Movie Name : Idli Kottu
Release Date : Oct 1, 2025
Cast : Dhanush, Nithya Menon, Arun Vijay, Shalini Pandey, Sathyaraj, Rajkiran etc.
Director : Dhanush
Music Director : G.V Prakash Kumar
Telugumopo.com Rating : 2/5
Story:
Murali (Dhanush) is brought up observing his father Shivakesavalu (Rajkiran) operate a well-known Idli Kottu in his village. When Murali proposes expanding it into a franchisee, his father dismisses the idea. Yearning to be a grand success, Murali sets out from his village and parents to become a hotel management professional.
Years after that, he is one of the top executives in a high-class hotel group in Bangkok. The proprietor (Sathyaraj) likes him and wishes his daughter Meera (Shalini Pandey) to marry Murali. But her brother Ashwin (Arun Vijay) objects, making it difficult for Murali.
As wedding preparations reach their peak, disaster hits—Murali loses his father. Back to the village, he is dealt another blow as his mother dies as well, leaving him to continue the legacy of the family’s legendary Idli Kottu.
Now, Murali has to walk the tightrope between love, family obligations, and resistance. Will he wed Meera? Can he rescue the Idli Kottu? And who is Kalyani (Nithya Menen), the lady who stood by his parents and their heritage? These answers drive the film’s plot.
Review:
Dhanush reiterates his acting skills in ‘Idli Kottu’ with Murali, a character who moves from the dynamism of life overseas to the simplicity of rural life. His act is natural, genuine, and real, infusing warmth and charm on the screen. Yet the character relies on understatement, missing the high-energy heroics some fans would expect.
Nithya Menen shines as the village girl, realistically portraying her Telugu dialogues, although her character is embellished slightly. Shalini Pandey successfully embodies the role of the rich girl, and Rajkiran brings weight to the role of Murali’s father, even though he is not present a lot of time. Sathyaraj is delightful as the loving but demanding father, and Arun Vijay plays the antagonist effectively, but his motivations are predictable. Other supporting actors perform their parts satisfactorily.
On the directorial side, Dhanush follows a traditional village-based story, narrated in a melodramatic, nearly serial-kind of manner. The first half works emotionally, with scenes touching hearts, but the second half falters, with dragging sequences and lack of conflict that reflect poorly on the overall pace. The hero-villain relationship and plot points do not generate excitement, rendering some portions of the movie predictable.
On a technical level, GV Prakash Kumar’s score is effective, matching the film’s emotional beat. Kiran Koushik’s cinematography beautifully captures rural backdrops and scenic locations. Production values are as you would expect, and the Telugu dubbing, which was rife with one-liners and quippy dialogue, helped deliver the story for a regional audience.
In the end, ‘Idli Kottu’ leans too heavily on the emotional father-son journey, and Dhanush’s performance, despite being above average overall, primarily elevates the film, but derivative narratives and melodramatic pacing make ‘Idli Kottu’ one of his less iconic directorial efforts.
