Kollywood film Idhayam Murali starring Atharvaa and Preity Mukhundhan in the lead roles and directed by Aakash Baskaran was released in theatres on July 10th and has received mixed responses from both audiences and critics alike.
Since this film featured a stellar cast including Fahadh Faasil and music composer Thaman, it had a decent pre-release buzz among the audience. Furthermore, because the single Vaama Vaama, sung by Dhanush, was a viral hit, many Kollywood viewers believed that Idhayam Murali would be a solid feel-good film.
Unfortunately, the film ended up as a disappointment for many people. Many viewers who watched it in theatres responded that the film offers nothing new and is just a mediocre romantic film. Consequently, with mixed word of mouth, Idhayam Murali ended its theatrical run with an average status.
Following its underwhelming theatrical run, Idhayam Murali started streaming on Netflix on August 7th in five languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. People who missed watching it in theatres are now watching it on OTT and sharing their responses on social media.
Since feel-good films usually perform well on OTT platforms, many Kollywood trackers believed that Idhayam Murali might also become a successful venture on OTT. However, the OTT audience is also sharing negative reviews.
Many viewers have suggested that Idhayam Murali is a cringeworthy film and that the director tried to milk 90s/early 2000s nostalgia memories, but it didn’t land well and ended up as a terrible misfire. They note that the screenplay was too draggy and the emotional portions in the film felt flat.
Additionally, they suggest that only Fahadh Faasil’s portions are enjoyable and that because of him, the climax felt somewhat refreshing. They feel that if Fahadh Faasil had not acted in this film, Idhayam Murali would be nothing but scrap.
Ultimately, with negative responses from the majority of the audience, it remains to be seen how Idhayam Murali is going to perform on the platform in the following days and whether it manages to acquire a decent number of viewers.
