Vivekanandan Viral is a Malayalam comedy-drama film that started streaming in Telugu on the Aaha OTT platform on February 7, 2025, written by veteran director Kamal, directed by Nediyat Naseeb and produced by PS Shellyraj. Starring Shine Tom Chacko, Swasika Vijay, Grace Antony, Marina Michael, Manju Pillai, Parvathy Mala, and Neena Kurup in lead roles, the film was released in theaters on January 19, 2024 to mixed reviews. It is available in Telugu and Malayalam with cinematography by Prakash Velayudhan, editing by Ranjan Abraham, music by Bijibal, a runtime of 2 hours and 1 minute, and a U/A rating. Shine Tom Chacko, who impressed with his villainy in Dussehra and Devarala, created hype as his 100th film and Kamal's comeback movie. This film satirically touches on serious issues like marital rape and women empowerment. How is this film? Let's see my feelings, highlights, and shortcomings in this review
What's in the story?
Vivekanandan (Shine Tom Chacko) is a government employee in Kochi and appears to be a good person for the society. However, his true nature is a dark-faced sex addict and sadist. He lives in Idukki with his wife Sitara (Swasika Vijay) and their five-year-old daughter, and comes home on weekends. He is in a live-in relationship with young actress Diana (Grace Antony) in Kochi. He torments both women with his violent sexual desires, ignoring their physical and mental pain. Unable to bear this violence, Diana decides to teach Vivekanandan a lesson along with Sitara. Their revenge plan accidentally goes viral on social media, exposing Vivekanandan's evil ways. How did Vivekanandan's life change after this viral incident? Did Sitara and Diana get their lives back? This is the story.
My Feelings: Bold topic, but flat execution!
When I saw the viral trailer of Vivekanandan, I felt that it would show serious issues like marital rape and women empowerment as a satirical comedy, in the style of 22 Female Kottayam. Vivekanandan's dark character in the first half, Shine Tom Chacko's disturbing performance, and Swasika and Grace Antony's emotional scenes were impressive. As one user wrote on X, “Shine Tom Chacko’s performance made me hate Vivekanandan, Swasika, Grace’s performance touched my heart!” I agree with the sentiment. While praising the performances and bold topic, The Times of India (2.5/5) and The Hindu reviews criticized the amateurish writing, logical errors, and overdramatic narration. The second half found the social media viral trope and revenge episode too predictable, and some scenes were cringeworthy. On Letterboxd, users commented that “the film wanted to talk about feminism, but remained at the surface level.” The 3.7/10 rating on IMDb indicates a mixed response to the film.
Technical aspects, acting
Technically, the film is average. Prakash Velayudhan's cinematography realistically portrays the locations of Kochi and Idukki, but the visuals are not that impressive. Although Bijibal's music adds depth to the emotional scenes, the background score feels overdramatic. Ranjan Abraham's editing is smooth in the first half, but the scenes drag in the second half. Kamal's dialogues are simple, but lines like "My body, my rules" feel forced. The production values are neat, but budget limitations are visible in some scenes.
Shine Tom Chacko (Vivekanandan) is the strength of the film in acting. He impressed with his villainy in Dussehra, and in this film he plays a sadistic, perverted role disturbingly but convincingly. The South First review praised his "hateable" performance. Swasika Vijay (Sithara) portrayed the pain and confusion in her emotional scenes, especially in the second half, brilliantly. Grace Antony (Diana) impressed with her resilience in the revenge episode, her performance being the highlight of the film. Marina Michael (Aisha) impressed with her courageous stand in a small role. Johnny Antony (Pappan) and Sarath Sabha made us laugh in the comedy scenes, but their characters felt underdeveloped.
Likes, Dislikes
Likes:
Shine Tom Chacko's acting: Disturbing but convincing performance in a sadistic role.
Swasika, Grace Antony: Touched the heart with emotional, resilient roles.
Bold topic: An attempt to touch on marital rape, women empowerment.
Satirical touch: Some comedy scenes in the first half made me laugh.
Realistic setting: Kochi, Idukki visuals are natural.
Dislikes:
Amateurish writing: Feminism, social media viral tropes remain at the surface level.
Slow second half: Revenge episode is predictable, dragged with cringe scenes.
Logical flaws: The use of social media felt unrealistic and forced.
Overdramatic BGM: Bijibal's score exaggerated the scenes.
Week Climax: Revenge, Resolution ended in a gallery-pleasing, logic-less manner.
Who should watch it?
Vivekanandan Viral Shine is a decent watch for fans of Tom Chacko, Swasika, Grace Antony, and those who like bold, women-centric dramas like 22 Female Kottayam. It has adult content and violent scenes with a U/A rating, so it will suit the youth, Malayalam movie lovers, and OTT audience. Oh, and Telugu and Malayalam versions are available on Amazon Prime Video. However, the film may disappoint Telugu audiences who are expecting fresh content like Gullak, Sivarapalli or an animal-level intense drama. Some on Reddit commented that “the film started boldly, but ended with outdated feminism.” Those who watch it for a deep discussion on serious issues will find the film to be on the surface level.
Rating: 2.5/5
Vivekanandan Viral Shine impressed with Tom Chacko, Swasika, and Grace Antony’s performances, bold topic, and satirical touch. However, amateurish writing, slow second half, predictable viral tropes, and logical errors made the film a half-success. Kamal tried to show a serious issue like marital rape in a satirical way, but the finesse was missing in the execution. A watch for those who like bold content in Telugu OTT, but a disappointment for those who expect deep impact
Release Date: January 19, 2024 (Theaters), February 7, 2025 (Aha OTT)
Director: Kamal
Cast: Shine Tom Chacko, Swasika Vijay, Grace Antony, Marina Michael, Johnny Antony
Rating: U/A (Adult Content, Violent Scenes)