Lijo Jose Pellissery's first film is coming back to theatres. Nayakan, his 2010 debut with Indrajith in the lead, returns on Friday, October 30, in a 4K restored version with Dolby Atmos sound, according to reports. The re-release offers a second chance to a film that struggled on its first run and has since built a cult following.
Timeline
19 March 2010: Nayakan releases in theatres.
4 September 2026: A planned re-release date, which the film missed.
Friday, 30 October 2026: Nayakan returns, 4K restored with Dolby Atmos (as reported).
A debut that flopped
Nayakan was praised by critics when it came out, but it did not find an audience at the box office, according to reports. Part of the reason is reported to be its timing. It opened a day after Thanthonni, and lost out in the clash.
Over the years since, the film's standing has changed. It is now seen as a cult classic, a film that viewers found later rather than on release.
Indrajith as Varadanunni
At the centre of Nayakan is Indrajith as Varadanunni, a Kathakali artist who joins the underworld to avenge the murder of his family, according to reports. The pairing of a classical performer with a revenge story gives the film its most striking image, the painted face of Kathakali set against a world of crime.
Indrajith is reported to have shared the new poster on October 22.
The film had a strong supporting cast. Thilakan, Siddique, Jagathy Sreekumar, Dhanya Mary Varghese, Vijayaraghavan, Lalu Alex and Chemban Vinod Jose appear alongside Indrajith. P.S. Rafeeque wrote the film, and Anoop Johnson Karedan produced it, according to reports.
Where Lijo's style begins
Watched now, Nayakan reads as the first step for a filmmaker whose later work would be widely discussed. Its central idea, a Kathakali artist pulled into a revenge story in the underworld, already shows an interest in setting a familiar genre inside an unusual world.
That thread runs through his later work. Angamaly Diaries (2017), Ee.Ma.Yau (2018) and Jallikattu (2019) followed, each built around a premise of its own. Seen next to them, Nayakan looks less like a false start and more like the first draft of an approach he kept refining.
For viewers who came to Lijo through those later films, the re-release is a chance to see where it started, on the big screen.
The restoration
The 4K remaster was done by Hy Studioz, and Hyzin Global Ventures is distributing the re-release, according to reports. The film was originally set to return on September 4, 2026, but that date passed without a release.
Part of a wider wave
Nayakan joins a run of Malayalam films brought back in 4K, after Spadikam (9 February 2023), Devadoothan (26 July 2024) and Manichitrathazhu (17 August 2024). We covered another recent case, Thenmavin Kombathu's 4K return.
It will not have October 30 to itself. Samarasa and Gariga also open that day, and on streaming, Akka premieres on Netflix the same date.
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