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Kaathal - The Core review
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Filmi Score
Exceptional
5 reviews
83
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Critics praise Mammootty and Jyothika's performances and Geo Baby's bold, unpreachy handling of a closeted-gay marriage, with the courtroom scenes and score singled out, though a few note moments that feel message-driven or abrupt.
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Summary
Kaathal - The Core (2023, Malayalam) has a Filmi Score of 83 from 5 critic reviews, and is rated 8+ by Filmi (BBFC: PG).
Mathew Devassy, a retired bank manager decides to enter local panchayat elections. Unexpectedly, his wife Omana, shocks everyone by filing for divorce, claiming that Mathew is gay.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
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Box office collection
No sourced figure yet.
Cast & crew
Cast
Directed by Jeo Baby · written by Paulson Skaria & Adarsh Sukumaran · music Mathews Pulickan
Jeo BabyDirector
Paulson SkariaWriter
Adarsh SukumaranWriter
Mathews PulickanMusic
Salu K ThomasCinematography
Francis LouisEditing
MammoottyLead
Jyothika
R. S. Panicker
Anagha Maya Ravi
Sudhi Kozhikode
Alister Alex
Joji Mundakayam
Chinnu Chandini Nair
Muthumani Somasundaran
Josey Sijo
Kalabhavan Haneef
Adarsh Sukumaran
Full crew
SoundTony Babu · Vineeth Raveendran · Sinoy Joseph
Production designShajie Naduvil
CostumeSameera Saneesh
LyricsAnwar Ali · Jacquiline Mathew
MakeupAmal Chandran
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Summary
Mathew Devassy, a retired bank manager decides to enter local panchayat elections. Unexpectedly, his wife Omana, shocks everyone by filing for divorce, claiming that Mathew is gay.
Kaathal - The Core (2023, Malayalam) has a Filmi Score of 83 from 5 critic reviews, and is rated 8+ by Filmi (BBFC: PG).
Where to watch
Availability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
Not streaming yet
What the critics said
5 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
The critic’s own number where they gave one
Anmol Jamwal · YouTube · transcript read · 24 Nov 2023
The critic calls Kaathal - The Core a leisurely, quietly devastating drama anchored by exceptional performances from Mammootty and Jyothika,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
92
Sajin Shriijth · 23 Nov 2023
The critic calls Kaathal Malayalam cinema's most daring attempt yet, praising Mammootty's understated performance, the restrained direction, and… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
86
Sukanya Shaji · 23 Nov 2023
The critic calls Kaathal a brave, dignified story of reconciliation, praising Mammootty and Jyothika's performances, the courtroom scenes' social… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
82
BVS Prakash · 6 Jan 2024
Kaathal-The Core Review: Mammootty, Jyothika deliver knock-out performances Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 78
70
அரவிந்த்ராஜ் ரமேஷ் · 24 Nov 2023
The critic calls Kaathal another milestone for Mammootty, praising his and Jyothika's performances, the quiet cinematography, and the score, while… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
How this number was made. We read every review and derive a 0–100 reading from each — including where the critic printed a number, which stays first on its row, because it’s theirs. The Filmi Score is the mean of 5 readings; 1 of those rows also carry the critic’s own rating, shown beside ours. Rubric v2.1, computed 26 Oct 2026. Any critic can ask us to remove a derived reading.
PublishedStated in videoDerived by FilmiNo score
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Kaathal - The Core: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
Where can I watch Kaathal - The Core?
Kaathal - The Core is not on any OTT service we track in India, the US, the UK or Canada right now. Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about Kaathal - The Core?
Kaathal - The Core has a Filmi Score of 83 (Exceptional), the mean of 5 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 78 (Deccan Chronicle) to 92 (Tried&Refused Productions). Every review and how it was scored is listed below.
What readers say
The Audience Score appears once three readers’ reviews have been read under the rubric — built from what people write, never from the rating numbers.
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