‘Nadikar’ X review: Tovino Thomas starrer receives mixed response from the audience

Lal Jr.’s directorial ‘Nadikar’ featuring Tovino Thomas in the lead role, has hit the big screens today, May 3. ‘Nadikar’ has released in over 1000 screens. The film which revolves around the life of David Padickal, a movie star has opened to packed theatres. Starring Tovino Thomas, ‘Nadikar’ also has actors Soubin Shahir, Bhavana Menon, Suresh Krishna, and Balu Varghese in pivotal roles.Given that the film revolves around the life of a superstar, and that the ‘2018’ and ‘Minnal Murali’ star Tovino Thomas is headlining it has raised the expectations of the audience and the critics.
The microblogging website X (formerly known as Twitter) is flooded with reviews from netizens. Let’s take a look at how movie buffs feel about the latest Malayalam release.
A movie buff stated that the film was a ‘good attempt’ by the director Lal Jr. “#Nadikar has a good story about a self-obsessed superstar played by Tovino Thomas. The movie has its moments, especially in the first half and the second half is more plot-oriented. A good attempt by Lal Jr @ttovino #nadikar,” the netizen wrote.

Another user expressed that the film is ‘below average’. “#Nadikar - @ttovino's Performance Is Superb. Suresh, Chandhu and rest of the cast also good. rich visuals & good music. but writing is very weak. few comedies works well. lags are there. average first half. disappointing second. below average!”

A movie forum stated that though the film’s set up was interesting, the execution fell short. “#Nadikar: An average first half with few plus and few minus. The set up is interesting but the execution is mediocre. Typical Jean kind of raw dialogues. Need a solid second half to end on a positive note. Average first half followed by a disappointing second half. Making is good but the script is a letdown. Suresh Krishna and Balu's sporadic humour scenes are good and Tovino has done his part well. Overall a disappointing film from Lal Jr and Co.”

Another group of cinephiles expressed that the film was below average, “#Nadikar: A film with promising potential undermined by lackluster execution and weak writing. Standout performances by Chandhu Salimkunar, complemented by Yakzen-Neha's music, offer glimpses of promise. However, the narrative's weaknesses overshadow these strengths. Despite nods to Big Ms, the film struggles to rise above mediocrity. Below average.”

The film is also getting underwhelming response from some audience. A user on X wrote, “A mediocre first half followed by a below average second half! A big scale movie made with such a poor script raises questions. #TovinoThomas and Suresh Krishna tried their best but couldn't save the movie. #SoubinShahir disappointed.”

‘Nadikar’ is available in cinemas now.