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Kalamkaval review
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Filmi Score
Very good
20 reviews
72
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Mammootty's chilling, unglamorised serial-killer turn and Vinayakan's restrained cop are the consensus strength critics return to, but many flag slow pacing, thin psychological depth and a familiar true-crime echo that keeps it from fully landing.
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16+
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Summary
Kalamkaval (2025, Malayalam) has a Filmi Score of 72 from 20 critic reviews, is rated 16+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 16+), and streams on SonyLIV in India.
Early 2010s. A routine Kerala Police inquiry in the quiet village of Kottayikonam takes an unexpected turn when a trail of seemingly minor clues unravels into a string of disturbing cases. The investigation soon crosses into Tamil Nadu, revealing unsolved mysteries that have lingered for years.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
Not streaming yetNot streaming yetNot streaming yetSONYLIVWatch nowNot streaming yetNot streaming yet
Box office collection
₹$≈ at ₹88/$, as of 26 Oct 2026
₹82.75 CrWorldwide gross in 35 days
India gross₹44.05 Cr
Overseas gross₹38.70 Cr
As of 26 Aug 2026 · Sacnilk
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Cast & crew
Cast
Directed by Jithin K Jose · written by Jithin K Jose & Jishnu Sreekumar · music Mujeeb Majeed
Jithin K JoseDirector · Writer
Jishnu SreekumarWriter
Mujeeb MajeedMusic
Faisal AliCinematography
Praveen PrabhakarEditing
VinayakanLead
Mammootty
Gibin Gopinath
Rajisha Vijayan
Shruti Ramachandran
Kunchan
Biju Pappan
Megha Thomas
Malavika Menon
Gayatri Arun
Azees Nedumangad
Aravind Deepu
Full crew
SoundKishan Mohan
Production designShajie Naduvil
CostumeAbhijith C
LyricsVinayak Sasikumar · Haritha Haribabu · Jithin K Jose
MakeupAmal Chandran · George Sebastian
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Summary
Early 2010s. A routine Kerala Police inquiry in the quiet village of Kottayikonam takes an unexpected turn when a trail of seemingly minor clues unravels into a string of disturbing cases. The investigation soon crosses into Tamil Nadu, revealing unsolved mysteries that have lingered for years.
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
What the critics said
20 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 20 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Vishal Menon · 5 Dec 2025
Vishal Menon calls Kalamkaval a genre-defining thriller for Malayalam cinema, praising its seamless editing, sound design and a Mammootty… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
92
Unni Narayanan · YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 16 Jan 2026
A dense, spoiler-heavy scene-by-scene explainer that opens and closes urging fans who missed the theatre run to watch on OTT, calling the writing,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
85
റഷാദ് കൂരാട് · 13 Dec 2025
Rashad Koorad calls Kalamkaval a must-watch, praising Mammootty and Vinayakan's tense psychological duel and the film's craft, while noting some… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
82
YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 5 Dec 2025
An almost entirely uncritical take praising the villain-hero role reversal, Mammootty's total disappearance into the killer and Vinayakan's… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
80
Arjun Menon · 5 Dec 2025
Kalamkaval Review: Mammootty Surprises Yet Again Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 80
70
Kalamkaval Review: Mammootty dominates as a chilling villain in a rather predictable crime thriller Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 80
70
S. R. Praveen · 5 Dec 2025
S.R. Praveen finds Kalamkaval a slow-burn procedural that could have been ordinary, but says Mammootty and Vinayakan's performances elevate it,… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
Baradwaj Rangan ✓ Claimed · 6 Dec 2025
Rangan calls Kalamkaval a pulpy but effective cop-versus-killer thriller, carried by superb performances from Mammootty and Vinayakan and a… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
6 Dec 2025
The critic is impressed by Mammootty's disturbing villain and Vinayakan's versatility, calling the film a 'fabulous job' of exposing danger behind… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
76
Janani K · 5 Dec 2025
Kalamkaval review: Mammootty transforms into monster, Vinayakan anchors thriller Read it there →
Published · 3/5
Filmi’s reading 72
60
Princy Alexander · 5 Dec 2025
Princy Alexander praises Mammootty's quietly devastating performance and the tightening screenplay, but notes narrow character arcs trade… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
70
Rohit Panikker · 7 Dec 2025
Kalamkaval Review: Mammootty Steps Into The Shadows in a Slow Burning Crime Mystery | Filmfare.com Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 68
70
19 Jan 2026
Scroll's review calls the police procedural competent but unshowy, praising Mammootty's chillingly banal serial killer and Vinayakan's steady cop… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
68
Latha Srinivasan · 5 Dec 2025
Kalamkaval Review: Mammootty And Vinayakan's Performances Make This Thriller A Compelling Watch Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 65
70
Varun · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 26 Jan 2026
Appreciates Mammootty's convincing, unglamorised turn as a motiveless killer and Vinayakan's subtle cop, plus a smooth background score, but finds… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
65
Anmol Jamwal · YouTube · transcript read · 11 Dec 2025
Jamwal calls Kalamkaval a slow-burn thriller that 'did not blow me away' but is elevated by Mammootty's chilling antagonist, Vinayakan's… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
65
Raunaq Mangottil · YouTube · transcript read · 6 Dec 2025
A solid debut attempt at the serial killer genre with an engaging setup and a genuinely impressive Mammootty — who designs every inch of a morally… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
63
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 6 Dec 2025
Calls the film a decent, unconventional serial-killer thriller carried by strong female casting and shock-value performances from Mammootty and… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
62
5 Dec 2025
Kalamkaval Movie Review: A slow-burn investigative thriller with compelling performances Read it there →
Published · 3.0/5
Filmi’s reading 62
60
Anandu Suresh · 5 Dec 2025
Kalamkaval movie review: Mammootty once again shows he’s the biggest threat to stardom; but the crime thriller fails him Read it there →
Published · 2.5/5
Filmi’s reading 48
50
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 20 readings; 7 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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Kalamkaval: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
What is Kalamkaval's box office collection?
Kalamkaval has a box office collection of ₹82.75 Cr worldwide (gross), made up of ₹44.05 Cr India gross and ₹38.70 Cr overseas gross. Figures are Sacnilk's, as of 26 Aug 2026, day 35. Grosses are contested in India, and money never feeds the Filmi Score.
How much has Kalamkaval collected at the box office?
Kalamkaval has collected ₹82.75 Cr worldwide in 35 days, as of 26 Aug 2026, according to Sacnilk.
Where can I watch Kalamkaval?
Kalamkaval is streaming on OTT: SonyLIV (India). Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about Kalamkaval?
Kalamkaval has a Filmi Score of 72 (Very good), the mean of 20 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 48 (The Indian Express) to 92 (The Hollywood Reporter India). 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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