Most problematic Malayalam movie of 2025, starring blockbuster director, earned only 1/3 of Rs 5 cr budget in Kerala

Meanwhile, Vineeth Sreenivasan expanded his horizons further and made his filmmaking debut with Malarvaadi Arts Club (2010), featuring a bunch of newcomers, including Nivin Pauly, who later became a massive star in Mollywood. The film turned out to be a blockbuster. His second directorial venture, Thattathin Marayathu (2012), was an even bigger box office success, and Vineeth thus established himself as a skilled multi-hyphenate, just like his father. Although his third directorial endeavour, the Shobana-starrer Thira (2013), did not achieve success upon release, it eventually attained cult status.

His subsequent movies, like Jacobinte Swargarajyam (2016), Hridayam (2022) and Varshangalkku Shesham (2024), also achieved massive success, though the latter two received criticism from some quarters for being cringeworthy. Meanwhile, Vineeth kept working as an actor too and appeared in notable movies like Traffic, Chappa Kurishu, Oru Vadakkan Selfie, Kunjiramayanam, Aby, Aravindante Athidhikal, Thanneer Mathan Dinangal, Mukundan Unni Associates, Thankam, Pookkaalam and 2018, among others.

Watch Oru Jaathi Jathakam trailer here:

Vineeth Sreenivasan’s first movie of 2025, Oru Jaathi Jathakam, helmed by his uncle M Mohanan, hit the screens on January 31. It marked their reunion after seven years since the successful Aravindante Athidhikal. Touted as a “dark comedy,” the film received poor reviews and sparked controversy as well for its highly problematic portrayal and ridicule of homosexuality. The matter eventually reached the court. In February, the Kerala High Court issued a notice to the movie’s director while considering a writ petition that alleged that the movie uses derogatory language to refer to the LGBTQ+ community. The petitioner also criticised the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for permitting the movie’s exhibition. In our review of the movie, we had also mentioned that Oru Jaathi Jathakam “reinforces several harmful practices, including casteism, colourism, misogyny, sexism, body shaming and homophobia, among others.”

According to a report released by the Kerala Film Producers’ Association (KFPA) in February — which revealed the budget of Malayalam movies released in January and the share of revenue each generated from cinema halls in the state — Oru Jaathi Jathakam managed to earn a theatre share of only Rs 1.5 crore from Kerala against a budget of Rs 5 crore. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the movie ended its theatrical run by recording a total India nett collection of Rs 7.06 crore. The film also featured Nikhila Vimal, Babu Antony, Kayadu Lohar, Kunhikrishnan PP and Mridul Nair in key roles.

Vineeth Sreenivasan’s woes didn’t end there; his career as a filmmaker suffered its first box-office bomb a few months later. Karam, his seventh directorial venture, not only flopped big time but also became his first movie to receive mostly negative reviews. Penned by Noble Babu Thomas, who also played the lead role, Karam was jointly bankrolled by Vineeth and Visakh Subramaniam under the banners of Habit of Life and Merryland Cinemas, respectively. Mounted on a reported budget of Rs 25-30 crore, the film, as per Sacnilk, registered an India nett of only Rs 1.08 crore during its theatrical run, making it a massive disaster.