Name: Vilaayath Budha
Genre: Drama, Action
Released: 2025-11-21
Rating: 7.0
Cast: Prithviraj Sukumaran, Priyamvada Krishnan, Shammi Thilakan, Anu Mohan, Dhruvan

Set in a rural village, the story revolves around a battle for a prized sandalwood tree. The clash between Bhaskaran Master and his smuggler protégé Mohanan reveals greed, betrayal, and questions of morality, making it both a social critique and a personal drama.

Vilaayath Budha

Times of India

India Today

Vilayat Buddha is so graphically crafted that it’s like, you can smell the crap (when a man falls into a septic tank), smell the sandalwood (around which the story revolves) and definitely smell the testosterone - in a manner of speaking.
Shammi Thilakan plays Bhaskaran, a shrewd politician, who is appreciated enough in his Marayoor village to be re-elected panchayat president several times. That is till he gets caught in a morally ambiguous and physically uncomfortable situation, that literally earns him a bad name.
Bhaskaran feels the bad name will be wiped out of people’s memory only when his cremation is done with the sandalwood from a tree on his property. The only problem is ‘Double Mohanan’ (Prithviraj), a mini Veerappan, now has his sights on the tree, which he tells Bhaskaran, who is also his old schoolmaster, is a particularly priced variety of sandalwood, used to make Buddha statues in China.
Mohanan is willing to pay any price, but Bhaskaran won’t sell. And in a battle of egos, are there ever any winners?
The film, initially announced by late writer-director Sachy, was taken over and directed by his associate Jayan Nambiar, but has definite touches of the former. At one point, a side story, with Suraj Venjaramoodu, who plays a magistrate, and Prithviraj’s character, almost makes you wonder if this will go the way of 2019 film Driving License, which was written by Sachy. The purpose of this story - in an already 2 hour 56 minute long film - is inexplicable. Perhaps, it is to give a positive legal backing to the anti-hero.
And this is the thing that is problematic about the film. It is formulaic - in its portrayal of an anti-hero, who is actually also a helper of the poor local people; in the masculine energy that drives the story, but also in the climax, when it tries to appeal to today’s sensibilities. (We will leave it at this to avoid spoilers).
It is good to see Prithviraj playing a raw character. The man has charm and he makes the anti-hero appealing enough to make us root for him, but he falters a bit in the emotional scenes. Shammi is super as the Bhaskaran Master, making us laugh at him, sympathise with him and feel exasperated with his stubbornness. Anu Mohan is charming. Priyamvada Krishnan, who plays Mohanan’s love interest, has presence.
A special mention to Arvind Kashyap and Renadive for gripping cinematography.
Vilayat Buddha is a well made film, but with battling male egos at its crux and the massy elements, it feels a bit ‘more of the same’.

When we hear the words Sandalwood smuggler, the notorious forest dweller Veerappan's name pops up in the minds of most Indians. These days, some might claim that spot has been taken over by Allu Arjun’s fictional character Pushpa Raj as well. Amidst this, here comes Prithviraj Sukumaran as Double Mohanan in 'Vilayath Budha', who carries the swag of Pushpa and goes by the name “Junior Veerappan” in his town.
Based on G. R. Indugopan’s novel 'Vilayath Buddha', debutant director Jayan Nambiar presents Prithviraj Sukumaran as aprotagonist with grey shades. He is a Sandalwood smuggler who takes on authority figures, bashes up goons, and delivers massy punch dialogues with complete swag. But do all these elements make 'Vilayath Budha' and its almost three-hour runtime worth the watch in theatres? Let’s find out!

Mohanan (Prithviraj Sukumaran), also known as Double Mohanan, Sandal Mohanan, and Junior Veerappan, is a timber trader by day and a sandalwood smuggler by night in Marayoor, Kerala. His biggest dream is to build a road through the hills where his home — and the homes of the rest of his tribe — stand isolated from the world.

T Bhaskaran (Shammi Thilakan), an ex-panchayat president, shares a strange and tragic past with the village. During his tenure, he once fell into a turd tank while trying to peep into the house of Chempakam (Rajashree) and her daughter (Priyamvada Krishnan), with whom Mohanan is in love. The incident became a local joke, fuelled by the opposition party, and Bhaskaran was soon mocked as “Theeta (Turd) Bhaskaran.” Humiliated beyond repair, he now wishes for his final rites to be performed on a sandalwood pyre, using the tree that grows in his own backyard — hoping that as he burns, the scent forces the villagers to confront the filth in their own lives.
One day, Mohanan spots Bhaskaran’s tree and realises it is of the rarest, most premium quality: Vilayath. Bhaskaran, who once taught Mohanan in school, immediately grows wary of him. Already battling depression and clinging to the tree as his last symbol of dignity, Bhaskaran becomes increasingly protective, even obsessive. What follows is a tense power struggle filled with gripping confrontations, shifting loyalties, and emotional chaos.

Who will claim the Vilayath Budha in the end? Will Mohanan fulfil his long-standing dream? Can Bhaskaran save his prized tree from Junior Veerappan? And is there more to their conflict than what appears on the surface? Answers to these questions — blended with commercial masala flavours, loads of backstory, and grounded in Malayalam cinematic sensibilities — form the plot of the film.
More than the story, screenplay, and direction, the credit for this film’s engagement goes to the performances. Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shammi Thilakan, and Priyamvada Krishnan shine bright in this film. The anchor of the story, Prithvi’s swag, is simply powerful throughout the film. Whether it is an emotionally charged, dialogue-heavy scene or a mass commercial action sequence, the swag and the performance are on point.

Shammi Thilakan delivers a nuanced performance as Bhaskaran. While it starts off slightly offbeat, the actor conveys his inner turmoil in a hard-hitting manner, and the range he shows in expressing that is simply amazing. Priyamvada Krishnan, who plays the lover with Stockholm syndrome — whose name shall not be mentioned here since it has a special reveal in the film — also plays a key role well. She convincingly portrays the ride-or-die toxic girlfriend who never lets Mohanan back down.
Adding to this is the nearly three-hour runtime: While adapting a dense novel is no easy task, the first half ends up overlong and almost entirely dedicated to setup, leaving the core conflict to surface only in the second half. By then, despite a promising teacher–student emotional angle, the payoff doesn’t feel fully earned. The opposition is established well, but the climax veers into something unexpectedly Shakespearean — ambitious, yet not entirely convincing.

The film is mostly on point in the technical departments, though not without its drawbacks. Starting with the demerits, the editing is as much a flaw as the screenplay; with tighter sequencing, the narrative could have been far crisper, and the three-hour runtime certainly feels unnecessary. The VFX and CGI, too, dip in quality during certain portions, momentarily transporting viewers into a digitally rendered world straight out of Mahishmati.


On the brighter side, Aravind S Kashyap’s cinematography and Jakes Bejoy’s music hold the film together. Aravind’s frames range from slick and commercial to earthy and raw, and his experience shooting in forest terrains — notably in 'Kantara' — clearly strengthens the visual texture of this film. Jakes’s music, although not as standout as some of his previous work and occasionally reminiscent of his high-energy tracks in 'Saripoda Sanivaram', remains impactful and blends smoothly into the world of 'Vilayath Budha'.

In the end, ‘Vilayath Buddha’ is a film that shines brightest when it leans into its strengths — a solid central performance, strong technical craft, and a narrative that has all the ingredients of an engaging action thriller. But its inconsistencies, stretched runtime, and jarring commercial detours hold it back from becoming the knockout it could have been. For all its bumps, it remains an enjoyable adaptation that makes you wish it was a little crisper and to the point.



Vilaayath Budha Official Teaser | Prithviraj Sukumaran |Jayan Nambiar |Urvassi Theatres |Jakes Bejoy

Vilaayath Budha Trailer (Hindi) | Prithviraj Sukumaran |Jayan Nambiar |Urvassi Theatres|Jakes Bejoy

Vilaayath Budha Official Trailer | Prithviraj Sukumaran |Jayan Nambiar |Urvassi Theatres|Jakes Bejoy

Prithviraj Sukumaran is an actor, singer and filmmaker who majorly stars in Malayalam language movies. Also associated with Bollywood, Tamil films and Telugu cinema, Sukumaran made his acting debut in the year 2002 with the romantic-drama film Nandanam. He is widely appreciated for his work in films like Indian Rupee, Celluloid, Kaaviya Thalaivan and Anwar & has won prestigious awards like the Filmfare, SIIMA, IIFA Utsavam and the National Film Award.

Vilaayath Budha(2025)