# The Smile Man
**The Smile Man** (தி ஸ்மைல் மேன்) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller directed by Syam Praveen, in which a retired police officer with Alzheimer's disease races to catch a serial killer before his memory fails him.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere) It stars [R. Sarathkumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/r-sarathkumar) in his 150th film, alongside [Sija Rose](https://www.edgepedia.org/sija-rose), Iniya, Kalaiyarasan, George Maryan, and [Suresh Chandra Menon](https://www.edgepedia.org/suresh-chandra-menon).[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2023/Jun/13/it-is-a-wrap-for-sarathkumars-the-smile-man-44553.html) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/) The film was released in Indian theaters on 27 December 2024 and began streaming on Aha Tamil on 24 January 2025.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/) • [4](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/the-smile-man/ott.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Syam Praveen (credited with Kamala Alchemis as director on some listings); screenplay by Kamala Alchemis[5](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-smile-man-movie-130104) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_smile_man) |
| Lead role | R. Sarathkumar as Chidambaram Nedumaaran, a retired special-branch police officer with early-onset Alzheimer's; his 150th film[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere) • [2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2023/Jun/13/it-is-a-wrap-for-sarathkumars-the-smile-man-44553.html) |
| Theatrical release | 27 December 2024 (India), Tamil language[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/) |
| Runtime | 122 minutes (2h 2m)[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/) |
| Certification | CBFC UA 16+, certified 17 December 2024 by D Balamurali, Regional Officer, Chennai, with two modifications[7](https://cbfc.watch/film/the-smile-man-2024) |
| Streaming | Aha Tamil from 24 January 2025[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/the-smile-man/ott.html) |
| IMDb rating | 6.9/10 from about 2,600 users[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
Chidambaram Nedumaaran, a retired officer who served in a special investigation unit, is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease after an accident, and a doctor tells him his memories will soon fade entirely.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere) • [8](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/1344882-smile-man-film-review.html) He is pulled back into service to catch a killer the police call the "Smile Man", who leaves his victims in varied locations, under a bridge, in a field, and on top of a tree, with their mouths mutilated and stitched so that they resemble a smile.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere) • [9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/the-smile-man/amp_movie_review/116714458.cms)
The investigation is tied to Chidambaram's own past. An old case involved his missing friend Venkatesan (Suresh Menon), whose son Arvind, also a police officer, believes the disappearance is linked to the Smile Man and harbors suspicions about [Chidambaram](https://www.edgepedia.org/chidambaram) himself.[10](https://www.aha.video/movie/the-smile-man) The killer resurfaces each time Chidambaram comes into the open, and his primary target is Chidambaram.[1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere) Aha's synopsis adds that Chidambaram believes he has only a year before his memory fades entirely, and that the killer may be the same man he almost caught five years earlier.[10](https://www.aha.video/movie/the-smile-man)
## Production
The film went on floors in February 2022, and the makers announced the completion of shooting on 13 June 2023.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2023/Jun/13/it-is-a-wrap-for-sarathkumars-the-smile-man-44553.html) It was produced by Salil Das, Aneesh Haridasan, and Anandan T for Magnum Movies, with music by Gavaskar Avinash and editing by San Lokesh.[5](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-smile-man-movie-130104) • [2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2023/Jun/13/it-is-a-wrap-for-sarathkumars-the-smile-man-44553.html) [Cinematography](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinematography) credit differs between sources: the trade and database listings Nowrunning and Cinema Express's 2023 report name Sree Saravanan, while Gadgets360 and Cinema Express's 2025 OTT report name Vikram Mohan.[11](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/26216/the-smile-man/) • [5](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-smile-man-movie-130104) • [2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2023/Jun/13/it-is-a-wrap-for-sarathkumars-the-smile-man-44553.html) • [1](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere) IMDb lists an estimated budget of ₹20,000,000.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/)
## Certification
The [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification) cleared the film as UA 16+ on 17 December 2024, certified by D Balamurali, Regional Officer, CBFC Chennai.[7](https://cbfc.watch/film/the-smile-man-2024) Two modifications were recorded: a word was muted with its subtitle removed at timecode 56:07, and the text "Jai Anjeneya" was altered wherever it appeared on the villain's truck, along with a subtitle change at timecode 01:29:34, with no change in duration.[7](https://cbfc.watch/film/the-smile-man-2024)
## Release and reception
The film opened in theaters on 27 December 2024 and, according to trade and streaming coverage, did not perform as expected at the box office.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/) • [4](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/the-smile-man/ott.html) It premiered on Aha Tamil on 24 January 2025.[4](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/the-smile-man/ott.html)
Critical response was largely unfavorable. The Times of India gave it 2.5 out of 5, calling it "yet another run-of-the-mill serial killer story" that is "not a terrible film, just a terribly average one".[9](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/the-smile-man/amp_movie_review/116714458.cms) Cinema Express's review was titled "Even Sarathkumar can't salvage this insipid thriller", noting that the writing did not do justice to the actor.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/preview/story/5wUPFz6cuqKpPDAx7LhVHzWp4Nyae4Z2jCji-6fxO0ykQ9fTeVDO23Ixle7C94XQ) Bhuvanesh Chandar of *The Hindu* wrote that the narrative appeared constructed "choosing convenience over the need to be convincing", with loopholes that left him uninspired to invest.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_smile_man) The Hindu Tamil's review was more positive, praising the second half's reveal of the killer and Vikram Mohan's dark, moody cinematography, while finding the first half slow.[8](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/1344882-smile-man-film-review.html) On IMDb the film holds a 6.9/10 rating from about 2,600 users.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/)
## References
1. [Sarath Kumar's The Smile Man gets an OTT premiere, Cinema Express (24 January 2025)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/ott/news/2025/Jan/24/sarath-kumars-the-smile-man-gets-an-ott-premiere)
2. [It is a wrap for Sarathkumar's The Smile Man, Cinema Express (13 June 2023)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2023/Jun/13/it-is-a-wrap-for-sarathkumars-the-smile-man-44553.html)
3. [The Smile Man (2024), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18305194/)
4. [The Smile Man OTT Release, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/movies/the-smile-man/ott.html)
5. [The Smile Man Movie (2024), Gadgets360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/the-smile-man-movie-130104)
6. [The Smile Man, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_smile_man)
7. [THE SMILE MAN, CBFC Watch](https://cbfc.watch/film/the-smile-man-2024)
8. ['தி ஸ்மைல் மேன்' - திரை விமர்சனம், Hindu Tamil Thisai (28 December 2024)](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/cinema/1344882-smile-man-film-review.html)
9. [The Smile Man Movie Review, The Times of India (27 December 2024)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/the-smile-man/amp_movie_review/116714458.cms)
10. [The Smile Man, Aha](https://www.aha.video/movie/the-smile-man)
11. [The Smile Man Tamil Movie, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/26216/the-smile-man/)
12. [The Smile Man Movie Review: Even Sarathkumar can't salvage this insipid thriller, Cinema Express (27 December 2024)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/preview/story/5wUPFz6cuqKpPDAx7LhVHzWp4Nyae4Z2jCji-6fxO0ykQ9fTeVDO23Ixle7C94XQ)
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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 2020s › Tamil 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 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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