Thudarum: Meet the ultimate villain in Mohanlal blockbuster

Dubai: It looks like the Malayalam cinema gods have finally heard our prayers. In Thudarum, Mohanlal returns to mundu-clad glory — but while he gives us the slow-burn brilliance we craved, it's the stone-cold villainy of George Sir, a seemingly benign cop played by Prakash Varma, that has viewers talking.

Yes, that Prakash Varma — the advertising maven behind the adorable Vodafone ZooZoos and polished ad campaigns for Nirvana Films. Who would've thought the king of cute commercials could transform into the embodiment of evil in khaki? But here he is, in Thudarum, delivering a performance so sinister and composed, it makes your skin crawl — in the best way.

In my Gulf News review, I called Thudarum “a slow-burn thriller that simmers steadily,” with a solid script anchoring every stare, silence, and gut-punch. Mohanlal is in masterful form as Shanmugham, a sentimental cabbie whose world unravels when his beloved Ambassador is seized. But this isn’t just his show. Varma’s George, alongside Binu Pappu, is institutionalised evil incarnate — smug, sadistic, and terrifyingly real.

Varma’s shift from ad man to on-screen menace is a move nobody saw coming, but one that pays off in spades. His understanding of visuals and tone translates into an eerily restrained performance that makes every glance feel like a threat.

And if you’re wondering whether this was just a fluke — it’s not. Varma eats in this role, bringing the kind of subtle wickedness most actors only dream of pulling off. Let’s just say, we’re officially manifesting a George spin-off.

Who knew the man who once gave us cute ads would leave us haunted with a smarmy smile?