Mohanlal’s Athimanoharam shoot halted? Tharun Moorthy clears the air on rumours

3 min readHyderabadUpdated: Jun 4, 2026 07:02 PM IST

The first look of Mohanlal in Athimanoharam.

Director Tharun Moorthy took to Instagram on Thursday to deny reports claiming that the shoot of his upcoming Malayalam film Athimanoharam, starring Mohanlal in the lead role, had been stopped due to “confusion in the script.” In a statement posted on his Instagram Story, Moorthy called the news completely false and said the team has been actively filming in Thodupuzha for the past 78 days.

“I am receiving many messages and calls regarding online news claiming that our shoot has been stopped due to confusion in the script. This is completely false,” he wrote. He acknowledged that rain and weather conditions in Thodupuzha had affected some plans but said the team was working through every challenge with enthusiasm.

He also took a strong stance against the spread of unverified information. “I kindly request everyone not to post or spread unverified information for personal likes, views, or reach. Such misinformation can create unnecessary confusion among the audience and affect the efforts of the entire team,” he added.

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Tharun Moorthy’s statement comes at a time when anticipation around Athimanoharam is steadily building. Moorthy has previously pushed back against assumptions that the new film will follow a similar template as Thudarum. He has clarified that Athimanoharam is a police procedural with a strong family drama at its core, and has urged audiences not to go in expecting another Thudarum.

What is Athimanoharam?

Athimanoharam, previously referred to by its working title L366, marks Mohanlal’s 366th film and his second collaboration with Tharun Moorthy after Thudarum, which released in April 2025.

എല്ലാവർക്കും അതിമനോഹരമായ വിഷു ആശംസകൾ ✨🌼@Mohanlal @ashiqusman #Athimanoharam pic.twitter.com/OyKuoWMHlR

— Tharun Moorthy (@talk2tharun) April 15, 2026

The film sees Mohanlal play a Sub-Inspector named T S Lovelajan. The first look poster, which went viral, showed him in a police uniform surrounded by Ayyappa devotees heading to Sabarimala. The screenplay has been written by Ratheesh Ravi, with music by Jakes Bejoy, cinematography by Shaji Kumar and editing by Vivek Harshan, known for his work on Manjummel Boys and Aavesham. Meera Jasmine plays the female lead, reuniting with Mohanlal on screen after several years.

The shoot began on January 23, in Thodupuzha, with the official launch taking place at the Vaikom Mahadeva Temple, a venue Tharun Moorthy has used for the inauguration of all his films so far.