Name: Thaai Kizhavi
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2026-02-27
Rating: 7.5
Cast: Radhika Sarathkumar, Singampuli, Aruldoss, Bala Saravanan, Munishkanth

An elderly woman holds a family together through authority, memory, and lived experience. When shifting relationships begin to test her influence, long-standing bonds are pushed to their limits. Tradition, responsibility, and survival collide inside the household.

Thaai Kizhavi

Times of India

India Today

A matriarch who's a nightmare for her village is on her deathbed prompting celebrations all around, including in her own sons and son-in-law, and prayers for her death. But when they learn that she has gold stashed somewhere, it sets off desperate attempts by her sons to bring her back from the brink of death. With Thaai Kizhavi, debutant Sivakumar Murugesan spins an entertaining film that's part rural farce and part women empowerment drama. In Radikaa Sarathkumar, he gets an actress of immense stature to effectively portray the badass-ness of his protagonist, and the veteran turns in a mass-y, whistle-worthy performance that makes us feel her presence in every scene despite the character's minimal screen time and see the steely woman behind the prosthetics. The supporting cast is equally terrific all around, and play the perfect second fiddle. The director's rooted storytelling is filled with situational humour, manufactured changes of heart and superb use of Kamal Haasan songs, spanning eras from MSV to Ilaiyaraaja, AR Rahman and even Shankar Ehsaan Loy.


Imagine a foul-mouthed matriarch who terrorises everyone with her mere presence, yet delivers the most valuable lesson on independence, agency and womanhood. If you operate on social media's version of morality, your mind will immediately question this dichotomy. But Sivakumar Murugesan's Thaai Kizhavi grounds you, drags you back to real life and makes you laugh while quietly asking the most important question of all â€” what does it mean to truly live, rather than merely exist in someone else's shadow?
Pavunuthaayi, played by a magnetic Radikaa Sarathkumar, is a widow living life entirely on her own terms. She chases villagers for borrowed money with interest, terrorises grown men who wear their patriarchal mindset like a badge of honour, and takes no prisoners with her sharp tongue. She earns a great deal of hate in the village â€” but Pavunuthaayi is far too layered to be defined by it alone.

When an untoward incident forces her three sons â€” Vijayan (Aruldoss), Uppiliyaan (Singampuli) and Selvam (Bala Saravanan) â€” back under her roof, the drama, chaos and comedy that follows is what Thaai Kizhavi is truly about.
Debutant director Sivakumar Murugesan wastes no time, diving straight into the story. He grabs your attention and does not let go throughout the film's two-hour, 24-minute runtime. Witty one-liners land with precision, and the film's use of classic Tamil film references goes well beyond nostalgia bait. Where many films drop a familiar song or dialogue for a cheap laugh, Thaai Kizhavi uses them with surgical intent. A pivotal scene from Kushi, Vishwaroopam's Yaar Endru Therigiradha, and a track from Virumandi each find entirely new meaning in new context â€” much like how Kamal Haasan's Kanmani Anbodu resonated differently in Manjummel Boys. It is a rare, satisfying trick when it works this well.
The humour in the first half is relentless but never mean-spirited. Murugesan, clearly a student of Kamal Haasan's brand of intellectual comedy, keeps the writing sharp and the situations grounded. He pays tribute to Kamal Haasan throughout. So much so that Kamal Haasan remains a character throughout the film. The second half shifts gears with quiet confidence, weaving in sensitive subjects â€” language imposition, capitalism, misogyny, patriarchy, remarriage, divorce, and the painful reality of children abandoning ageing parents â€” without ever turning into melodrama. The film does not take the moral high road by declaring that people matter more than money. That refusal to be preachy is precisely what makes it stand out.
Radikaa Sarathkumar gets a peach of a role, and she owns every frame. Pavunuthaayi is a woman who has her life in her own hands â€” a privilege she exercises without apology and extends to the women around her. She does not shrink in the face of loss. She rises, and in doing so, quietly sets an example. It's a stellar, career-defining performance.

The ensemble cast more than holds its own. Munishkanth and Bala Saravanan are particularly impressive, delivering both comedy and emotional beats with brilliance. Aathadi Kumaran as a drunkard and Vijaya Ganapathy as Pavunuthaayi's grandson add to the delightful comedy. Composer Nivas K Prasanna's background score elevates key moments, with the devotional Murugar track deserving a special mention. Cinematographer Vivek Vijayakumar captures village life with warmth and simplicity.

Thaai Kizhavi is well-intentioned, sharply executed, quietly radical and much-needed in today's world. It champions financial independence and women's agency without ever feeling like a lecture. Sivakumar Murugesan's final frame is wholesome, powerful, and unmistakably progressive â€” the work of a filmmaker who clearly had something to say and knew exactly how to say it.

Thaai Kizhavi - Official Trailer | Radikaa Sarathkumar | Sivakumar Murugesan | Nivas K Prasanna

Radhika Sarathkumar

Singampuli is an Indian actor and director. After making Red and Maayavi, he has made a career appearing in supporting roles in films.

Singampuli

Aruldoss is an Indian actor who has appeared in supporting roles in predominantly Tamil language films. Prior to focusing on an acting career, he worked as a cinematographer for several films.

Aruldoss

Bala Saravanan

Ramdoss, better known as Munishkanth, is an Indian actor who appears in Tamil language films. He had notable roles in films, including Mundasupatti, Maanagaram, Maragadha Naanayam and Raatchasan.

Thaai Kizhavi(2026)