai-ganesh-trailer-out-unni-mukundan-plays-an-unlikely-superhero) |
| Runtime and certificate | 125 minutes; certified U by the CBFC (listed as U/A by FilmiBeat)[6](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28533/jai-ganesh/) • [7](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/jai-ganesh/ott.html) |
| Lead cast | Unni Mukundan, Mahima Nambiar, Ravindra Vijay, Jomol, Hareesh Peradi, Ashokan, Nandhu[6](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28533/jai-ganesh/) |
| Music and crew | Music by Sankar Sharma, cinematography by Chandru Selvaraj, editing by Sangeeth Prathap, sound design by Tapas Nayak[6](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28533/jai-ganesh/) |
| OTT release | 24 May 2024 on Manorama Max[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/jai-ganesh/ott.html) |
| India box office | ₹34.5 million (₹3.45 crore) net, ₹39.7 million (₹3.97 crore) gross (Sacnilk estimate)[8](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Jai_Ganesh_2024) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Ganesh Gangadharan, played by Unni Mukundan, is a former biker left paralyzed below the waist after a bike accident during his college years. He works as a graphic designer for an online media portal by day and as an independent digital artist and ethical hacker by night, and he creates a desi superhero comic named Jai Ganesh, rooted in Indian myth and based on his own struggles as a differently-abled man.[15](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Apr/12/jai-ganesh-movie-review-superhero-origin-story-sans-heft) When a young boy is kidnapped from his apartment complex, he secretly assists a lawyer in solving cases using his hacking skills and sets out to bring the culprit to justice under his superhero alias.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28755837/) The British Board of Film Classification, which certified the film 12A for its UK release, describes it as a tense thriller in which a skilled hacker assists the police when a child he knows is kidnapped by a villain seeking revenge.[16](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/jai-ganesh-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdiwndg4)
## Production and announcement
Unni Mukundan announced the film on 22 August 2023 at a Ganeshotsav event at the Kottarakkara Mahaganapathi temple, during the public controversy over a "myth" remark that was then circulating in Kerala.[9](https://www.samakalikamalayalam.com/movie-news/jai-ganesh-unni-mukundans-new-movie-185227.html) Ranjith Sankar wrote on Facebook that he had completed the screenplay before searching for an actor for the role, and that Mukundan liked the script.[10](https://malayalam.indiatoday.in/amp/cinema/story/unni-mukundan-will-be-act-the-role-of-ganesh-in-jay-ganesh-638794-2023-08-23) In an April 2024 interview with OTTplay, Sankar said he had conceived the idea as far back as 2010.[11](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/ranjith-sankar-would-have-made-jai-ganesh-even-if-id-seen-maaveeran-before-shooting-the-film-exclusive/abd3e5b402946) The release date of 11 April 2024 was announced in December 2023.[12](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/2023/dec/14/unni-mukundans-jai-ganesh-gets-a-release-date-2641238.html)
**Pre-release controversy.** In January 2024, screenshots circulated on social media showing a poster with Mukundan's picture and text saying that people who did not light "Sri Rama Jyoti" or chant "[Jai Shri Ram](https://www.edgepedia.org/jai-shri-ram)" should not watch his movie. Mukundan posted on Facebook that he never made those statements and that a campaign to "kill" the film had been running since 1 January.[13](https://www.keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=1239205) A teaser released on 14 February 2024 was announced by Mukundan on social media the previous day.[14](https://keralakaumudi.com/cinema/news/unni-mukundan-movie-jai-ganesh-teaser-out-1248804)
## Release and reception
The film opened in theaters on 11 April 2024, the same day as [Fahadh Faasil](https://www.edgepedia.org/fahadh-faasil)'s *Aavesham* and [Pranav Mohanlal](https://www.edgepedia.org/pranav-mohanlal)'s *Varshangalkku Shesham*.[5](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2024/Mar/29/jai-ganesh-trailer-out-unni-mukundan-plays-an-unlikely-superhero) It also received limited international releases in New Zealand (25 April), the United Kingdom (26 April), and Australia (2 May).[17](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jai-Ganesh-%282024-India%29)
**Critical response.** Reviews were mixed. The Cinema Express reviewer called it a superhero origin story "sans heft," writing that the execution failed to capitalize on an intriguing protagonist, while crediting [Sangeeth Prathap](https://www.edgepedia.org/sangeeth-prathap)'s editing for a judicious running time just above two hours.[15](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Apr/12/jai-ganesh-movie-review-superhero-origin-story-sans-heft) The Times of India gave it 2.5 out of 5, calling the script lacklustre, and the Indian Express gave 2 out of 5, criticizing the handling of the disability theme and calling Mukundan's performance overly loud at times.[18](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/jai-ganesh/amp_movie_review/109246554.cms) • [19](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/jai-ganesh-movie-review-a-loud-unni-mukundan-in-weakly-penned-film-9265901/) Manorama Online's review was positive, praising Mukundan's performance and the treatment of the Kochi waste-management crisis in the screenplay.[20](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2024/04/11/jai-ganesh-malayalam-movie-review.html) On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.0 out of 10 from about 2,100 users.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28755837/)
**Box office and streaming.** Sacnilk estimated India net collections of ₹34.5 million (₹3.45 crore) and a total gross of ₹39.7 million (₹3.97 crore); Kerala Kaumudi reported that the film failed to collect well despite good opinions from critics and audiences.[8](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Jai_Ganesh_2024) • [3](https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=1307759&u=unni-mukundan-starrer-jai-ganesh-coming-to-ott-%EF%BF%BDrelease-date-announced) It premiered on Manorama Max on 24 May 2024, the first Vishu release of the year to go digital.[7](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/jai-ganesh/ott.html) • [21](https://www.ottplay.com/news/jai-ganesh-unni-mukundans-film-hits-milestone-on-manorama-max/9d0190026c8) By September 2024, OTTplay reported that it had become the most streamed Malayalam film on the platform.[21](https://www.ottplay.com/news/jai-ganesh-unni-mukundans-film-hits-milestone-on-manorama-max/9d0190026c8)
## References
1. [Jai Ganesh Malayalam Review By CinemakkaranAmal, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwYNLMmxLHU)
2. [Jai Ganesh (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28755837/)
3. [Unni Mukundan-starrer 'Jai Ganesh' coming to OTT; release date announced, Kerala Kaumudi](https://keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=1307759&u=unni-mukundan-starrer-jai-ganesh-coming-to-ott-%EF%BF%BDrelease-date-announced)
4. [Unni Mukundan interview, Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/interview/2024/04/07/chat-with-unni-mukundan.html)
5. [Jai Ganesh trailer out; Unni Mukundan plays an unlikely superhero, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2024/Mar/29/jai-ganesh-trailer-out-unni-mukundan-plays-an-unlikely-superhero)
6. [Jai Ganesh Malayalam Movie, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/28533/jai-ganesh/)
7. [Jai Ganesh OTT Release Date, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/jai-ganesh/ott.html)
8. [Jai Ganesh (2024-04-11) Box Office Collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Jai_Ganesh_2024)
9. ['ജയ് ഗണേഷ്'; ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദന്റെ പുതിയ സിനിമ, Samakalika Malayalam](https://www.samakalikamalayalam.com/movie-news/jai-ganesh-unni-mukundans-new-movie-185227.html)
10. [ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദൻ ഗണപതിയാവുന്നു, India Today Malayalam](https://malayalam.indiatoday.in/amp/cinema/story/unni-mukundan-will-be-act-the-role-of-ganesh-in-jay-ganesh-638794-2023-08-23)
11. [Ranjith Sankar: Would have made Jai Ganesh even if I'd seen Maaveeran, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/ranjith-sankar-would-have-made-jai-ganesh-even-if-id-seen-maaveeran-before-shooting-the-film-exclusive/abd3e5b402946)
12. [Unni Mukundan's 'Jai Ganesh' gets a release date, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/2023/dec/14/unni-mukundans-jai-ganesh-gets-a-release-date-2641238.html)
13. ["This started from Jan 1 and is still going on": Unni Mukundan talks propaganda against his upcoming movie, Kerala Kaumudi](https://www.keralakaumudi.com/en/news/news.php?id=1239205)
14. [ഉണ്ണി മുകുന്ദന്റെ 'ജയ് ഗണേഷ്' ടീസർ പുറത്ത്, Kerala Kaumudi](https://keralakaumudi.com/cinema/news/unni-mukundan-movie-jai-ganesh-teaser-out-1248804)
15. [Jai Ganesh Movie Review: Superhero origin story sans heft, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2024/Apr/12/jai-ganesh-movie-review-superhero-origin-story-sans-heft)
16. [Jai Ganesh, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/jai-ganesh-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdiwndg4)
17. [Jai Ganesh (2024) Box Office, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jai-Ganesh-%282024-India%29)
18. [Jai Ganesh Movie Review, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/jai-ganesh/amp_movie_review/109246554.cms)
19. [Jai Ganesh movie review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/jai-ganesh-movie-review-a-loud-unni-mukundan-in-weakly-penned-film-9265901/)
20. ['ജയ് ഗണേഷ്' റിവ്യു, Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2024/04/11/jai-ganesh-malayalam-movie-review.html)
21. [Jai Ganesh hits milestone on Manorama Max, OTTplay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/jai-ganesh-unni-mukundans-film-hits-milestone-on-manorama-max/9d0190026c8)
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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: 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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