Mohanlal’s Thudarum, Tovino’s ARM and Thamar K V’s Sarkeet make it to IFFI 2025

Three Malayalam films — Mohanlal’s Thudarum, Tovino Thomas–Jithin Lal’s ARM, and Thamar K V’s Sarkeet — have been officially selected for the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), to be held in Goa, as part of the prestigious Indian Panorama category. Superstar Mohanlal expressed his gratitude after his action thriller Thudarum earned the honour. Directed by Tharun Moorthy, the film has been chosen for screening under the Indian Panorama section.

Sharing the news with his fans, Mohanlal wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Honoured and delighted to share that #Thudarum is an official selection at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in the Indian Panorama category. Thank you for this incredible recognition.”

Released on April 25, Thudarum created history at the Kerala box office, grossing over ₹100 crore. The film’s music is composed by Jakes Bejoy, with cinematography by Shaji Kumar and editing by Shafeeque V B and Nishadh Yusuf.

ARM will be the only Malayalam film among the five Indian films chosen in the Indian Panorama category. The song Kiliye from the film, sung by K S Harisankar, won him the Kerala State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. Written by Sujith Nambiar, ARM also features Krithi Shetty, Harish Uthaman, Basil Joseph, Surabhi Lakshmi, Aishwarya Rajesh, Aju Varghese, and Jagadish in key roles. The film’s lead actor, Tovino Thomas, also received a Special Jury Mention for Best Actor.

Meanwhile, director Thamar K V shared on Instagram that his film Sarkeet has been selected for IFFI 2025. “SARKEET has been selected for the prestigious Indian Panorama section at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI Goa) — to be one among 25 films across India! Heartfelt thanks to our incredible cast and crew for their passion and dedication throughout this journey,*” he wrote.

Sarkeet follows two intertwined lives in the Gulf — Jakku, a young boy with ADHD portrayed by Orhan Hyder, and Amir (Asif Ali), a man struggling to find work in a foreign land. Exploring emotional connections within the expatriate world, Sarkeet features a touching performance by child actor Orhan Hyder. The film is also available for streaming on Manorama Max.