# Miruthan (மிருதான்)
**Miruthan** (மிருதன்) is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language zombie horror action film directed and written by Shakti Soundar Rajan, starring Jayam Ravi as a traffic policeman who helps a team of doctors reach a city hospital to develop an antidote during a zombie outbreak in a hill station.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) • [2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/miruthan) It was released on 19 February 2016 and is widely described as the first zombie film in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema), a claim at least one reviewer has questioned.[3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/miruthan-jayam-ravi-lakshmi-menon-tamil-zombie-movie-audience-review.html) • [4](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/reviews/movie-review-miruthan/articleshow/51061090.cms)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 19 February 2016 (India), Tamil language, produced by Global Infotainment[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) • [5](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5927/2016-miruthan) |
| Director and writer | Shakti Soundar Rajan[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) |
| Lead cast | Jayam Ravi as Karthik, Lakshmi Menon as Renuka, with Kaali Venkat, Anikha Surendran, R. N. R. Manohar, and Amit Bhargav[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) |
| Runtime | 106 minutes (1h 46m)[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) |
| Music | D. Imman; the song "Munnal Kadhali" was written by Madhan Karky and performed by Vishal Dadlani and Sharanya Gopinath[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) |
| Censorship | Initially refused an adults-only A certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification's process; the revising committee passed it with a U/A rating after four gore scenes were cut[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) |
| Audience score | IMDb 6.0/10 from about 2.3K votes, unweighted mean 6.9[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/ratings/) |
| Reported box office | The Numbers: $45,694 international and worldwide; IMDb: $21,372 gross worldwide[8](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Miruthan) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story is set in Ooty, a hill station in [Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu). Poisonous liquid leaks from a container outside a research site; a dog laps it up, turns vicious, and bites a security guard, who becomes a zombie within hours and passes the infection on through bites.[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016) In Ooty, Karthik works as a traffic sub-inspector and brings up his younger sister Vidya, who is in her teens; being orphans, the two share a home with Chinnamalai, a constable who is Karthik's friend. Karthik loves Renuka, a cardiologist engaged to another cardiologist, Naveen, but has never told her.[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016)
After Karthik crosses Minister Gurumoorthy, Vidya vanishes. The infected are to be shot on police orders, and Karthik, slaying zombies as he goes, hunts for her until a phone call leads him to Renuka and to a team of physicians under Dharan's direction who are developing a cure.[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016) In the film's central premise, the traffic cop takes on the responsibility of transporting the team of doctors to a city hospital so they can find an antidote.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/miruthan)
### Sequel and availability
A follow-up, *Miruthan 2*, pairing Jayam Ravi with Shakti Soundar Rajan for another zombie outbreak, was announced in trade coverage around the film's release.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Miruthan/movie-review/51065089.cms) As of late 2026, the film streams in India on Zee5, Sun Nxt, and VI movies and tv, and is listed as available on ZEE5 in 72 countries.[2](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/miruthan) • [6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016)
## Production
Shakti Soundar Rajan directed the film from his own screenplay for the production company Global Infotainment, with S. Michael Rayappan as producer, S. Venkatesh as cinematographer, and [D. Imman](https://www.edgepedia.org/d-imman) composing the music.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) • [5](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5927/2016-miruthan) Filming took place in Ooty, Tamil Nadu.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) For a July 2015 shooting schedule at Binny Mills, the art direction team built a set that cost 15 million rupees (1.5 crore rupees).[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016)
The film was shot with a [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos) sound mix.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/) Four scenes were cut from the movie to avoid an adult rating; the cuts involved gore rather than sexual content.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/)
## Genre position and "first" claim
Most coverage describes Miruthan as the first zombie film in Tamil cinema.[3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/miruthan-jayam-ravi-lakshmi-menon-tamil-zombie-movie-audience-review.html) • [9](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/miruthan.html) The claim is contested on two grounds. The reviewer R. S. Prakash in Bangalore Mirror noted that the 1989 film *Naalaya Manithan*, directed by Velu Prabhakaran, had showcased a similar theme of living things turning violent after infection by toxic waste, making the makers' claim of a first "rather a tall one".[4](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/reviews/movie-review-miruthan/articleshow/51061090.cms) Malini Mannath in The New Indian Express argued the film is not a zombie film at all in the strict sense, since its predators are victims of a virus infection rather than the living dead.[10](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2016/Feb/21/review-miruthan-fails-to-live-up-to-zombie-billing-894900.html)
## Reception
**Critical response.** Reviews were mixed to mildly negative. The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5, with the critic M Suganth writing that "the execution doesn't match its ambition".[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Miruthan/movie-review/51065089.cms) The Hindustan Times rated it 2 out of 5, calling it a tired story with gory faces and an annoying storyline, while noting that for a largely Tamil-speaking audience without easy access to Hollywood zombie cinema, the film could be a new experience.[12](https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/miruthan-review-the-killing-fields-of-zombie-land/story-sMasX8qn8bTti2jijqh9OO.html) The New Indian Express found that neither the horror element nor the humor worked.[10](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2016/Feb/21/review-miruthan-fails-to-live-up-to-zombie-billing-894900.html) A nowrunning review called it "at best, a good attempt in introducing the zombie genre to Tamil cinema", crediting Jayam Ravi's performance.[13](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17724/tamil/miruthan/5363/review/) A summary of 10 critic reviews at TheReviewMonk counted 3 positive, 3 mixed, and 2 negative among 8 rated reviews, with praise for the novelty of the genre attempt and criticism of the weak script and execution.[14](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/miruthan/)
**Audience response.** Onmanorama's audience roundup at release quoted viewers rating it around 3 to 3.25 out of 5 and praising Jayam Ravi's performance and the film's action.[3](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/miruthan-jayam-ravi-lakshmi-menon-tamil-zombie-movie-audience-review.html) On IMDb the film holds 6.0/10 from about 2.3K votes, with an unweighted mean of 6.9; the countries with the most ratings are India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/ratings/) Rotten Tomatoes lists no Tomatometer reviews and fewer than 50 audience ratings.[15](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miruthan)
## Box office and festivals
The Numbers records no domestic box office and an international total of $45,694, drawn from wide releases in Australia and the United Kingdom on 19 February 2016: $23,073 from Australia, $21,281 from the United Kingdom, and $1,340 from the rest of world.[8](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Miruthan) IMDb lists a gross worldwide figure of $21,372; the two databases disagree, and neither reconciles with the other.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/)
The film circulated on the international genre-festival circuit. According to compiled trivia, Miruthan became the second Tamil film, after *Billa*, to be selected for the Fantasia International Film Festival, and it was also screened at Sitges, Neuchâtel, MOTELx, Mórbido, Yubari, and Bucheon.[6](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016)
## References
1. [Miruthan (2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/)
2. [Miruthan streaming: where to watch movie online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/miruthan)
3. [Jayam Ravi's 'Miruthan' movie: Audience review, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/miruthan-jayam-ravi-lakshmi-menon-tamil-zombie-movie-audience-review.html)
4. [Movie Review: MIRUTHAN, Bangalore Mirror](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/reviews/movie-review-miruthan/articleshow/51061090.cms)
5. [Miruthan (2016), TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5927/2016-miruthan)
6. [Miruthan (2016) on Netflix, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/miruthan-2016)
7. [Miruthan (2016) - Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5455344/ratings/)
8. [Miruthan (2016) - Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Miruthan)
9. [மிருதன் Movie, Filmibeat Tamil](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/miruthan.html)
10. [Review: Miruthan Fails to Live up to Zombie Billing, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/review/2016/Feb/21/review-miruthan-fails-to-live-up-to-zombie-billing-894900.html)
11. [Miruthan Movie Review {2.5/5}, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/Miruthan/movie-review/51065089.cms)
12. [Miruthan review: Nothing novel about the first Tamil zombie film, Hindustan Times](https://www.hindustantimes.com/movie-reviews/miruthan-review-the-killing-fields-of-zombie-land/story-sMasX8qn8bTti2jijqh9OO.html)
13. [Miruthan Movie Review by SMK, nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/17724/tamil/miruthan/5363/review/)
14. [Miruthan (2016) Movie Review — 10 Critic Reviews, TheReviewMonk](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/miruthan/)
15. [Miruthan, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/miruthan)
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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) › Tamil films of the 2010s › Tamil horror films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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