
Biju Menon
Baby John T

A constable aiming for a promotion unexpectedly encounters many problems. Facing the issues with humor and compassion, he works to overcome them.
I’ve seen this trick before. A man who spends his days enforcing rules—handing out tickets, scolding kids for scribbling on walls, maybe even arresting someone for jaywalking—suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the very system he polices. It’s a classic setup, the kind that fuels sitcoms and dark comedies alike. Thundu, the 2024 Malayalam comedy-drama from debut director Riyas Shereef, leans hard into this premise, but somewhere along the way, it forgets to ask the most interesting question: What happens when the cheater becomes the system?
The film follows Baby (Biju Menon), a police constable whose professional life is a slow-motion car crash. He’s stuck in a dead-end job, overshadowed by a smug superior (Shine Tom Chacko), and drowning in the kind of petty bureaucracy that makes you want to scream into a pillow. When Baby’s son is caught cheating on an exam, our hero delivers a stern lecture about honesty—only to turn around and do the exact same thing during his own departmental promotion test.
The title, Thundu, refers to those tiny slips of paper students use to smuggle answers into exams, and Baby’s descent into academic dishonesty is supposed to be the film’s comedic engine.

It’s a promising setup, one that could’ve been a sharp satire of institutional hypocrisy or a character study of a man unraveling under pressure. But Thundu never quite commits to either path. Instead, it lurches between tones, as if the script couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be a farce, a drama, or a heist movie.
The first act moves at a brisk clip, with Baby’s moral compromise playing out like a darkly comic twist on The Office. There’s a certain satisfaction in watching a man who’s spent his life upholding rules suddenly realize how flimsy they are when they’re turned against him. But the film’s second half abandons this tension in favor of a series of increasingly disjointed subplots—a police dog with a mysterious past, a side character’s sudden illness, a random act of vandalism—that feel like they were lifted from three different scripts and stapled together.
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Thundu (2024), the Malayalam-language comedy directed by Riyas Shereef, has been generating buzz for its blend of humor and heart. Starring Biju Menon in the lead role, the film follows a constable navigating a series of unexpected challenges as he pursues a promotion. With a supporting cast that includes Shine Tom Chacko, Unnimaya Prasad, and a mix of seasoned and fresh talent, Thundu promises a fresh take on workplace comedy with a local flavor.
Biju Menon, a stalwart of Malayalam cinema, headlines Thundu as the determined constable at the center of the story. His ability to balance comedy and emotion has made him a reliable choice for roles that require depth and levity. Shine Tom Chacko, known for his versatility, joins the cast in a supporting role, adding another layer of comedic and dramatic potential. Unnimaya Prasad, a rising star in Malayalam cinema, rounds out the key cast, bringing her signature charm to the project.
The film also features Abhiram Radhakrishnan, Raffi, Baiju Santhosh, Shaju Sreedhar, Noushad Ali, Zhinz Shan, and Sminu Sijo, though details about their specific roles remain sparse in the available evidence. The ensemble suggests a mix of character-driven humor and situational comedy, a hallmark of Malayalam cinema’s recent successes.
Thundu centers on a constable whose pursuit of a promotion spirals into a series of comedic and chaotic misadventures. The film’s official synopsis, as listed on IMDb and TMDB, teases a story that balances humor with compassion, hinting at a narrative that goes beyond slapstick to explore the protagonist’s personal growth. While the specifics of the plot remain under wraps, the premise aligns with Malayalam cinema’s recent trend of blending social commentary with lighthearted storytelling.
Director Riyas Shereef, making his mark with Thundu, appears to be leaning into a style that prioritizes character-driven comedy. The film’s tone is expected to resonate with audiences familiar with the genre’s ability to tackle everyday struggles with wit and warmth.
Details about the production of Thundu are limited, but the available evidence offers a few glimpses. The film was announced in 2024, with Riyas Shereef at the helm—a name that may not yet be widely recognized but whose directorial debut is already drawing attention. The casting of Biju Menon and Shine Tom Chacko suggests a project with commercial appeal, while the inclusion of newer faces like Unnimaya Prasad indicates a blend of experience and fresh talent.
Unfortunately, the SERP snippets provide little insight into the filming process, budget, or behind-the-scenes anecdotes. There are no confirmed reports about on-set challenges, improvisational moments, or directorial choices that might have shaped the film’s final cut. For now, Thundu remains a project defined by its cast and premise rather than its production backstory.
Malayalam cinema has a strong tradition of comedies that resonate beyond regional boundaries, and Thundu seems poised to follow in that tradition. The combination of Biju Menon’s star power, Shine Tom Chacko’s comedic timing, and a premise that blends humor with relatable struggles could make it a crowd-pleaser. If the film delivers on its promise of compassionate comedy, it may carve out a niche in a genre that often walks the line between satire and sentimentality.
For now, audiences will have to wait for more details—or the film’s release—to see how Thundu stacks up against its peers. Until then, the buzz around its cast and concept is enough to keep expectations high.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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