Malayalam cinema is very good at one kind of story: the flawed, maddening, impossible-to-hate father. Avaraachan and Sons on Netflix is the latest. Biju Menon plays a widower whose drinking and bad decisions have pushed his two grown sons to the edge. The film opened in theatres on October 2 and started streaming on Friday, October 30. Netflix lists it as Avarachan & Sons, while most posters and coverage spell it Avaraachan & Sons, so search for either one.
Here’s what you need to know before pressing play, from the story and cast to how it was received and who will enjoy it most.
Avaraachan & Sons: the basics
- Streaming on: Netflix, from October 30, 2026
- Languages: Malayalam (original), Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, with English and Malayalam subtitles
- Theatrical release: October 2, 2026
- Director: Thamby (Amal Sheela Thamby), in his feature debut
- Writers: Thamby and Joseph Vijeesh
- Producer: Listin Stephen, under Magic Frames
- Netflix rating: TV-MA
What is the film about?
The film is set in Chellanam, a coastal stretch near Kochi. Avaraachan is a widower and a drinker who doesn’t seem to grasp how much damage he does. He lives with his two sons, Jaison, played by Sreenath Bhasi, and Jaimon, played by Ganapathi S. Poduval. They are tired of cleaning up after him.
His troubles pile up fast. A scandal at work costs him his job, and his refusal to take responsibility at home makes his sons even angrier. Things turn serious when his behaviour wrecks one son’s marriage proposal. Soon some locals are angry enough that he faces the threat of an attack. With nowhere else to go, he heads off to stay with his sister, Ellikutty.
Netflix describes it like this: “When outrage over his unorthodox lifestyle forces Avarachan to leave home, the widower sets out on a journey to redeem himself to his grown sons.” So the second half seems to be about whether this man can become someone his sons can rely on, and whether he even wants to.
The tone: warm, but not too sweet
Calling it a “family entertainer” undersells it a little. Netflix’s tags for the film include dark comedy, dysfunctional family and even “raunchy”, and the TV-MA rating tells you it isn’t aimed at kids. Expect a comedy about a difficult man, with real bite, not a soft Sunday-afternoon drama. Also expect a few scenes that are fairly awkward to watch with your parents.
The cast
Biju Menon plays Avaraachan, and by every account this is his film. Viewers outside Kerala will know him best as the stubborn policeman in Ayyappanum Koshiyum. That role also won him a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He’s one of the few actors who can make a man this irritating still feel human.
Sreenath Bhasi plays Jaison, and Ganapathi S. Poduval plays Jaimon, the two sons. Much of the film depends on how their resentment and loyalty play against their father, so the sons have plenty to do.
The supporting cast is packed with familiar Malayalam faces. It includes Vinay Forrt, Grace Antony, Johny Antony, Akhila Bhargavan, Pauly Valsan, Parvathy Babu and Sabumon Abdusamad, plus Kottayam Nazeer and several others in smaller roles. For Malayalam audiences, a cast list like that usually promises a lot of good comic timing in the corners of the frame.
The team behind it
Thamby makes his feature debut here after directing the 2021 web series Insomnia Nights. He wrote the screenplay with Joseph Vijeesh. Listin Stephen produced it under Magic Frames, one of the busier banners in Malayalam cinema.
The craft credits are solid too. Sajith Purushan shot the film, Akash Joseph Varghese edited it, and Sanal Dev composed the music. Given the Chellanam setting, expect the coastline and small-town Kerala life to do a lot of the visual work.
Why stories like this keep working
Malayalam cinema has a long habit of putting messy, ordinary men at the centre of its films and asking the audience to sit with them. These aren’t villains, and they certainly aren’t heroes. They’re the uncle who drinks too much at weddings, the father who says the wrong thing at the worst moment, or the neighbour everyone complains about and still invites over. The best of these films don’t excuse the man. They show you the cost of his behaviour on the people around him, and then leave a small door open for change. Going by the premise and Netflix’s own description, Avaraachan & Sons is reaching for exactly that, with the sons as the people who pay the price and the father as the one who has to earn his way back.
How was it received?
Here’s the honest version. The theatrical response was mixed. The one thing almost everyone agreed on was Biju Menon. His performance as Avaraachan was singled out again and again as the film’s biggest strength. Some trade listings said it did decent business at the box office, but we haven’t seen reliable final figures, so we won’t put a number on it.
That pattern of mixed reviews and a praised lead performance often works in a film’s favour once it reaches streaming. If you mostly want to watch a fine actor in a juicy role, the uneven parts matter less when you’re on your sofa and can pause for chai.
Should you watch Avaraachan and Sons?
Watch it if you like Malayalam family comedies with a bit of edge. It should also suit Biju Menon fans and anyone who enjoys stories about fathers and sons who love each other but can’t quite stand each other. If you grew up with an uncle or a father who could turn any family function into a crisis, you may recognise a few scenes.
Maybe skip it if you want a tight, plot-heavy film. Mixed reviews usually mean the pacing or the writing wobbles somewhere, and this is more of a character study than a story full of twists. It’s also not one for the kids, given the TV-MA rating.
If your Malayalam is shaky, the English subtitles are the way to go. A lot of the humour in films like this lives in local dialect and timing, and dubs tend to flatten it. The Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada tracks are there if you’re watching with family who prefer them.
Looking for another recent Malayalam title to pair with it? Read our Aasha movie review, the Urvashi and Joju George thriller on ZEE5, which offers a very different mood.
Avaraachan & Sons FAQs
Where can I watch Avaraachan & Sons?
On Netflix, from October 30, 2026. Search for “Avarachan & Sons” if the double-a spelling doesn’t show up.
Is Avaraachan & Sons available in Hindi?
Yes. Netflix has Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada dubs alongside the Malayalam original.
Who plays the sons in Avaraachan & Sons?
Sreenath Bhasi plays Jaison and Ganapathi S. Poduval plays Jaimon.
Is it suitable for children?
Probably not. Netflix rates it TV-MA and tags it as a dark and somewhat raunchy comedy, so it’s better for older teens and adults.
