Malayalam star Mohanlal, often recognized as a consistent performer today, has earned considerable praise for his diverse film choices, from action-packed features like Lucifer to other compelling projects such as Thudarum. Yet, this appreciation does not always translate into box office success, a reality that became clear as 2025 drew to a close.

As 2025 concluded, Mohanlal marked his fourth theatrical release of the year with the film Vrishaba. This big-budget fantasy movie, heavily reliant on visual effects, reportedly cost over ₹80 crores to produce. The actor himself had high hopes for its commercial performance.

Vrishaba’s uninspired content failed to impress audiences, leading to much poorer word-of-mouth than anticipated. Despite its Christmas Eve release on December 25th, the film could not capitalize on the holiday weekend, managing to collect a mere ₹2 crores over six days. The clear lesson from Vrishaba’s performance is that compelling content drives success, not the star power of any actor, including Mohanlal.

The same audience that enthusiastically supported Thudarum and other successful films in 2025 showed no interest in Vrishaba, ultimately leading to the film’s complete failure at the box office.

The industry continues to observe these trends closely.