# Samshayam (സംശയം)
**Samshayam** (സംശയം, "doubt") is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Rajesh Ravi, in which a mother's suspicion that her toddler was switched at birth upends a small-town family. It was produced by Suraj P.S., Dixon Poduthas, and Lino Philip for 1895 Studios of Ernakulam, and released in Indian theaters on 16 May 2025.[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 16 May 2025, wide theatrical release in India; 2 hours runtime[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622) |
| Certification | U, certified 8 April 2025 by the CBFC regional office in Thiruvananthapuram, certificate DIL/1/20/2025-THI, certified length 120.0 minutes[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D) |
| Lead cast | Vinay Forrt as Manojan, Lijomol Jose as Vimala, Sharafudheen as Harris, Priyamvada Krishnan as Faiza[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622) |
| Key crew | Story, screenplay, and dialogues by Rajesh Ravi; music by Hesham Abdul Wahab; cinematography by Manesh Madhavan; editing by Lijo Paul[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D) |
| Plot premise | Vimala develops an unshakeable suspicion that her one-and-a-half-year-old child was switched at birth, and her husband Manojan is drawn into a quest for the truth[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D) |
| Streaming | Manorama Max acquired the digital rights and the film began streaming there on 24 July 2025[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/samshayam/ott.html) |
| Reception | Times of India critic rating 3.0/5; Samayam Malayalam 3.5/5; BookMyShow user score 9.3/10 from more than 740 votes[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/samshayam/movie-review/121217869.cms) • [5](https://malayalam.samayam.com/malayalam-cinema/movie-review/samshayam-movie-review-and-rating/moviereview/121229374.cms) • [2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622) |
## Spoilers
### Story and premise
The film opens by stating that it is inspired by true events.[6](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/review/samshayam-movie-review-vinay-forrt-sharafudheens-simple-but-powerful-tale-is-told-with-a-lot-of-grace/b68bda67c4845) Manojan (Vinay Forrt) and Vimala ([Lijomol Jose](https://www.edgepedia.org/lijomol-jose)) are a newly married couple living with Manojan's father, whose chief sorrow is that the couple has no children, and he blames Vimala for it.[7](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2025/05/18/vinay-forrt-sharafudheen-samshayam-movie-review.html) After the birth, on an ordinary afternoon Vimala is struck by an absurd suspicion that refuses to fade: what if their one-and-a-half-year-old son was switched at birth and is not really theirs?[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D)
The unsuspecting Manojan is then thrust into a quest for the truth that might unravel his entire world.[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622) The film begins as a family drama in a small town, moves into an ego clash between two men, and ends by letting the women take over in what the OTTplay review called its most poignant register.[6](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/review/samshayam-movie-review-vinay-forrt-sharafudheens-simple-but-powerful-tale-is-told-with-a-lot-of-grace/b68bda67c4845)
### Cast and characters
Vinay Forrt plays Manojan, an [Indian Coffee House](https://www.edgepedia.org/indian-coffee-house) employee; Lijomol Jose plays his wife Vimala; Sharafudheen plays Harris, a central character who enters in the film's second half; and [Priyamvada Krishnan](https://www.edgepedia.org/priyamvada-krishnan) plays Faiza.[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622) • [8](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/samshayam/PS6eWRshg7MsEbie7zB5I2/credits/) P. P. Kunhikrishnan plays Bhaskaran, the warm figure behind the Indian Coffee House setting, and Siddique plays C. P. Aboobacker.[8](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/samshayam/PS6eWRshg7MsEbie7zB5I2/credits/)
For the role, Forrt adopted a markedly different makeover, playing an ordinary coffee house worker with northern Malabar slang.[7](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2025/05/18/vinay-forrt-sharafudheen-samshayam-movie-review.html) Supporting cast listed in the credits include Unnimaya Nalappadam as Reshmi, Aswin Vijayan as Vimala's brother, Sibi Thomas as SI Bineesh P.C., and Sarayu Mohan.[8](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/samshayam/PS6eWRshg7MsEbie7zB5I2/credits/)
## Production
Debutant Rajesh Ravi wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogues as well as directing, with Sanu Majeed credited as co-writer.[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D) • [9](https://bingebase.com/movies/samshayam-2025/cast) Manesh Madhavan was the director of photography, Lijo Paul the editor, and Dileep Nath the production designer. [Hesham Abdul Wahab](https://www.edgepedia.org/hesham-abdul-wahab) composed the music, with lyrics by Anwar Ali, Vinayak Sasikumar, and Venu Gopalan.[1](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D)
## Reception and streaming
The Times of India gave 3.0/5, describing a film that starts with chuckles and ends with a lump in the throat, praising Vinay Forrt's comic timing and the supporting performances while noting some stretched scenes.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/samshayam/movie-review/121217869.cms) Samayam Malayalam rated it 3.5/5, calling it a film a whole family could watch, and highlighted Manesh Madhavan's cinematography, Lijo Paul's editing, and Wahab's songs and background score.[5](https://malayalam.samayam.com/malayalam-cinema/movie-review/samshayam-movie-review-and-rating/moviereview/121229374.cms) On BookMyShow the film held a 9.3/10 user score from more than 740 votes, with the most common review tags being AwesomeStory, Wellmade, and GreatActing, though individual opinions ranged from calls to watch it in a theater to dismissals of the story as short-film material.[2](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622) [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express), surveying the first half of 2025, judged Samshayam decent at best among May releases.[10](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/2025-malayalam-cinema-6-month-report-mohanlal-mammootty-asif-ali-empuraan-thudarum-10101772/lite/)
Manorama Max acquired the digital rights, and the film began streaming on the platform on 24 July 2025.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/samshayam/ott.html) • [11](https://www.ottplay.com/news/samshayam-out-on-ott-heres-where-to-watch-vinay-forrt-sharaf-u-dheens-latest-film/e5ec9611d7947)
## Themes
Reviewers identified the film's central question as whether parenthood is defined by biology or love.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/samshayam/movie-review/121217869.cms) The Manorama Online review noted that the film also takes up color-based discrimination and the fact that women are still blamed and harassed for childlessness, using a simple narrative style and presenting these issues for open discussion.[7](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2025/05/18/vinay-forrt-sharafudheen-samshayam-movie-review.html)
## References
1. [CBFC film certification record: SAMSHAYAM, Central Board of Film Certification India](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTAyMDQyMDI1MDAwMTM%3D)
2. [Samshayam (2025), BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/thsr/samshayam/ET00444622)
3. [Samshayam OTT Release, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/malayalam/movies/samshayam/ott.html)
4. [Samshayam Movie Review: Suspicion, Laughter, and a Stirring Dilemma, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movie-reviews/samshayam/movie-review/121217869.cms)
5. [വെറും സംശയമല്ല; കൊടും സംശയം, Samayam Malayalam](https://malayalam.samayam.com/malayalam-cinema/movie-review/samshayam-movie-review-and-rating/moviereview/121229374.cms)
6. [Samshayam movie review, OTTPlay](https://www.ottplay.com/amp/review/samshayam-movie-review-vinay-forrt-sharafudheens-simple-but-powerful-tale-is-told-with-a-lot-of-grace/b68bda67c4845)
7. [സരസം, കാലികം; സംശയമില്ലാതെ കാണാം 'സംശയം', Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2025/05/18/vinay-forrt-sharafudheen-samshayam-movie-review.html)
8. [Samshayam Cast & Crew, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/samshayam/PS6eWRshg7MsEbie7zB5I2/credits/)
9. [Samshayam (2025) Full Cast & Crew, Bingebase](https://bingebase.com/movies/samshayam-2025/cast)
10. [Malayalam cinema 6-month report card, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/2025-malayalam-cinema-6-month-report-mohanlal-mammootty-asif-ali-empuraan-thudarum-10101772/lite/)
11. [Samshayam out on OTT, OTTPlay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/samshayam-out-on-ott-heres-where-to-watch-vinay-forrt-sharaf-u-dheens-latest-film/e5ec9611d7947)
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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 2025*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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