Thudakkam 2026: Why Vismaya Mohanlal's Debut Thriller Trended After Its JioHotstar Premiere

Searches for "thudakkam 2026" spiked in India on 18 September 2026, and the reason is straightforward: the Malayalam survival thriller Thudakkam — the acting debut of Vismaya Mohanlal, daughter of superstar Mohanlal — began streaming on JioHotstar that day, with a Telugu audio version available. Google Trends India recorded roughly 2,000 searches for the term in the 24 hours around the premiere, a signal of search interest rather than a measure of the film's quality.

What is Thudakkam and where can you watch it?

Thudakkam (തുടക്കം, meaning "beginning") is directed by Jude Anthany Joseph, best known for the blockbuster 2018. According to AP7AM's review, the film released theatrically on 7 August 2026 and collected over ₹40 crore before arriving on JioHotstar on 18 September 2026. That box-office figure comes from Telugu review write-ups, not an official trade or producer statement, so treat it as a reported estimate. TeluguOne and Eenadu both confirm the film is streaming on JioHotstar with Telugu audio, which explains why Telugu-language searches drove much of the spike.

The plot: a missing daughter and a psychopathic killer

The story follows Meenu (Vismaya Mohanlal), a young woman trained in martial arts and raised single-handedly by her father Ravi Balachandran (Sai Kumar), a wheelchair-bound village officer. When Meenu goes missing after travelling to write a bank exam — her phone switched off — her anxious father turns to the police. On the night bus back, Meenu crosses paths with a dangerous psychopathic killer, and the film becomes a survival drama built around her fight to escape. Mohanlal appears in a guest role, and producer Antony Perumbavoor's son Ashish Joe Antony plays a key part. The film is produced under the Aashirvad Cinemas banner, with music by Jakes Bejoy.

What Telugu critics said

All three Telugu reviews published on 18 September 2026 were broadly positive, though with caveats:

• AP7AM rated the film 3 out of 5, praising the gripping narration, the near-dialogue-less villain who terrifies through body language alone, and the film's message that girls should learn martial arts for self-defence.
• TeluguOne called it a seat-edge thriller with no unnecessary lag, highlighting Jakes Bejoy's background score and Jomon John's cinematography as key strengths, and noting that Vismaya impresses with her acting and action sequences despite this being her first film.
• Eenadu praised Vismaya's second-half performance and the emotional father-daughter track but flagged a slow first half, unnecessary songs and a thin storyline as speed-breakers.

These are subjective critical opinions from each outlet, not verified measures of the film's merit — audience reactions may differ.

Why the search spike matters

The trend fits a familiar pattern in Indian search behaviour: a Malayalam film with a star-kid debut crossing over to a wider audience through OTT. The theatrical run in August generated modest national attention, but the JioHotstar premiere — especially with Telugu audio — opened the film to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana viewers, whose reviews and searches pushed "thudakkam 2026" into Google's trending list. For viewers deciding whether to stream it, the consensus from Telugu critics is that it is a compact, gripping survival thriller anchored by a confident debut performance, provided you can sit through a leisurely first half.