Pravinkoodu Shappu

Sreeraj Sreenivasan's 2025 Malayalam film is a murder mystery set in one enclosed space. On a rainy night eleven people are shut inside a toddy shop passing the time with cards, and in the morning the owner is found hanged. Sub-inspector Santhosh takes the case, and since it is established that nobody entered from outside, the killer must be one of those who were inside. The film moves the classic locked-room structure to rural Kerala and proceeds as each suspect keeps a secret of their own. The humour is pronounced; the interrogations play as comedy and the tension survives it. The cast is large and room is made for every character. Who it's for: viewers who like mystery and recent Malayalam cinema. Who it's not for: anyone expecting a serious crime film; the film turns to comedy often.