# Sumathi Valavu
**Sumathi Valavu** (സുമതി വളവ്) is a 2025 Indian Malayalam-language horror-comedy film directed by Vishnu Sasi Shankar and written by Abhilash Pillai, starring Arjun Ashokan as a young man whose life becomes entangled with a haunted road bend in rural Kerala. The title refers to the curve itself, which local folklore says is guarded by the spirit of a Tamil woman named Sumathi.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed) • [2](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2025/08/02/sumathi-valavu-movie-review-arjun-ashokan-balu-varghese-horror-comedy.html) The film was released in theaters on 1 August 2025, received mostly negative reviews from critics, and was nonetheless regarded as a commercial success, with a sequel announced during its theatrical run.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Film | Malayalam horror-comedy, 2025; original title സുമതി വളവ്[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/sumathi-valavu) |
| Director and writer | Vishnu Sasi Shankar (director); story, screenplay, and dialogues by Abhilash Pillai[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed) |
| Lead cast | Arjun Ashokan (Appu), with Balu Varghese, Malavika Manoj, Saiju Kurup, Sidharth Bharathan, [Sshivada](https://www.edgepedia.org/sshivada), and Gokul Suresh[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTA3MDUyMDI1MDAwMTI%3D) |
| Censor certification | CBFC UA 16+, certified at Thiruvananthapuram on 23 May 2025, certified length 150.21 minutes[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTA3MDUyMDI1MDAwMTI%3D) |
| Release | 1 August 2025, theatrically, distributed by Dream Big Films in India[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33037773/companycredits/) |
| Box office | Makers reported ₹202.5 million (₹20.25 crore) global gross in the first ten days; trackers later put worldwide gross at ₹248.5 million (₹24.85 crore) with a "Hit" verdict[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office) • [7](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Sumathi_Valavu_2025) |
| Streaming | Available on Zee5 in India[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/sumathi-valavu) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story follows Appu (Arjun Ashokan), a young man in a village in rural Kerala whose life becomes entangled in the mystery of the haunted turn. Within the film's local legend, a spirit named Sumathi is said to haunt the bend, and she supposedly takes the life of anyone attempting to pass through it.[2](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2025/08/02/sumathi-valavu-movie-review-arjun-ashokan-balu-varghese-horror-comedy.html) The film follows a group of individuals who, for different reasons, find themselves connected to the location, and as they encounter a series of bizarre and supernatural events, the mystery surrounding Sumathi and the bend gradually unravels.[10](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33037773/plotsummary/) The setting is rural Kerala of the 1990s.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/sumathi-valavu-ott-release-when-and-where-to-watch-arjun-ashokans-horror-comedy-streaming-details/amp_articleshow/123987780.cms)
## The legend behind the film
The film takes its name from a road bend known in Kerala folklore. According to the plot summary filed with the [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification), the story is set in a village whose residents are all known for their cowardice, a fear rooted in an age-old tale of Sumathi, the spirit of a Tamil girl who haunts the S-shaped route that is the only way in and out of the village.[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTA3MDUyMDI1MDAwMTI%3D) A motion poster released before the shoot described the place as guarded for centuries by the spirit of a Tamil woman named Sumathi.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed)
A Kerala Express account ties the legend to a specific location, Mylamoodu in [Thiruvananthapuram](https://www.edgepedia.org/thiruvananthapuram), Kerala, where, in the 1950s, a pregnant woman named Sumathi was killed by her lover, after which locals spoke of her restless spirit haunting the area; the same account notes rumors that criminal elements exploited the ghost stories to keep curious locals away.[8](https://www.keralaexpress.com/news/sumathi_valavu_-_a_malayalam_horror_comedy_film) Scriptwriter Abhilash Pillai said in an interview that the story of Sumathi Valavu had been known for a long time, that the idea of a road curve feared by an entire region had fascinated him since 2019, and that the film is not the real story of Sumathi as popularly known but a horror-comedy inspired by the original tale, made to recreate the feel of a 1990s-style movie.[9](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/interviews/2025/10/07/horror-comedy-malayalam-movie.amp.html)
## Production
The film marks the reunion of writer Abhilash Pillai and director Vishnu Sasi Shankar after their earlier film *Malikappuram*. Filming ran for 84 days and wrapped in March 2025; on the last day the makers gifted crew members a new pair of clothes and an extra day's payment. [Principal photography](https://www.edgepedia.org/principal-photography) took place in the landscapes of Palakkad, Kerala.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed) • [8](https://www.keralaexpress.com/news/sumathi_valavu_-_a_malayalam_horror_comedy_film)
The crew includes Ranjin Raj for music, Shankar P.V. as director of photography, and Shafique Mohamed Ali as editor, with action by Vicky, Abhishek, and Mafia Sasi.[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTA3MDUyMDI1MDAwMTI%3D) The cast also includes Shravan Mukesh as the antagonist, along with [Bobby Kurian](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-kurian), Manoj K U, Gopika Anil, Sija Rose, Nandu, Sreejith Ravi, Kottayam Ramesh, Sminu Sijo, and the child actors Sreepathyan and Devananda from *Malikappuram*.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed)
The film is produced by Murali Kunnumpurath of the Waterman Films banner in association with Think Studios, and presented by Gokulam Gopalan's Sree Gokulam Movies.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office) The CBFC certified it UA 16+ at its Thiruvananthapuram regional office on 23 May 2025, with a certified length of 150.21 minutes.[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTA3MDUyMDI1MDAwMTI%3D)
## Release and box office
The film hit theaters on 1 August 2025, after the makers had earlier confirmed a May 8 release date that was not met.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office) • [1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed) It released internationally as well, opening in the [United Arab Emirates](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-arab-emirates) on 31 July 2025 and in the United Kingdom on 8 August 2025.[12](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt33037773/)
On 12 August 2025 the makers announced that the film had grossed ₹202.5 million (₹20.25 crore) at the global box office in its first ten days, and they declared it a commercial success and announced a sequel. In a social media post they wrote that "the love and support the film is receiving from family audiences is the answer to all the questions," a remark the Cinema Express report read as a response to negative criticism.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office) The box-office tracker Sacnilk later listed a worldwide gross of ₹248.5 million (₹24.85 crore), an India net figure of ₹160 million (₹16.00 crore), and a verdict of "Hit," with Kerala accounting for ₹113.2 million (₹11.32 crore) of the first nine days' India gross.[7](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Sumathi_Valavu_2025) The film later began streaming on Zee5 in India.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/sumathi-valavu)
## Reception
Critical response was mostly negative. [The Indian Express](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-indian-express) review, published on 1 August 2025, rated the film 2 out of 5 and argued that a film titled *Sumathi Valavu* spending so much of its runtime on everything but the title legend significantly detracted from the experience.[13](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sumathi-valavu-movie-review-arjun-ashokans-horror-comedy-aims-for-the-sturdiness-of-stree-but-proves-that-ambition-alone-wont-take-a-film-far-10162743/) Cinema Express's reviewer Vivek Santhosh wrote that the script "leans too heavily on formula" and lacks the "comic rhythm and charm" of yesteryear comedies such as *Godfather* and *Meesha Madhavan*.[3](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office) Onmanorama's review was more mixed, finding that most of the humor landed and praising Arjun Ashokan's relatable performance as a nervous, atypical hero, while noting that the second half pulled the story in a direction that did not build on the earlier tension and that the antagonist felt underdeveloped.[2](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2025/08/02/sumathi-valavu-movie-review-arjun-ashokan-balu-varghese-horror-comedy.html)
## References
1. [Arjun Ashokan's Sumathi Valavu shoot completed, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/malayalam/news/2025/Mar/08/arjun-ashokans-sumathi-valavu-shoot-completed)
2. ['Sumathi Valavu' review: Arjun Ashokan-starrer balances laughs and scares, but just barely, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2025/08/02/sumathi-valavu-movie-review-arjun-ashokan-balu-varghese-horror-comedy.html)
3. [Sumathi Valavu grosses 20 crore at global box office, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/news/2025/Aug/12/sumathi-valavu-grosses-20-crore-at-global-box-office)
4. [Sumathi Valavu streaming: where to watch online?, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/sumathi-valavu)
5. [CBFC Search Film: Sumathi Valavu, Central Board of Film Certification](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/search-result.php?recid=Q0EwOTA3MDUyMDI1MDAwMTI%3D)
6. [Sumathi Valavu (2025) Company credits, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33037773/companycredits/)
7. [Sumathi Valavu (2025-08-01) Box Office Collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Sumathi_Valavu_2025)
8. [Sumathi Valavu – A Malayalam Horror Comedy Film, Kerala Express](https://www.keralaexpress.com/news/sumathi_valavu_-_a_malayalam_horror_comedy_film)
9. [Beyond the curve: Abhilash Pillai on Sumathi Valavu, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/interviews/2025/10/07/horror-comedy-malayalam-movie.amp.html)
10. [Sumathi Valavu (2025) Plot, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt33037773/plotsummary/)
11. ['Sumathi Valavu' OTT release: When and where to watch, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/malayalam/movies/news/sumathi-valavu-ott-release-when-and-where-to-watch-arjun-ashokans-horror-comedy-streaming-details/amp_articleshow/123987780.cms)
12. [Sumathi Valavu (2025), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt33037773/)
13. [Sumathi Valavu movie review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/sumathi-valavu-movie-review-arjun-ashokans-horror-comedy-aims-for-the-sturdiness-of-stree-but-proves-that-ambition-alone-wont-take-a-film-far-10162743/)
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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 › Horror films (individual works) › Comedy horror films › 2020s comedy horror films*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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