Mohanlal is absolutely owning the streaming game with Thudarum, his latest crime thriller that’s taken JioHotstar by storm. After smashing box office records, the film landed on the platform on May 30, 2025, and its second week saw a massive 93% jump in viewership, racking up 8.5 million views in just two weeks, according to Ormax. This Mollywood juggernaut is proving Mohanlal’s still got that superstar magic, and fans can’t get enough of this gritty, emotional ride.
Directed by Tharun Moorthy and rocking a solid 7.8 on IMDb, Thudarum stars Mohanlal as Shanmughan, a former stuntman now driving a taxi in the sleepy hill town of Ranni. Known as Benz, he’s all about his trusty Ambassador car—until it gets nabbed by cops in a drug smuggling bust, dragging him into a messy world of crime and heartbreak. Shobana lights up the screen alongside him, with Prakash Varma, Farhaan Faasil, and Maniyanpilla Raju rounding out a killer cast. The trailer teased a vibe like Lucifer meets Drishyam, blending suspense with family drama.
Theatricaly, Thudarum was a beast, pulling in ₹236.81 crore worldwide since its April 25 release, with ₹121.20 crore net in India and ₹93.80 crore overseas, per Sacnilk. It sold over 4.35 million tickets on BookMyShow, a Malayalam record, and saw 77 lakh footfalls in Kerala, outdoing every post-Covid Mollywood film. While it fell just shy of Manjummel Boys’ ₹241.56 crore to claim the top spot, its ₹90 crore budget still delivered a 35% profit—a big win despite the high costs.
On JioHotstar, Thudarum is unstoppable. Its first week (May 26–June 1) scored 2.9 million views, topping Ormax’s non-Netflix film charts but trailing Mohanlal’s other 2025 hit, L2: Empuraan, by a slim 3.3%. Then Week 2 (June 2–8) exploded with 5.6 million views, landing second among India’s most-watched streaming originals. That 93% surge left competitors like Tourist Family (4.4 million debut views) in the dust and even pushed L2: Empuraan out of the top 5. Fans on X are hyped, with one calling it a “big screen banger turned streaming king,” though some noted its ₹20 crore+ OTT deal was smaller than Empuraan’s ₹60 crore, likely due to Mohanlal’s recent missteps like Malaikottai Vaaliban.
What’s got everyone hooked? Mohanlal’s soulful take on Shanmughan, a regular guy caught in a storm, hits hard, and Shobana’s performance adds serious depth. While a few X users felt the story leans on familiar tropes, Moorthy’s direction makes it feel fresh and personal. Available in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada, Thudarum’s wide reach is pulling in viewers left and right, and buzz suggests it’s got legs for a strong third week.
With Mohanlal ruling 2025 as the star of two of Malayalam cinema’s top three grossers, Thudarum’s OTT domination is no surprise. If you’re into intense thrillers or just can’t resist Mohanlal’s charm, this one’s a must-stream on JioHotstar. Jump in now and see why millions are glued to this crime saga’s wild ride.
Source: Koimoi