Mandaadi — Review
The boat races are genuinely exciting and Soori is excellent. Everything that happens on land is much weaker.
Worth it for the racing. Five critics scored it between 2 and 3.5 out of 5, and they all split the film the same way — the sea is thrilling, the land is ordinary.
Soori plays a former champion boat racer turned lifeguard who goes home to face the man who was once his closest friend. The sport is the fresh part. The revenge story wrapped around it is one you have seen before.
Released in cinemas on 10 September 2026. Netflix announced it for 8 October 2026, in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, according to Outlook India. If you cannot find it, search the title in the Netflix app.
See every place to stream Mandaadi Box office collection: ₹100.26 crore net so far, after Day 28The scorecard
Story & Screenplay
2.5A rare setting, and a very familiar plot inside it.
Muthukaali was a famous boat racer. After falling out with his childhood friend Sattapuli, he leaves and works as a lifeguard in Chennai. He comes back to his coastal village for the annual race.
The reason they fell out comes in a flashback, and that is where most reviewers lost interest. M9 News said the film slips into completely predictable territory the moment the flashback starts. 123telugu said the middle act turns formulaic.
The setting is what saves it. Competitive sailing has barely been put on screen in Tamil cinema, and the fishing-village world around it feels lived in rather than decorated.
Direction
3Mathimaran Pugazhendhi shoots the sport better than the story.
The racing scenes are the reason to see this. Telugu360 said adding sailboat races is what makes the film stand apart, and praised how clearly the competitions are laid out — you always know who is winning and why.
Cinema Express called the sailing sequences a strength while noting turbulence in the story around them. The Hindu was the most positive, calling it an engaging and smooth-sailing sports drama.
The land scenes are the weak half. The Indian Express said the film loses momentum every time it comes ashore, and more than one reviewer asked for tighter editing after the interval.
Acting
3.5Soori proves again he is a serious lead actor.
Soori holds the film quietly. 123telugu praised how much he does with restraint rather than big emotion, and NDTV singled out his performance in giving the film 3.5 out of 5.
Suhas is the other half of it. As Sattapuli he is genuinely threatening, and the tension between the two men is the strongest thing in the story.
Sathyaraj is the waste. He plays the mentor Machamuni and is steady in every scene, but reviewers agreed the film gives him too little to do. Mahima Nambiar has a romance that Telugu360 said simply does not connect.
Camera & Visuals
3.5The sea footage is the best-made part of the film.
S. R. Kathir shoots the races so you can follow them, which is harder than it sounds with boats spread across open water.
The coastal village is shot without prettifying it. That plainness is part of why the world feels real.
Editing is the complaint, not the camera. At 154 minutes the second half sags, and several reviewers said a shorter cut would have lifted the whole film.
Music
3.5G. V. Prakash Kumar lifts every race.
The score was one of the few things nobody argued about. 123telugu called it energetic, and it does a lot of work making the races feel like events.
It is also used heavily. In the slower land stretches the music is carrying scenes that the writing has not quite earned.
Audience Reaction
3.5A clear hit, and a much bigger one than the reviews suggested.
Made for about ₹75 crore, it has taken roughly ₹125 crore. That is a solid profit and by far the better result of the two 10 September Tamil releases.
Audiences were warmer than critics. The racing plays very well with a crowd, and Soori pulled in viewers who have followed him from comedy into lead roles.
The common complaint from viewers matched the reviews exactly: the first half flies, the second half slows down.
Box office at a glance
What the critics said
Latha Srinivasan: an engaging coastal sports drama, with Soori the highlight.
Roopa Radhakrishnan: an uneven journey that builds to a strong finish.
Works in parts. The middle act turns formulaic and the friendship is never explored deeply enough.
The sailing sets it apart, but the romance does not connect and the second half needed cutting.
The training and race stretch is the best part. Everything after the flashback is predictable.
👍 Watch it if
- •Sports films, especially ones about a sport you have not seen on screen
- •Soori in a serious lead role — this is some of his best work
- •Coastal Tamil Nadu shot honestly rather than prettily
- •A big screen, for the racing
👎 Skip it if
- •A revenge flashback you can predict will spoil it for you
- •You want the whole film to hold the energy of the first half
- •Two and a half hours feels long for a straightforward story
- •You are watching for Sathyaraj. He is good and barely used
Common questions
Is Mandaadi good or bad?
The boat races are genuinely exciting and Soori is excellent. Everything that happens on land is much weaker. Across 5 published reviews it scored 2/5 to 3.5/5, which makes it watchable but flawed rather than a clear hit or a disaster.
Is Mandaadi worth watching?
Worth it for the racing. Five critics scored it between 2 and 3.5 out of 5, and they all split the film the same way — the sea is thrilling, the land is ordinary.
What is the rating for Mandaadi?
Our consensus rating is 2.75 out of 5, drawn from 5 published reviews ranging from 2/5 to 3.5/5.
What is Mandaadi rated out of 10?
About 5.5 out of 10. Indian critics publish out of 5, so this is our 2.75/5 consensus doubled rather than a separate score.
Is Mandaadi a hit or a flop?
Mandaadi is being called a hit. Budget (estimated): ₹75 crore. Worldwide gross (estimated): ₹125 crore.
How is the story & screenplay in Mandaadi?
A rare setting, and a very familiar plot inside it. Muthukaali was a famous boat racer. After falling out with his childhood friend Sattapuli, he leaves and works as a lifeguard in Chennai. He comes back to his coastal village for the annual race.
How is the direction in Mandaadi?
Mathimaran Pugazhendhi shoots the sport better than the story. The racing scenes are the reason to see this. Telugu360 said adding sailboat races is what makes the film stand apart, and praised how clearly the competitions are laid out — you always know who is winning and why.
How is the acting in Mandaadi?
Soori proves again he is a serious lead actor. Soori holds the film quietly. 123telugu praised how much he does with restraint rather than big emotion, and NDTV singled out his performance in giving the film 3.5 out of 5.
How is the camera & visuals in Mandaadi?
The sea footage is the best-made part of the film. S. R. Kathir shoots the races so you can follow them, which is harder than it sounds with boats spread across open water.
How is the music in Mandaadi?
G. V. Prakash Kumar lifts every race. The score was one of the few things nobody argued about. 123telugu called it energetic, and it does a lot of work making the races feel like events.
How is the audience reaction in Mandaadi?
A clear hit, and a much bigger one than the reviews suggested. Made for about ₹75 crore, it has taken roughly ₹125 crore. That is a solid profit and by far the better result of the two 10 September Tamil releases.
Cast & crew
- Mathimaran Pugazhendhi
- S. R. Kathir
- Pradeep E. Ragav
- G. V. Prakash Kumar
- Soori, Suhas, Mahima Nambiar, Sathyaraj, Bala Saravanan, Ravindra Vijay, Mithun Jai Sankar