# Thallumaala (തല്ലുമാല)
**Thallumaala** (തല്ലുമാല) is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Khalid Rahman, produced by Ashiq Usman, and starring [Tovino Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/tovino-thomas) as Waseem, a young man known for his fighting skills whose past catches up with him in the lead-up to his wedding.[1](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala) The title translates as a "chain of fights", and the film is built around a series of brawls told through a non-linear, chaptered narrative.[2](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25911/malayalam/thallumaala/11893/review/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / producer | Khalid Rahman; produced by Ashiq Usman for Ashiq Usman Productions[1](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala) |
| Writers | Muhsin Parari and Ashraf Hamza[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11075264) |
| Lead cast | Tovino Thomas as Waseem; Kalyani Priyadarshan as Beepathu[4](https://assets.moviebuff.com/thallumaala) |
| Release | 12 August 2022, wide theatrical release in India[4](https://assets.moviebuff.com/thallumaala) |
| Runtime | 147 minutes per the Australian classification; the Indian CBFC certificate lists 149.15 minutes[1](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala) • [5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/CC_Issued_2022.pdf) |
| Certifications | U/A in India (certified 8 August 2022); MA 15+ in Australia for strong action violence[5](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/CC_Issued_2022.pdf) • [1](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala) |
| Music and crew | Music by Vishnu Vijay; cinematography by Jimshi Khalid; editing by Nishadh Yusuf[6](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/thallumaala.html) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and structure
The movie centers on Waseem, a notorious online figure famous for his ability to fight, who finds his history resurfacing just before his marriage.[1](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala) Waseem is a jovial, carefree young man who dresses smartly but has anger issues, and his squad of friends shares the same qualities, so the group keeps instigating trouble.[7](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2022/08/12/tovino-thomas-kalyani-priyadarshan-thallumala-movie-review.html) The romantic thread centers on his desire to marry Beepathu, also known as [Fathima Beevi](https://www.edgepedia.org/fathima-beevi), a social media sensation.[7](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2022/08/12/tovino-thomas-kalyani-priyadarshan-thallumala-movie-review.html) Tovino Thomas described the part as requiring him to approach Waseem as three different characters, and said that if the fights were removed, the film would be a coming-of-age romantic drama.[8](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/exclusive-tovino-thomas-breaks-down-thallumaala-s-waseem-i-had-to-approach-him-as-three-different-characters/2f58425028676)
**Non-linear chapters.** The story is told in a non-linear structure divided into chapters, and the non-linearity was present from the script itself rather than imposed in the editing room; the screenplay even marked where the cuts would fall.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11075264) • [8](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/exclusive-tovino-thomas-breaks-down-thallumaala-s-waseem-i-had-to-approach-him-as-three-different-characters/2f58425028676) Cinematographer Jimshi Khalid said the script had five chapters, which became seven during the edit.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/malayalam/2022/Aug/25/we-were-never-over-ambitious-while-making-thallumaala-jimshi-khalid-2490988.html) A Manorama review counts the storytelling as running through nine chapters.[10](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2022/08/12/thallumaala-movie-review.html)
## Production
The film was announced with Tovino Thomas and [Kalyani Priyadarshan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kalyani-priyadarshan) in the lead roles, produced by Ashiq Usman under Ashiq Usman Productions and directed by Khalid Rahman, with the first-look poster released in April 2022.[11](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2022/04/04/tovino-thomas-kallyani-priyadarshan-movie-thallumaala-firstlook.html) Shooting progressed in Dubai.[11](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2022/04/04/tovino-thomas-kallyani-priyadarshan-movie-thallumaala-firstlook.html) The supporting cast includes [Shine Tom Chacko](https://www.edgepedia.org/shine-tom-chacko), Lukman Avaran, Chemban Vinod Jose, Binu Pappu, and Johny Antony.[4](https://assets.moviebuff.com/thallumaala) • [2](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25911/malayalam/thallumaala/11893/review/) The crew included choreographer Shobi Paulraj, action choreographer Supreme Sundar, and production designer Gokul Das.[11](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2022/04/04/tovino-thomas-kallyani-priyadarshan-movie-thallumaala-firstlook.html)
**Planned action and transitions.** The action was written into the script in detail; the fight in the van specified who punched whom and how, and because filming in a real car was impossible, the team built a car that could be dismantled to shoot from different angles.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/malayalam/2022/Aug/25/we-were-never-over-ambitious-while-making-thallumaala-jimshi-khalid-2490988.html) For the theater fight sequence, the filmmakers used the church sequence from *Kingsman: The Secret Service* (2015) as a reference and tried to replicate many of its shots.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/malayalam/2022/Aug/25/we-were-never-over-ambitious-while-making-thallumaala-jimshi-khalid-2490988.html) The scene-to-scene editing transitions were also planned in advance: the team chose [Edgar Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgar-wright)'s style, particularly *Scott Pilgrim vs the World*, and editor [Nishadh Yusuf](https://www.edgepedia.org/nishadh-yusuf) was on set almost every day monitoring the transitions before doing further work in the edit.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/malayalam/2022/Aug/25/we-were-never-over-ambitious-while-making-thallumaala-jimshi-khalid-2490988.html)
## Reception
The film opened to largely positive reviews. [The Week](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-week) rated it 4/5, calling it a full-on entertainer and noting that although it was written by a millennial, it is a film for and about Gen Z, with observations on contemporary Kerala including the struggles of single-screen theaters and toxic Malayali cyberspace.[12](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2022/08/12/thallumaala-review-tovino-thomas-kalyani-priyadarshan-shine-full-on-entertainer.html) Cinema Express rated it 3.5/5, praising the fight sequences as among the most innovative staged, shot, and edited in [Malayalam cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/malayalam-cinema), while questioning whether the characters' conflicts deserved a 150-minute runtime.[13](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2022/Aug/12/thallumaala-movie-review-eminently-enjoyable-when-not-being-self-indulgent-33683.html) A News9live review was more critical, describing the film as unable to salvage itself beyond a pointless swag show.[14](https://www.news9live.com/entertainment/movie-review/thallumala-movie-review-unable-to-salvage-beyond-pointless-swag-show-188976) On IMDb the film holds a 7.0/10 rating from about 8,300 users, with 3 wins and 6 nominations listed.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11075264)
**Box office.** According to user-contributed data on IMDb, the film crossed 150 million (15 crore) worldwide in theatrical gross within two days of release.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11075264) India Today Malayalam reported that with OTT and satellite rights also sold, the film's collections were expected to rise further, and described it as the biggest-budget film of Tovino Thomas's career to that point.[15](https://malayalam.indiatoday.in/amp/cinema/story/tovino-thomas-starrer-thallumala-box-office-collection-439530-2022-08-24) Ottplay later included Thallumaala among 2022's standout Malayalam films for its novel approach and rewatch value.[16](https://www.ottplay.com/news/listicle-rorschach-thallumaala-aavasavyuham-2022s-best-malayalam-films/c34559f034526)
## Style and critical study
The film's visual language mixes live action with comic book, animation, and video game aesthetics, and its editing has drawn formal academic attention. A 2024 case study in the University of Calicut Communication & Journalism Research journal analyzed Thallumaala's suturing techniques and suture rupture patterns, treating it as a prime example of the shift from traditional linear storytelling toward non-linear narrative in contemporary Malayalam cinema.[17](https://www.cjrjournal.in/Article/The%20Dexterity%20of%20Editing%20in%20Malayalam%20Films%3A%20A%20Case%20Study%20of%20%E2%80%98Thallumaala%E2%80%99) Reviewers have compared its editing, music, and scene transitions to *Everything Everywhere All at Once* and to the filmmaking of [Guy Ritchie](https://www.edgepedia.org/guy-ritchie).[18](https://letterboxd.com/dehosure/film/thallumaala/)
[The Australian](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-australian) classification board's consumer advice records the film's content in detail: extended fight sequences with hand-to-hand combat using fists, kicks, and occasional weapons such as glass bottles, blades, metal poles, and chairs, highly stylized with some blood and injury detail; brief verbal sexual references; and strong language in the English subtitles.[1](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala)
## References
1. [Thallumaala, Australian Classification](https://www.classification.gov.au/titles/thallumaala)
2. [Thallumaala Review, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/25911/malayalam/thallumaala/11893/review/)
3. [Thallumaala (2022), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11075264)
4. [Thallumaala (2022), Moviebuff](https://assets.moviebuff.com/thallumaala)
5. [List of feature films certified in 2022, CBFC India](https://cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/CC_Issued_2022.pdf)
6. [Thallumaala, Filmibeat Malayalam](https://malayalam.filmibeat.com/movies/thallumaala.html)
7. [Tovino's 'Thallumala': A fun ride anchoring on new gen vibe, Onmanorama](https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/2022/08/12/tovino-thomas-kalyani-priyadarshan-thallumala-movie-review.html)
8. [Tovino Thomas breaks down Thallumaala's Waseem, Ottplay](https://www.ottplay.com/interview/exclusive-tovino-thomas-breaks-down-thallumaala-s-waseem-i-had-to-approach-him-as-three-different-characters/2f58425028676)
9. ['We were never over ambitious while making Thallumaala': Jimshi Khalid, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/malayalam/2022/Aug/25/we-were-never-over-ambitious-while-making-thallumaala-jimshi-khalid-2490988.html)
10. [Thallumaala Movie Review, Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-reviews/2022/08/12/thallumaala-movie-review.html)
11. [Thallumaala first look, Manorama Online](https://www.manoramaonline.com/movies/movie-news/2022/04/04/tovino-thomas-kallyani-priyadarshan-movie-thallumaala-firstlook.html)
12. ['Thallumaala' review, The Week](https://www.theweek.in/review/movies/2022/08/12/thallumaala-review-tovino-thomas-kalyani-priyadarshan-shine-full-on-entertainer.html)
13. [Thallumaala Movie Review, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/malayalam/review/2022/Aug/12/thallumaala-movie-review-eminently-enjoyable-when-not-being-self-indulgent-33683.html)
14. [Thallumaala movie review, News9live](https://www.news9live.com/entertainment/movie-review/thallumala-movie-review-unable-to-salvage-beyond-pointless-swag-show-188976)
15. [Thallumaala box office, India Today Malayalam](https://malayalam.indiatoday.in/amp/cinema/story/tovino-thomas-starrer-thallumala-box-office-collection-439530-2022-08-24)
16. [2022's Best Malayalam Films, Ottplay](https://www.ottplay.com/news/listicle-rorschach-thallumaala-aavasavyuham-2022s-best-malayalam-films/c34559f034526)
17. [The Dexterity of Editing in Malayalam Films: A Case Study of 'Thallumaala', CJR Journal](https://www.cjrjournal.in/Article/The%20Dexterity%20of%20Editing%20in%20Malayalam%20Films%3A%20A%20Case%20Study%20of%20%E2%80%98Thallumaala%E2%80%99)
18. [Thallumaala review by Yadhu Krishnan, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/dehosure/film/thallumaala/)
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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 2022 and 2023*
*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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