Vismaya Mohanlal’s ‘Thudakkam’ sets record worldwide opening for female-led Malayalam film, surpasses ‘Lokah’

In our review with Manjusha Radhakrishnan, we rated it 3 out of 5 stars saying Thudakkam comes loaded with nepotism baggage, but the star kids actually deliver. Vismaya Mohanlal, daughter of superstar Mohanlal, is refreshingly natural as Meenu, even if she’s occasionally shaky in the emotional scenes. But Ashish, producer Antony Perumbavoor’s son, is the real surprise. As a near-silent psychopath, he’s properly creepy without trying too hard. The survival thriller also hits home with its take on the everyday horrors women face — creepy stares, groping, victim-blaming and slut-shaming. The villain needed more depth, and Mohanlal’s cameo isn’t exactly subtle.

Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years—and she’s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. Red carpets? She’s walked them all—Europe, North America, Macau—covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She’s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood’s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. Oh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE’s 50 most influential icons? She was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV’s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list—Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. From breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn’t just cover entertainment—she owns it while looking like a star herself.