Arikomban, a Tamil film based on the wild elephant that made headlines in Kerala and Tamil Nadu in 2023, has released its official teaser. Mithun Maheswaran wrote and directed the film and plays the lead, and it is set for a worldwide theatrical release on December 11, 2026, including in Kerala, as reported by DT Next and Dinakaran. Director and actor Sasikumar unveiled the teaser, which Saregama Tamil posted on YouTube.
The film is produced under the banner of Magic Pictures and, according to the makers, tells the story of the elephant alongside the struggles of the tribal communities who live in the forest.
What the Arikomban teaser shows
The 54 second teaser opens on misty hills and a close shot of the tusker's tusks. It then cuts to an aerial view of a forest village, a crowd cheering as a man and a woman are garlanded, and a lone elephant standing between the trees. Forest officers race through the jungle in a department jeep, smoke rises over the huts, and the last shot before the title card shows an elephant lying on the ground. There is no dialogue. The YouTube description sums it up as the battle for survival of a tribal village when a mighty wild elephant enters their world.
Mithun told reporters that two villages were recreated with sets inside a forest, as reported by DT Next. The film was shot in the Pachaimalai and Kolli Hills of Tamil Nadu, as reported by DT Next and Dinakaran.
Film: Arikomban (Tamil)
Release: In theatres, December 11, 2026 (reported)
Writer, director and lead: Mithun Maheswaran
Female lead: Devika Krishnan
Music: Sagishna Xavier
Cinematography: RS Anishlal
Editor: B Praveen
Banner: Magic Pictures
Who is Mithun Maheswaran?
Malayalam audiences may know Mithun Maheswaran from Chennaiyil Oru Naal, the 2013 Tamil remake of the Malayalam hit Traffic, where he reportedly played the role Asif Ali did in the original. He has also acted in Engeyum Eppodhum, Cocktail, Enga Kattula Mazhai and Chikiku Chikikichu.
Devika Krishnan, the Kerala actress seen in the Malayalam film Sumesh and Ramesh, plays the female lead in her first Tamil film. Subramaniam Siva, director of Thiruda Thirudi, Appukutty, Aadukalam Murugadoss, Aadhira, M Ramasamy and Ethirneechal Vimal are also in the cast, with Ajay as the antagonist. Cinematographer RS Anishlal, who shot Traffic in Hindi and Jamna Pyari, makes his Tamil debut, as reported.
The real Arikomban: a timeline
The film is inspired by the tusker named for his raids on rice stores. Here is the real story in order, as documented in established news reports in 2023.
- Before 2023: Arikomban roamed the Chinnakanal area near Munnar in Idukki, breaking into ration shops and homes for rice, which earned him his name.
- April 2023: after the matter reached the Kerala High Court, a court appointed expert committee decided he should be translocated.
- April 29, 2023: a team of about 150 officials captured him at Chinnakanal and released him in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, about 80 km away.
- May 27, 2023: he walked into Cumbum town in Theni, Tamil Nadu, damaging vehicles and injuring three people. One man died of his injuries, and prohibitory orders were imposed.
- June 5, 2023: Tamil Nadu forest officials tranquillised him near Cumbum and moved him more than 200 km south to the Upper Kodayar forests of the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
Elephant: Arikomban, also called Arisikomban
Home range: Chinnakanal, Idukki, Kerala
First move: Periyar Tiger Reserve, April 29, 2023
Second move: Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, June 5, 2023
The elephant's story was followed closely in both states, and the makers have confirmed a Kerala release alongside Tamil Nadu. For more film news, see our news section and the movies section.
